The Kyoto National Museum exists to house, display, preserve, and research the art treasures privately owned by temples, shrines and the Imperial Household. There are over 12,000 items in its collection, and which is divided into three broad categories: Fine Arts (sculptures, paintings, calligraphy); Handicrafts (pottery, fabrics, lacquer wares, metal works); and Archaeology (items of archaeological and historical interest). It provides an excellent overview of the different modes of artistic expression which flourished throughout the ages in Kyoto (paving the way for the rest of Japan).

The museum's main focus is on pre-modern Japanese works, and it has the largest collection anywhere of Heian Period (794-1185) artifacts and a special collection of rare and ancient Chinese and Japanese sutras.