Events
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Limited timeThe Art of Fashion | 17th–19th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 23 October 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 10
Japan's traditional clothing, kimono, are based on kosode — the outer wear of the Edo period (1603–1868). At first, the court nobility and samurai wore kosode under other clothing. But from about the 15th century, the samurai began using them as daily outer wear. In the 17th century, kosode became the most common clothing for men and women of all classes.
Wealthy women placed orders for custom-made kosode at luxury clothing stores. They often chose the patterns from clothing design books that were published and widely circulated. Together with these kosode, they wore hairpins and combs to accent their elaborate hairstyles.
In contrast, men wore kosode with understated patterns like stripes or checks.
Their usual fashion accessories were a small case (inrō) and a toggle (netsuke) for securing the case to the sash. This gallery features kosode and accessories, together with prints and paintings (ukiyo-e) showing how people wore them and how fashions changed over time.
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Limited timeZen and Ink Painting | 13th–16th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 3
Zen Buddhism was introduced from China, and had widespread influence on culture in Japan. Zen does not stress elaborate rituals or the study of sacred texts. Rather, it teaches that meditation and daily tasks, even cooking and cleaning, are the way to spiritual enlightenment. In the 13th century, monks brought Zen to Japan as a complete school of Buddhist thought.
These monks also brought the latest cultural practices from China. One of them was ink painting, which uses expressive lines and delicate gradations to portray nature and people. Ink painting spread beyond Zen temples and became a major artistic tradition in Japan.
Another practice was calligraphy by Zen masters, which was prized for its spiritual and aesthetic value. Along with the painting and calligraphy shown here, Zen Buddhism influenced tea ceremony, garden design, and many other forms of art.
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Limited timeTomb Sculptures (Haniwa) and Funerary Rites Until 20 April 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 20 April 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
The advent of burial mounds coincided with the emergence of a specific kind of tomb sculpture, called haniwa. These sculptures are assumed to have played an important role in ancient funerary rites, and were a common feature of burial mounds until the practice declined after early societies abandoned the construction of colossal, keyhole-shaped burial mounds. This section of the gallery features house-shaped tomb sculptures, which were the dominant type during the 5th century. The lineup also includes illustrative examples of three other types of tomb sculptures: those in the shapes of weapons and household items, cylindrical sculptures, and wooden sculptures.
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Limited timePainting and Calligraphy | 16th–19th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 8
A thriving economy, foreign trade, and better education invigorated the development of painting and calligraphy. Previously, ruling classes like the samurai and court nobility were the main patrons of art. But in the Edo period (1603–1868), more people started to benefit from the economy. Successful merchants in particular gained the wealth to support artists and buy their works.
Many painters continued working in traditional styles, while others started looking to outside sources for inspiration. Paintings and painting manuals imported from China were one source. Another was the books and prints that traders brought from Europe, which showed techniques like realistic shading and perspective. As a result, painting in Japan became more diverse in style and subject matter.
Meanwhile, the ancient custom of writing with a brush and ink continued. The literacy rate increased dramatically as schools for different social classes were established, particularly in cities and towns. The publishing industry thrived and more people took up the art of calligraphy.
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Limited timePaintings on Folding Screens and Sliding Doors | 16th–19th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 7
The paintings here were not just for looking at — they served many other purposes, even that of furniture. Sliding doors divided rooms, while folding screens could be placed anywhere to create private spaces, reduce draftiness, or hide items from view. Sometimes artisans decorated the paintings with gold leaf, which reflected light and helped to brighten dim interiors.
A painting could also change the mood of a room. Ink paintings might create a relaxed or meditative atmosphere. Ones with bright colors and gold leaf might evoke an extravagant feel. The subject matter and style of a painting could also reflect the formality of a room, the current season, and the tastes of the owner. This gallery surrounds visitors with large-scale paintings to show how they create different moods.
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Limited timeDevelopment of Figural Haniwa Tomb Figurines Until 20 April 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 20 April 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
Haniwa are terracotta figurines that were stood up on ancient burial mounds called kofun. Around the 3rd century at the end of the Yayoi period, pedestal-shaped terracotta objects that were placed on burial mounds began to change form. By the time keyhole-shaped burial mounds were first created in the latter half of the 3rd century, these objects had developed into cylindrical and pot-shaped haniwa.
The earliest representational haniwa, which depicted houses, were created in the mid-4th century, followed by those portraying armor, shields, quivers, and parasols, as well as ships and fowl. Despite increasing variety and changes in the way haniwa were positioned on burial mounds, house-shaped ones were always placed in the center, therefore playing a unique and important role. From the mid-5th century, new haniwa in the shapes of various people and animals were also created. These included shrine maidens, horses, warriors, boars, water fowl, and dogs. They were positioned around the perimeters of burial mounds as though depicting stories. These various representational haniwa, which evolved from simple cylindrical ones, are believed to have played important roles in funerary rituals.
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Limited timeThe Arts of the Imperial Court | 8th–16th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 3
After emulating China for generations, the imperial court began to develop its own cultural identity around the 10th century. This movement was led by the court nobility serving the emperor. The body of work they produced — literature, calligraphy, painting, and elegantly decorated items for daily use — became one of Japan’s cultural foundations.
Even after the samurai gained more political power than the court in the 12th century, the court remained the home of high culture for centuries. The different art forms of the court were closely related, with literature playing a central role. Previously the nobility wrote in Chinese, but the creation of a new writing system (kana) helped Japanese literature to flourish. Both noblemen and noblewomen wrote some of Japan’s most celebrated poetry and stories, including by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu. Scenes from literature were also shown in paintings and on furnishings, which the nobility commissioned for their mansions.
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Limited timeNomadic Lives and Textiles, The Baloch People Until 16 February 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 16 February 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
The Baloch people speak the Balochi language and are based mainly in Balochistan, a region that spans across Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Some of the Baloch people are nomadic and move from place to place by season together with their animals such as goats, sheep, camels, and donkeys in search of pasture. They make rugs and bags that they would use for everyday life.
This exhibition sheds light on the lives of the Baloch people. It introduces their weaving techniques, characteristics of the patterns on their textiles, as well as the relationship between textiles and nomadic lives in general.
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Limited timeThe Arts of Buddhism | 8th–16th century Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 3
The beliefs and arts of Buddhism, along with its followers, became more diverse over time. In the Heian period (794–1192), the emperor and court nobility practiced and supported Buddhism. They used their vast wealth to build temples and create images for worship, often in delicate styles reflecting their tastes.
In the Kamakura period (1192–1333), the samurai gained political power, also becoming patrons of Buddhism. They preferred Buddhist art that was clear and dynamic, which led artisans to develop new styles. Many common people also became followers of Buddhism at this time, blending this religion with local beliefs, especially in the Muromachi period (1392–1573).
During these centuries, monks brought new schools of Buddhist thought from China, and developed new schools in Japan based on older teachings. Buddhism also became more integrated with Shinto, the indigenous religion. The paintings, sculptures, ritual tools, and sacred calligraphy on display illustrate this diversity in Buddhism.
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Limited timeMasterpieces of Chinese Art: Select Works from the Song and Yuan Dynasties Until 22 December 2024
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 22 December 2024, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
Every autumn, the Museum holds a thematic exhibition of masterpieces of Chinese paintings and calligraphy in its collection. This year’s exhibition presents select works from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. For hundreds of years, calligraphic works and paintings created during these Chinese dynasties have been brought to Japan, where they are cherished by many even today. The exhibition introduces the charm of calligraphy brushed in distinctive styles by scholar-officials, literati, and Chan monks. It also showcases landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings by court painters, who created them with meticulous use of color and masterful use of the ink and brush.
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Limited timeImportant Cultural Property Tomb Sculpture (Haniwa): Dressed-Up Woman Until 20 April 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 12 November 2024, 9:30AM - 20 April 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
Terracotta statues known as haniwa were placed on large burial mounds that were created in great numbers during the Kofun period (ca. 3rd century–ca. 7th century). Most haniwa of women show them from the waist up, making this full-length depiction unusual. This woman appears to be wearing a sleeveless garment with wave-like patterns over a plain, long-sleeved one. Her legs are hidden by a skirt decorated with vertical lines. Women of the preceding Yayoi period (ca. 5th century BC–ca. 3rd century AD) wore clothes similar to one-piece dresses. In the Kofun period, however, garments separated into top and bottom sections as seen here were introduced from China and Korea.
Her outfit is also more elaborate than it first appears: Her hair is made up in a topknot unique to women of the time and is held in place with a comb. She also wears a headband and two large earrings with a cluster of beads above each one, as well as a beaded necklace and bracelets. A knife or something similar is at her hip. Judging from the lavish attire, this haniwa probably depicts a woman of a high social standing who is participating in some kind of elaborate ceremony such as a funerary procession or rite.
※ The above information was correct at the time of updating, but there may be changes to actual prices. Please confirm the current prices when visiting.
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