Events
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Limited timeThe Yamato Kingdom and the Production of Symbols of Authority Until 6 May 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 16 December 2024, 9:30AM - 6 May 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
From the 4th century, Chinese-style bronze mirrors were created in Japan and placed in burial mounds. These large mirrors were finely-crafted with unique designs, and, as this burial practice suggests, held special meaning in the Yamato Kingdom. Jasper, bronze, and stone copies of various ornaments were also buried in these mounds. They included distinctive hoe-shaped stone objects modeled after shell bracelets that were valued in the preceding Yayoi period. The Yamato government began creating such objects to show its political and religious authority. Moreover, certain objects, such as those made of jasper, were created with the aid of provincial clans.
Use of these objects and the construction of burial mounds for high-ranking rulers (these mounds featured stone chambers that were sealed from the top) spread from the Yamato Kingdom to the west. It is believed that provincial clans used these objects as evidence of their alliance with Yamato and as symbols of their own prestige.
The establishment and expansion of the Yamato Kingdom was also related to political developments in other East Asian countries. In China, the fall of the Western Jin dynasty ushered in the Sixteen Kingdoms period (316–420), while the three kingdoms of Korea – Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla– began to annex neighboring regions.
33 result(s)
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Limited timeKuroda Memorial Room Until 29 June 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 29 June 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Kuroda Memorial Hall Kuroda Memorial Room
Created to honor Kuroda’s artistic career and exhibit his works, this room was opened to visitors when the hall was founded. The inscription in Chinese characters on the panel above the doors reads: “Memorial Room of Viscount Kuroda,” which is said to be the handwriting of the painter Nakamura Fusetsu. This room allows visitors to view Kuroda’s works from the collection, which mainly consists of those donated by his family, and gain glimpses of the character of Kuroda, who contributed greatly to modernizing Western-style painting in Japan and improving the status of art in general in Japanese society.
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Limited timeWoodwork, Lacquerware, Incense Woods, and Measuring Instruments Until 8 June 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 8 June 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures Room 4
Wooden and lacquered objects include examples of Buddhist ritual implements, furnishings, musical instruments, stationery, measuring tools, and arms & armor, which range in date from the 7th to 17th century. Among these are notable pieces from the 8th century like the Bamboo Cabinet, which was donated by the famous Hōryūji priest Gyōshin, and a sutra box decorated with marquetry that shows the beautiful grain patterns of its jinkō wood. The Seven-stringed Zither is also valuable for its ink inscription, which tells us it was produced in China’s Sichuan Province in 724. The inscriptions on the pieces of incense wood in this collection also have revealed important facts about Persia’s involvement in the trade of such wood. Through these works one can not only see the culture of Japanese decorative art but can also get a sense of the cultural exchanges that occurred within East Asia centuries ago.
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Limited timeSwords Until 8 June 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 8 June 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 13
Room 13 features selected swords and sword–fittings from the Heian to Edo periods, including the Long Sword (Tachi), By Yoshifusa.
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Limited timeSculpture Until 6 July 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 6 July 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 11
Japan has three main traditions of sculpture: Buddhist deities, Shinto deities, and portraits of people. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from the Korean Peninsula in the 6th century, together with sculptures of Buddhist deities. These sculptures were made primarily for worship. Making a sculpture was also an “act of spiritual merit” that would help one’s prayers to be answered.
In contrast, Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. Since ancient times, people believed that Shinto deities dwell in natural features like mountains and rivers, and rarely depicted them as humanlike sculptures. Even when a Shinto shrine had a sculpture for worship, the priests usually kept it hidden from view out of respect.
Some portrait sculptures were also worshipped, as they showed deified monks or samurai. Others were made to remember the dead and pray for their salvation. This gallery features works mainly from the Heian (794–1192) and Kamakura (1192–1333) periods, when many of Japan’s most admired sculptures were created.
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Limited timeResearching and Conserving Artifacts of Early Japanese Christianity Until 18 May 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 18 May 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 14
The present exhibition features artifacts related to Christianity in Japan from the early modern period. The religion was introduced to Japan in the mid-1500s by European missionaries, but it was outlawed at the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1868). On display are objects from the 1500s onwards, mainly those that had been stored at the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office in southern Japan. These include items that were confiscated from Christians all around Nagasaki, as well as images known as fumi-e, which were used by the Edo-period government to identify Christians for persecution.
Additionally, this exhibition also introduces the research and conservation efforts that have been carried out on these artifacts in recent years. Along with scientific analyses of fumi-e, we have also improved upon the conservation measures and storage environments for rosaries and labels that display the names of the objects’ previous owners. By considering these religious objects of the time, we hope that you can also understand how we have approached the conservation of these artifacts.
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Limited timePaintings on Folding Screens and Sliding Doors | 16th–19th century Until 25 May 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 25 May 2025, 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 timeThe Arts of Buddhism | 8th–16th century Until 25 May 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 25 May 2025, 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 timeSacred Objects from Ancient Temples Until 7 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 7 September 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
Ancient temples were often constructed with a collection of sacred objects buried at their base. These sacred objects included mirrors, beads, coins, and metal vessels. They were meant to pacify unfriendly spirits and ensure the temple could be constructed safely.
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Limited timeDecorative Art of the Qing Dynasty Until 22 June 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 April 2025, 9:30AM - 22 June 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 9
This section of the gallery introduces decorative art from China’s Qing dynasty (1644–1912), including works of jade, cloisonné, glass, and bamboo. These works illustrate the fine craftsmanship and sophisticated design aesthetic of decorative art from this period.
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Limited timeMountain Worship and the Belief in the Decline of Buddhism Until 7 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 14 March 2025, 9:30AM - 7 September 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
From the late Nara (710–794) to the Heian (794–1192) period, priests who worshipped in the mountains began to appear throughout Japan. Believing that Shinto and Buddhism are essentially the same faith, and that Shinto gods are in fact Buddhist deities, they climbed mountains in search of sacred sites where they could worship the mountain gods. Sites on the peaks of Mt. Omine in Nara prefecture and Mt. Nantai in Tochigi prefecture are well-known examples, with excavations revealing various objects that these priests had left as offerings. This form of mountain worship eventually developed into Shugendo, a folk religion unique to Japan.
In the mid-Heian period, the belief in Buddhism’s decline also permeated society. The age of decline was thought to begin in the year 1052, leading people to associate reoccurring natural disasters and disturbances in society with this new age. In response, aristocrats and others living in the capital began creating sutra mounds throughout Japan. Aristocrats also believed in a prophecy that the Buddhist deity Maitreya would reappear 5,670,000,000 years in the future to save all beings. Transcribing sutra scrolls and preserving them in sutra mounds was most likely a way of praying for peace in this world and the next during these troubled times. This section features excavated objects connected with mountain worship and the belief in Buddhism’s decline.