Events
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Limited timeAncient Coins Until 7 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 June 2025, 9:30AM - 7 September 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
Coins known as wado kaichin, which were minted in 708 (Wado 1), represent the first serious effort in Japan to mint coins for circulation. Subsequently, twelve kinds of coins were minted in the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1192) periods. However, the minting of coins ceased by the latter half of the 10th century as the use of bronze coins imported from China became prevalent.
35 result(s)
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Limited timeFamily Gallery Shapes and Forms in the Buddha's World: Interpreting, Expressing, and Connecting Until 31 August 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 23 July 2025, 9:30AM - 31 August 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Thematic Exhibition Room
July 23, 2025 (Wed) - August 31, 2025 (Sun)
Buddhist gods are often depicted according to specific rules, such as having a certain number of faces or arms, holding objects, or posing in particular ways. These rules were communicated through visual representations, rather than written descriptions.
This exhibition explores how these images of Buddhist gods were interpreted, creatively represented, and passed down to later generations.
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Limited timeA Special Zoo in the Museum: Metal-Made Animals Until 24 August 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 24 August 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 14
This exhibition presents animal-themed objects made of various metals using a range of metalworking techniques. In this special “zoo,” you can feel more familiar with and deepen your understanding of metalwork objects that are around us.
Metalwork objects are generally hard and heavy, and may carry a “cold” impression, but they can also express supple textures and possess a light-hearted feel. Through this exhibition featuring animal-themed objects which their creators must have seen with their warm gaze, we hope that you can draw more attention to the potentials and creativity of metalworking. You might also be able to cool off surrounded by these metal-made animals despite the summer heat.
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Limited timeThe Buddhist Temple Kan’eiji: Thematic Exhibition Celebrating Its 400th Anniversary Until 31 August 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 31 August 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Rooms T1 & T2
Kan’eiji Temple was a major center of Buddhism and culture during the Edo period (1603–1868). It was established in 1625 to protect Japan’s military government, the shogunate, and its headquarters at Edo Castle from disaster and misfortune.
This exhibition commemorates the temple’s 400th anniversary by exploring its history, cultural treasures, and connections with the Tokyo National Museum, which occupies land formerly owned by the temple. The exhibition is organized into six sections:
Chapter 1: Protecting the City of Edo
Chapter 2: Jigen Daishi, Leader of Edo Buddhism
Chapter 3: Illustrated Biographies of the Two Great Monks
Chapter 4: The Shogunate’s Official Temple
Chapter 5: Exploring Ties to the Museum through Excavated Artifacts
Chapter 6: Cultural Connections with the Present Day
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Limited timePainting and Calligraphy | 16th–19th century Until 24 August 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 24 August 2025, 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 timeAncient Art | Ca. 11,000 BC–7th century AD Until 28 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 28 September 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 1
Japan has some of the earliest pottery in the world, dating back about 13,000 years. It was created by the people of the Jōmon period (ca. 11,000–400 BC). These people built permanent settlements and relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering.
At the height of their culture, they made pottery with richly sculpted forms and figurines with distinctive shapes.
In the Yayoi period (ca. 4th century BC–first half of 3rd century AD), people from Northeast Asia (now China and Korea) immigrated to Japan. They brought knowledge of how to farm rice and make objects with bronze and iron. More food became available and people started making tools, weapons, and ritual objects with metal.
In the Kofun period (ca. second half of 3rd–7th century), regional rulers seized power and resources. They formed an early state and the imperial line became its central authority. These rulers had giant tomb mounds built for themselves, with clay sculptures placed outside and valuable objects buried inside to express the rulers’ authority even after death.
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Limited timeSculpture Until 28 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 28 September 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 timeThe Niizawa Senzuka Tombs and Exchange with the Asian Continent Until 1 February 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 1 February 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
Created in the 5th century, burial mound no. 126 is one of approximately 600 that make up the Niizawa Senzuka tumulus cluster located in the Nara Basin. Rectangular in shape and 24 meters in length, excavations revealed that it contained a rich variety of objects from other cultures. These include gold, silver, and gilt-bronze accessories, glass bowls and plates, bronze clothing irons and small mirrors, carved semi-precious stones, and weapons. Among these, the gold and silver crown decorations, jewelry, glass bowls, decorative glass beads, and other objects are equivalent in quality to items excavated from tombs of the Silla Kings in Korea.
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Limited timePaintings of the Modern Period Until 21 September 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 21 September 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
In recent years, works from the Getsuei-Kan Collection have been newly placed under the Tokyo National Museum’s care.
The current exhibition features masterpieces from the collection, which mainly comprises of paintings from the 19th century onwards.
The exhibition is divided into two parts: the first part (until August 17) presents works that reflect the elegant style of Shanghai, a city centered on the international economy. Meanwhile, the second part (from August 19) exhibits works by unique artists who have transcended modernization, working both in various parts of China and abroad.
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Limited timeSculptures from India and Gandhara Until 21 December 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 21 December 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 3
This gallery introduces Buddhist and Hindu sculptures from India and Gandhara. Buddhist art flourished in northern India during the Kushan dynasty (1st–3rd century). The production of Buddhist statues began in Gandhara (northwestern Pakistan) and Mathura (northern and central India) around the 1st century, with a particular emphasis on sculptures depicting the life of Gautama Buddha in Gandhara.
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Limited timeIndian Miniature Paintings Until 3 August 2025
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 18 July 2025, 9:30AM - 3 August 2025, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
The art of “miniature painting” is one of India’s best-known genres. These paintings use elaborate brushwork and vibrant colors to depict a variety of themes, including: Indian myths, Hindu gods, portraits of kings, scenes from history, and love stories. Miniature paintings can also be enjoyed for their distinct regional styles that reflect India’s rich history of cultural diversity.