Events
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Limited timeArms and Armor of the Samurai | 12th–19th century Until 12 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 12 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Rooms 5 & 6
The samurai ruled Japan for nearly 700 years, from the late 12th to the 19th century. They emulated the imperial court, which was the home of high culture, but also borrowed from the practices of common people. Wishing for divine protection in this life and salvation in the next, they worshipped both Shinto and Buddhist deities. The culture of the samurai was complex and ever–changing, but always reflected their authority as the warrior class of Japan.
This gallery focuses on the most prominent symbols of samurai authority: swords, armor, and other military equipment. These had many purposes. Through diverse colors and materials, they showed the tastes of their owners. Differences in shape and construction reflected differences in rank and social standing. Many samurai passed down this equipment as heirlooms, while high–ranking samurai exchanged it as diplomatic gifts. Swords and armor were also donated to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in prayer for victory in battle.
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Limited time
Arms and Armor of the Samurai | 12th–19th century Until 12 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 12 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Rooms 5 & 6
The samurai ruled Japan for nearly 700 years, from the late 12th to the 19th century. They emulated the imperial court, which was the home of high culture, but also borrowed from the practices of common people. Wishing for divine protection in this life and salvation in the next, they worshipped both Shinto and Buddhist deities. The culture of the samurai was complex and ever–changing, but always reflected their authority as the warrior class of Japan.
This gallery focuses on the most prominent symbols of samurai authority: swords, armor, and other military equipment. These had many purposes. Through diverse colors and materials, they showed the tastes of their owners. Differences in shape and construction reflected differences in rank and social standing. Many samurai passed down this equipment as heirlooms, while high–ranking samurai exchanged it as diplomatic gifts. Swords and armor were also donated to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in prayer for victory in battle.
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Limited timeTea Ceremony Until 19 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 19 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 4
Tea drinking and its role in society changed over time. In the 12th century, Zen monks introduced a new kind of tea drinking from China: green tea was ground into a powder and mixed with hot water. Monks drank this tea as a medicine and to stay awake during meditation.
Before long, the samurai also began to drink tea and competed for prizes in blind tasting competitions. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the elite samurai who ruled Japan focused on the aesthetics of tea drinking. They collected valuable Chinese works like paintings and tea bowls, displaying and using them during tea gatherings.
A century later, Sen no Rikyū (1522–91) established the foundations of the tea ceremony. When serving tea, he used valuable Chinese works together with simple utensils. He also stressed humility and the beauty of imperfection. Elite samurai practiced his style and its variations as a social, aesthetic, and spiritual pursuit.
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Limited timeSculpture Until 5 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 5 April 2026, 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 timeArt of the Modern Era | Late 19th–first half of 20th century Until 19 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 19 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 18
Drastic changes in the late 19th century created new challenges for artists. The samurai government that had strictly regulated contact with the outside world collapsed in a civil war. Japan's new leaders announced the start of the Meiji era (1868–1912), engaging with the world and reforming their nation to be more like “the West” (mainly Europe and the United States).
These leaders soon realized that works produced in Japan were not seen as “fine art” in the West. Artisans often mounted paintings on sliding doors and folding screens, but this practice made them look like furniture to Europeans and Americans. Japan's ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, and textiles were also labeled as “decorative art” rather than “fine art.”
In response, artistic traditions were changed to meet Western standards. Japan's leaders established schools of fine art, organized national exhibitions, and urged artists to participate in world fairs. They intended to show the world that Japan was a “modern” nation with sophisticated arts and culture. The works on display reflect how Japanese artists met these challenges.
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Limited timeSculptures from India and Gandhara Until 28 June 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 28 June 2026, 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 timeChinese Ceramics Until 5 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 5 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
This section of the gallery explores the history of Chinese ceramics, spanning the 7th to 19th century. The objects on view are rotated on a regular basis, but typically feature examples of fine porcelain made for the imperial household at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns alongside objects produced for commercial purposes in private kilns and elsewhere.
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Limited timeSymbols of Good Fortune in Chinese Textiles Until 19 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 19 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
Since ancient times, people in China have expressed their hopes for health and happiness by decorating their clothing and everyday items with symbols associated with good fortune.
For example, the dragon was used to signify good fortune and virtue, while also serving as a symbol of strength and the emperor. Similarly, the peony represented wealth and nobility, while chrysanthemums, peaches, and butterflies symbolized eternal youth and longevity.
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Limited timeKorean Ceramics Until 28 June 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 28 June 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
This gallery introduces Korean ceramics from the Proto-Three Kingdoms period (ca. 1st century BC–3rd century AD) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). The development of Korean ceramics during the Proto–Three Kingdoms period was influenced by the Lelang Commandery, an outpost established by China’s Han dynasty in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Rulers of powerful states struggled for supremacy during this period, resulting in a rich variety of distinct ceramic aesthetics in each region. Under Chinese influence, a blue-green glaze called celadon began to be produced in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392). Over time, celadon wares took on a distinct gray-green coloring that came to be known as Goryeo celadon. The production of pottery then diversified during the Joseon dynasty to include white porcelain and Buncheong ware, a type of stoneware often featuring designs in white slip and iron pigment.
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Limited timeArt of the Joseon Dynasty Until 19 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 19 April 2026, 5:00PM
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Event Details
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
This gallery features Korean furniture, clothing, and room decor from the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). While the costumes, furniture, tableware, and stationery each possessed individual beauty, their appeal was enhanced by their placement in living spaces.
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Limited timeKuroda Memorial Room Until 5 April 2026
View Event Description & Conditions- Dates 10 February 2026, 9:30AM - 5 April 2026, 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.
※ 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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