TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM - Asian Gallery (Toyokan)

Chinese Buddhist Sculpture

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Buddhism began to spread in China around the turn of the first millennium, about 500 years after its founding in India. In the 5th and 6th centuries, the number of Chinese Buddhists rapidly increased and numerous temples were established. This gallery presents Buddhist statues created from the 5th to 9th century, a golden age in the history of Chinese sculpture.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 1
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-April 18, 2027 (Sun)

Egypt and Western Asia

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section of the gallery features ancient art and artifacts from regions that gave rise to some of humanity’s earliest civilizations, including West Asia, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian collection includes stoneware and earthenware objects from Pre-dynastic Egypt (circa 6000–3150 BC) as well as reliefs, mummies, and decorative art from Dynastic Egypt. Other objects frequently on view include Bronze Age burial goods from West Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, tablets bearing cuneiform script from Mesopotamia, and sculptures and pottery from ancient Iran.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 3
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-July 12, 2026 (Sun)

Sculptures from India and Gandhara

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 3
January 1, 2026 (Thu)-June 28, 2026 (Sun)

Art of the Western Regions

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This room mainly features artifacts discovered at Silk Road sites by the Japanese Ōtani expeditions at the start of the 20th century. Works are exhibited on rotation and illustrate the wide range of art and religious objects found in the diverse cultures along the Silk Road.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 3
May 12, 2026 (Tue)-July 20, 2026 (Mon)

The Advent of Chinese Civilization

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section of the gallery traces the development of Chinese civilization through ancient pottery, jade objects, texts, and bronzes. The collection includes Neolithic pottery from the Loess Plateau, a range of stone tools from Northern China, jade objects and oracle-bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–ca. 1100 BC), and roof tiles from each era.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 4
March 24, 2026 (Tue)-August 16, 2026 (Sun)

Chinese Bronzes

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section of the gallery focuses on bronzes, mainly from the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–ca. 1100 BC) to the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), including ritual vessels, musical instruments, weapons, and horse tack. It also features mirrors and other bronzes from Northern China, tracing the development of early Chinese aesthetics.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
March 10, 2026 (Tue)-July 26, 2026 (Sun)

Burials in China

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This gallery introduces burial items of tombs from about the 2nd century BC to the 8th century AD. Mingqi are models of various implements and equipment, such as cooking stoves, vehicles including carriages and oxcarts, and even toilets. Tomb figures are models of humans who served a master, such as servants and entertainers. The objects on display present the idealized lifestyle that people of this time entrusted to mingqi and tomb figures.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
March 24, 2026 (Tue)-August 16, 2026 (Sun)

Chinese Ceramics

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
April 8, 2026 (Wed)-August 16, 2026 (Sun)

The ABCs of Antique Textiles: Prized Pieces Passed Down by the Maeda Clan

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Japanese tea practitioners traditionally admired imported textiles produced in countries such as China, India, and Iran. Called in Japanese meibutsu gire (“famed textiles”), they were used as mounting textiles for hanging scrolls and to make bags for tea utensils.These textiles were given names associated with their origins, such as famous temples and tea masters.

The Maeda clan of the Kaga domain, in modern-day Ishikawa Prefecture, began collecting a wide variety of these famed textiles from the era of the third head of the clan, Maeda Toshitsune (1593–1658). This exhibition features prized textile pieces passed down by the Maeda clan. It also explains the basics of appreciating antique textiles.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-July 12, 2026 (Sun)

Stone Relief Carvings of China

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section of the gallery features stone relief carvings from China. They were excavated from tombs found in eastern China and date to the Eastern Han dynasty (24–220 AD). The tombs consisted of a subterranean chamber to house the sarcophagus with a shrine above ground for bereaved families to perform rituals. The stone walls, pillars, and supports of these tombs were decorated with bas-relief scenes of everyday life, historical events, and contemporary belief systems.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 7
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-April 18, 2027 (Sun)

Focusing on Nature:
Depicting Living Things in Chinese Art

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0900

From majestic lions and deer to delicate dragonflies and grasshoppers, the people of China have long cherished a diverse array of creatures, portraying them as auspicious symbols in painting. Artists have dedicated themselves to capturing the vitality of life—the glossy texture of fur, the beauty of plumage, and even the subtle movement of antennae. Spanning the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) through to the modern era, this gallery introduces the vibrant tradition of depicting living things in China from the 14th century to the 20th century.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
May 12, 2026 (Tue)-June 14, 2026 (Sun)

The Study of Calligraphy through Copying

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Copying the classics is the most fundamental and effective way to study calligraphy. Calligraphers would place the classics as reference material beside them while they copied their characters into their copybooks. Known as rinsho in Japanese, this practice originally prioritized copying the original exactly as it was, but depending on the calligrapher’s objectives, the copied characters could take on various forms.

The current exhibition features examples of such copies here from the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) to the 20th century, as well as rubbings of steles that were considered classics. Here, you can appreciate how different scholars interpreted the classics and their varied approaches towards the calligraphic art of copying.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
May 12, 2026 (Tue)-June 28, 2026 (Sun)

Chinese Literati

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0900

The literati were people who devoted themselves to reading, calligraphy, painting, and other highly valued art forms in China. Their way of life was viewed as an ideal. This exhibition room recreates the studies of the literati, where they created works of calligraphy and painting.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
May 12, 2026 (Tue)-June 28, 2026 (Sun)

Chinese Lacquerware

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, which grows in East and Southeast Asia. Naturally sticky, it can be brushed onto different materials, and it hardens into a durable coating that is waterproof and resistant to acids, alkalis, and heat. The history of lacquerware in China dates back to the Neolithic period (ca. 10,000–2100 BC). Over the millennia, a number of decorative techniques evolved in China, including lacquer relief carving and lacquer with incised lines filled with gold leaf. Chinese lacquerware frequently feature abstract spiral patterns (called “pommel scrolls”) or pictorial scenes of landscapes, flowers, birds, pavilions, and people.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 9
March 24, 2026 (Tue)-June 21, 2026 (Sun)

Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 9
March 24, 2026 (Tue)-June 21, 2026 (Sun)

Polished Stone and Metal Tools of the Korean Peninsula

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0900

This section of the gallery introduces archeological artifacts from Korea, including stone and bronze weapons and sophisticated cast ornamental fittings with animal motifs. It also features mirrors, hooked belt fittings, and other items associated with the Lelang Commandery, an administrative division established by China’s Han dynasty in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
January 1, 2026 (Thu)-July 5, 2026 (Sun)

Ceramics of the Korean Peninsula

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
January 1, 2026 (Thu)-June 28, 2026 (Sun)

Buddhist Art of the Korean Peninsula

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0900

Buddhism began to spread on the Korean Peninsula during the 4th and 5th centuries. This section introduces Buddhist art from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–668 AD), the Unified Silla dynasty (669–935), and the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392), including gilt-bronze statues, bricks, roof tiles, and ritual implements.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
January 1, 2026 (Thu)-July 5, 2026 (Sun)

Art of the Joseon Dynasty

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 10
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-August 23, 2026 (Sun)

Khmer Sculpture

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Cambodia’s Angkor period (ca. 9th century–15th century) saw the development of a unique Khmer culture, as epitomized by Angkor Wat, a huge temple complex built from the end of the 11th century to the 12th century during the golden age of the Khmer Empire. This section introduces Khmer sculpture, with a focus on Buddhist and Hindu statues and reliefs from Angkor’s temples. These were acquired in 1944 through an exchange project with the French research institute the French School of the Far East.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 11
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-April 18, 2027 (Sun)

Sculptures from Southeast Asia

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section presents religious sculptures from Southeast Asia, a major crossroads of trade between East and West. In the fourth century, the seafaring peoples of this region began to utilize the monsoon winds for maritime navigation. Trade routes known as the Maritime Silk Roads flourished, propelling the exchange of goods, religious beliefs, concepts of kingship, and artistic styles.

As the region became more interconnected, sacred images from India stimulated the production of religious imagery throughout Southeast Asia. People subsequently adapted these images within their respective belief systems and social contexts.

Southeast Asian religious sculpture takes Indian art as its prototype in many respects, but it was also shaped by the distinctive aesthetics of each region. The objects of veneration varied by period and place. However, the mutual influence of Buddhism and Hinduism, expressed visually in religious sculpture, is one of the defining characteristics of Southeast Asian art.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 12
April 8, 2026 (Wed)-October 18, 2026 (Sun)

Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This gallery explores India’s prehistoric culture through a variety of archaeological artifacts, from wedge-shaped stones from the early Paleolithic period over 600,000 years ago, to copper objects from the Copper Hoard culture that flourished in the 2nd millennium BC after the fall of the Indus civilization. This section also introduces a diverse range of archaeological materials from Southeast Asia, with a focus on weapons, personal ornaments, and other artifacts from the bronzeware culture that prospered in northern Thailand’s Ban Chiang region, predominantly from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 12
June 2, 2026 (Tue)-May 30, 2027 (Sun)

Southeast Asian Ceramics

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0900

This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 12
June 9, 2026 (Tue)-October 12, 2026 (Mon)

Asian Textiles: Indian Textiles

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Various textiles and techniques were spread across Asia from India, such as cotton cloth, splashed-pattern dyeing, tie-dyeing and brocades with metal threads. In particular, chintz, which was cotton cloth dyed with floral patterns or legendary images using woodblock printing or hand-drawing, fascinated people around the world and was a major export from the 16th to the 19th century.

In conjunction with the special exhibition The Maeda: Legacy of a Prosperous Samurai Family (April 14–June 7, 2026), this exhibit includes two chintz textile pieces passed down by the Maeda clan: Chintz with Floral Vines (TI-389) and Chintz with Fine Floral Vines (TI-391).

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
April 21, 2026 (Tue)-July 12, 2026 (Sun)

Indian Miniature Paintings

Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 +0900

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.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
May 19, 2026 (Tue)-June 21, 2026 (Sun)

Traditional Ways of Life in the South Pacific

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0900

Tokyo National Museum has a large collection of ethnological materials from the South Pacific, mostly collected from the 19th to 20th century. During that period, the traditional beliefs and customs of South Pacific islanders were changing rapidly as they came in contact with colonial powers. Today, some of the objects in the collection can no longer be found on the islands they came from.

The current exhibition features ethnological materials from the South Pacific related to traditional ways of life, including a model of a ceremonial house, crocodile-catching gear, musical instrument, bowls, and objects used as currency. They offer a rare glimpse into the unique indigenous cultures of the South Pacific.

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
March 24, 2026 (Tue)-June 21, 2026 (Sun)

TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM - Asian Gallery (Toyokan)

Chinese Buddhist Sculpture

Egypt and Western Asia

Sculptures from India and Gandhara

Art of the Western Regions

The Advent of Chinese Civilization

Chinese Bronzes

Burials in China

Chinese Ceramics

The ABCs of Antique Textiles: Prized Pieces Passed Down by the Maeda Clan

Stone Relief Carvings of China

Focusing on Nature:Depicting Living Things in Chinese Art

The Study of Calligraphy through Copying

Chinese Literati

Chinese Lacquerware

Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty

Polished Stone and Metal Tools of the Korean Peninsula

Ceramics of the Korean Peninsula

Buddhist Art of the Korean Peninsula

Art of the Joseon Dynasty

Khmer Sculpture

Sculptures from Southeast Asia

Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian Ceramics

Asian Textiles: Indian Textiles

Indian Miniature Paintings

Traditional Ways of Life in the South Pacific

Focusing on Nature:
Depicting Living Things in Chinese Art