What's on today: October 15, 2026 (Thu)

Special Exhibition

• 

  Special Exhibition Celebrating the 700th Anniversary of the Temple's Founding | Daitokuji: A Zen Temple Beyond Compare

  Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Special Exhibition Galleries  October 14, 2026 (Wed)-December 6, 2026 (Sun)

  Located in the Murasakino District of Kyoto, Daitokuji Temple is considered to be the greatest Buddhist temple in northern Kyoto. It reflects the strict approach to Zen Buddhism taken by its founder, the prominent Buddhist monk Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1337), who served as the spiritual mentor for Emperors Godaigo (r. 1318–1339) and Hanazono (r. 1308–1318). The temple traces its origins to 1326, when Shūhō founded a Buddhist lecture hall. This came to be known as Daitokuji Temple, which today is complete with other Buddhist structures on its temple grounds. Emperor Godaigo reserved utmost reverence for Daitokuji, which he praised as being “a Zen temple beyond compare,” indicating its peerless position in Japan.

   

  The temple has continued to carry the torch of Shūhō’s Zen Buddhist teachings, producing leading Buddhist monks such as Ikkyū Sōjun, Takuan Sōhō, and Kōgetsu Sōgan. Famous samurai warlords such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi also worshipped at the temple. Daitokuji also boasts magnificent paintings on its buildings’ sliding doors and walls, as well as numerous sub-temples with stunningly serene gardens. Furthermore, it is renowned also for its deep affinity with tea masters like Sen no Rikyū and Tsuda Sōkyū, as well as other individuals of refined tastes.

   

  2026 marks the 700th anniversary of Daitokuji’s founding. To commemorate this occasion, the Tokyo National Museum is showcasing various treasures from Daitokuji Temple, as well as its sub-temples and associated temples. With this special exhibition, the Museum endeavors to introduce Daitokuji Temple’s rich history and culture.

  More
• 

  Special Exhibition Commemorating the Gift of the Uchiyama Susumu Collection Hiroshige: New Perspectives on Edo Japan

  Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room A  September 29, 2026 (Tue)-December 20, 2026 (Sun)

  The artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was primarily a commercial print designer working in ukiyo-e, a genre of woodblock prints and paintings depicting popular subjects. His striking landscapes evoking the changing seasons and vibrant images of birds and flowers marked the beginning of a new era in ukiyo-e. Today, Hiroshige’s name is most strongly associated with his landscape prints. He captured the beauty of scenic places across Japan, carving out a unique place for himself through inventive compositional layouts, clever methods of signaling shifts in time and weather, and by seamlessly integrating local inhabitants. His approachable yet innovative style won him a massive following during the Edo period (1603–1868).
  The Tokyo National Museum was recently gifted 1,025 ukiyo-e prints from the collection of Uchiyama Susumu (1893–1980). Over the course of his life, Uchiyama built a high-quality collection of prints, largely focused on Hiroshige’s works, and made significant contributions to the popularization and study of ukiyo-e through exhibitions and publications showcasing his collection.
  To commemorate the acquisition of these invaluable works, the Museum is holding a three-part exhibition featuring Hiroshige’s most renowned prints in the landscape and bird-and-flower genres, with a special look at his three most iconic series: The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Part One), The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kiso Road (Part Two), and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Part Three). The exhibition constitutes a globally unprecedented opportunity to view all three works in their entirety.
  Visit to discover how the master printmaker Hiroshige breathed new life into Edo Japan’s most famous scenic views.

   

  All works on view will change in each of the exhibition’s three parts.
  Part One: September 29–October 25
  Part Two: October 27–November 23
  Part Three: November 25–December 20

  More