Change of Exhibits, Regular Exhibitions: Starting from January 21, 2020 (Tue)
Regular exhibitions at Tokyo National Museum are rotated almost every week. This page provides the latest information on the change of exhibits.
* Some works are exhibited for a longer period of time.
Honkan
In the 17th century, painters started depicting the lives of commoners in a genre known as ukiyo-e. With the advent of new printing technology, these images began to be reproduced in high numbers, and ukiyo-e gradually spread to all layers of society. The addition of colorists to the publishers’ craftsmen also led to the birth of the color print in the mid-18th century. From January 21–February 16, 2020, this gallery displays paintings and prints of winter scenery with snow and plum trees, and actors and beautiful women warming themselves below a heated table called a kotatsu.
Current exhibit includes:
Beautiful Woman under a Plum Tree, By Furuyama Moromasa, Edo period, 18th century
The Plum Garden, By Suzuki Harunobu, Edo period, 18th century
“View from the Top of Tenjin Slope at Yushima” from the Series One Hundred Famous Places of Edo, By Utagawa Hiroshige, Edo period, dated 1856
Toyokan
This part introduces the various methods and designs in Chinese lacquerware. Lacquerware is a form of decorative art made by applying lacquer sap on vessels and utensils, a practice which developed widely in China, Japan, Korea, and the Southeast Asian regions, in techniques and designs unique to each area. China, in particular, has a history of lacquerware of as long as 7000 years.
Current exhibit includes:
Tray with Pommel Scrolls, Southern Song dynasty, 12th–13th century
Lobed Tray with Birds and Flowers, Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th century
Sutra Box with Peacocks, Yuan dynasty, 1315 (Important Cultural Property, Lent by Kōmyōbō Temple, Hiroshima)
This part introduces the decorative art of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) in China, such as works of jade, cloisonne, glass, and bamboo. The items on display feature the beauty of fine technical skill and the sophisticated atmosphere of Qing-dynasty decorative art.
Current exhibit includes:
Cup with Figures in a Landscape, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Bowl with Seven Buddhist Deities, Qing dynasty, 1788
Incense Burner in the Shape of Cooking Vessel (Ding) with a Lion and Peonies, Qing dynasty, 18th–19th century (Gift of Mr. Kamiya Denbei)
Indian miniature paintings established a uniquely meticulous, colorful, and passionate style, with various painting schools. An appeal of the paintings to viewers is the abundance of elements vividly contained each picture, such as myths, music, and nature.
Current exhibit includes:
Monkey Sitting on Top of a Pile of Rocks, By the Bikaner school, Late 17th–early 18th century
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures
Exhibit includes:
Calligraphy:
Bonmō-kyō(Sutra of Brahma's Net), Heian period, 9th century (Important Cultural Property)
Textiles:
Fragments of Textile with Paired Birds in Roundels, Asuka–Nara period, 7th–8th centur
