Change of Exhibits,TNM Collection Exhibitions: Starting from June 10, 2025 (Tue)
TNM Collection 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.
Japanese Gallery (Honkan)
Room 13 features selected swords and sword–fittings from the Heian to Edo periods, including Blade for a Long Sword ("Tachi"), Named "Daihannya Nagamitsu", By Nagamitsu.
The Ryukyu Kingdom reigned over the Nansei islands, which includes the Okinawa main island, from the 1400s. The kingdom developed its unique culture through trade with regions in Asia including China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Southeast Asia.
This exhibit presents a range of Ryukyuan artifacts. These include metalwork objects including personal accessories; colorful textiles which would stand out brilliantly against the tropical sunlight; and ceramics and lacquerware that arose out of interactions with surrounding regions such as China and Japan. It also features ritualistic artifacts, such as articles associated with hereditary priestesses called noro, who took charge of ceremonial rites, as well as those used for a unique funerary custom in which the bones of the deceased were washed after sky burials.
Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
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.
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures
Wooden and lacquered objects include examples of Buddhist ritual implements, furnishings, musical instruments, stationery, measuring tools, and arms & armor, which range in date from the 7th to 17th century. Among these are notable pieces from the 8th century like the Bamboo Cabinet, which was donated by the famous Hōryūji priest Gyōshin, and a sutra box decorated with marquetry that shows the beautiful grain patterns of its jinkō wood. The Seven-stringed Zither is also valuable for its ink inscription, which tells us it was produced in China’s Sichuan Province in 724. The inscriptions on the pieces of incense wood in this collection also have revealed important facts about Persia’s involvement in the trade of such wood. Through these works one can not only see the culture of Japanese decorative art but can also get a sense of the cultural exchanges that occurred within East Asia centuries ago.