Change of Exhibits,TNM Collection Exhibitions: Starting from September 8, 2026 (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)
From the late 16th century, changes in society helped artisans to develop the decorative arts. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603), samurai warlords united Japan after more than a century of fighting. The following Edo period (1603–1868) saw economic growth under a new samurai government, with merchants and other people gaining the wealth to buy art.
Potters succeeded in making Japan's first porcelain in the early 17th century. Methods for decorating porcelain and other ceramics then became more diverse, as shown by works with gold, silver, and color enamels. Meanwhile, textiles saw rapid technical advances. The loom was improved to make complex weaves possible, while dyeing became as detailed and expressive as painting.
Items like furniture and dining sets were coated with lacquer and decorated with metal powders, most often gold. Lacquer workers refined this technique, called maki–e, and combined it with new materials for more elaborate designs. Metalworkers also began using a wider variety of base metals and alloys, creating works with greater detail and precision.
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan)
People first settled in Japan about 40,000 years ago, marking the beginning of the Paleolithic period, which continued until pottery was rst created approximately 13,000 years ago. This period coincided with a glacial stage during which Japan was still connected to the Asian continent via land bridges and inhabited by large mammals such as mammoths. People led nomadic lives and made tools from stone and animal bone, using them to hunt and forage.
This section explores how Paleolithic tools changed over time through common examples: trapezoids with cutting edges, knives, spearheads, and miniature blades for making composite tools such as harpoons. Generally, Paleolithic tools were made by chipping stone into the desired shapes, while polished stone tools firrst appeared in the following Neolithic period. Japan’s Paleolithic period, however, is characterized by the use of stone axe heads with partially-polished blades.
The most common material for tools was obsidian, a type of volcanic glass found in abundance across most of Japan. The sedimentary rock siliceous shale was used in northeastern Japan, where obsidian was scarce, while the volcanic rock sanukite was used in the Kinki region and around the Seto Inland Sea. All of these materials were suitable for making tools because they were relatively hard and ne-grained, allowing sharp edges to be formed by chipping.
Rising sea levels formed the Japanese islands when the ice age ended about 13,000 years ago. In response to their changing environment, people began using the bow and arrow for hunting, invented pottery, and began living in permanent settlements. This was the beginning of Japan’s Neolithic era, which lasted for approximately 10,000 years. Although farming and the rearing of livestock usually began during this era in other societies, life in Japan continued to be centered on foraging, fishing, and hunting.
About 2,400 years ago, bronze and iron tools as well as rice cultivation were introduced from China and Korea, later spreading throughout most of Japan. People began living in villages with irrigated rice fields, marking the beginning of the agricultural Yayoi period. Two unique cultures developed in parallel with Yayoi society: the Post-Jomon culture on the island of Hokkaido to the northeast, where rice cultivation did not take root, and the Late Shell Mound culture on the Nansei Islands to the southwest.
Yayoi pottery was used during this period. Although it was unglazed like the Jomon pottery of the previous period, it was thinner and fired at a higher temperature, making it more durable and lighter in color. Vessels with specific functions such as urns for boiling, jars for storage, and stemmed bowls for serving food were created to meet the needs of this new agricultural society.
In the first half of the Yayoi period (ca. 4th–3rd century BC), pottery with shared characteristics known as Ongagawa-type pottery was created throughout western Japan. Vessels showing influence from this pottery have been excavated in eastern and northern Japan, suggesting the diffusion of a shared culture. Moreover, during the mid-Yayoi period (ca. 2nd–1st century BC) use of the potter’s wheel and other new techniques were adopted.
The most prominent objects of prayer from the Jomon period (ca. 11,000 BC–ca. 5th century BC) are dogu clay figurines. Even the earliest examples of these figurines have breasts, which suggests that they represent women, and their protruding bellies probably symbolize pregnancy. Therefore, it is believed that dogu figurines were created to pray for easy delivery of children, the birth of many children, and fertility.
In the Yayoi period (ca. 5th century BC–3rd century AD), polished stone and metal tools were introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula along with wet rice cultivation. Stone tools included reaping knives for harvesting, a range of polished axes and adzes for making wooden agricultural tools, and polished arrowheads that could have been used as weapons. These tools were subsequently made with iron.
Accessories in the Jomon period (ca. 11,000 BC–ca. 5th century BC) included hair ornaments, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and waist ornaments. They had the additional function of indicating the age and sex of the wearer, as well as protecting him or her from evil spirits. Stone rods, which were male symbols, were made in prayer for fertility and the birth of many children.
In the Yayoi period (ca. 5th century BC–3rd century AD), polished stone and metal tools were introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula along with wet rice cultivation. Stone tools included rice reapers for harvesting, a range of polished axes and adzes for making wooden agricultural tools, and polished arrowheads that could have been used as weapons. These tools were subsequently made with iron.
People of the Yayoi period (ca. 5th century BC–3rd century AD) made their accessories using a range of materials.Accessories made of newly introduced materials, such as bronze and glass, began to appear during this time, in addition to those made of materials used since the Jōmon period (ca. 11,000 BC–5th century BC), such as animal bones, antlers, shells, and stones. This section of the gallery introduces Yayoi-period accessories crafted from these diverse materials, as well as examples characteristic of various regions across the Japanese archipelago.
The Yayoi period marks the first use of metal tools in the Japanese archipelago. This section introduces the development of bronze artifacts of the Yayoi period (ca. 5th century BC–3rd century AD)—bronze swords, spears, dagger-axes, and bells (dōtaku) in particular—objects that evolved as ritual implements.
Bronze tools introduced to the Japanese archipelago from the Korean Peninsula at the beginning of the mid-Yayoi period soon began to be produced in northern Kyushu and the Kinki region. In northern Kyushu, three types of weapon-shaped bronze artifacts—bronze swords, spears, and dagger-axes—were actively adopted. Initially slender and practical weapons, these gradually transformed into large, flat ritual implements.
Meanwhile, the Kinki region saw the development of bronze bells (dōtaku), which trace their lineage to the small bronze bells of the Korean Peninsula. Larger than their Korean counterparts and featuring patterns, these Japanese bronze bells gradually lost their function as sound-producing instruments as they grew in size, instead becoming increasingly decorative. These bronze ritual objects are thought to have been used to pray for bountiful harvests and the prosperity of settlements. Additionally, during the late Yayoi period, various small bronze objects and imitations of bronze ware were produced.
A variety of stone tools were used during this period, including single- and double-edged polished stone axes, as well as stone knives and harpoon heads for hunting and butchering sea mammals and other animals. There are also unique fish-shaped stones that were probably used as bait for fishing. Pottery continued to feature rich decorations. Additionally, cylindrical jewelry made out of jasper from Sado island, objects made out of seashells from Japan’s southern seas, and iron tools have also been excavated. These objects suggest interaction with the Yayoi culture on the mainland as well as cultures on the Asian continent via the island of Sakhalin to the north.
Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The Hashimoto Collection is a globally renowned collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy amassed by Mr. Hashimoto Sueyoshi (1902–1991). In 2025, the Tokyo National Museum received a generous donation from this collection, consisting of works produced during the late Ming to early Qing dynasties (17th century).
In commemoration of this exceptional gift, this exhibition highlights the newly acquired artworks, exploring the vibrant charm and distinct character of the urban art scenes that flourished in the cultural hubs of Hangzhou and Nanjing.
Indonesia, which lies between the Indian and Pacific oceans, consists of many islands, with each island or tribe possessing a distinctive culture. From about the end of the 18th century, unique dyes and techniques for dyeing cotton with designs were used to begin the production of batik cloth. To make batik, a detailed design is applied in wax using either a metal stamp known as a cap, or a tool called a canting that pours the wax. The cotton is then dyed with indigo and a vegetable-based, dark brown soga dye. At lively events like weddings, dazzling clothes are worn that feature designs in gold leaf on batik cloth interwoven with gold threads. Ikat fabric, which is used in ceremonies or celebrations and has patterns created by weaving splash-dyed threads, also features a profusion of individual designs almost as numerous as the number of Indonesia’s islands.