Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 22, 2025 (Tue) -
April 19, 2026 (Sun)
July 3, 2025 (Thu), Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The galleries feature art and artifacts from regions including China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India, and Egypt.
1st floor
Buddha with Two Attendants, China, Eastern Wei dynasty, 6th century, (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 22, 2025 (Tue) - April 19, 2026 (Sun)
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.
2nd floor
Oasis2 Education Space: Journey Information
2nd floor Room 2
April 2, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2026 (Tue)
Introducing various journeys with images
Figure with Shield
Ca. 600–480 BC (Gift of Mr. Tanimura Keisuke)
Egypt and Western Asia
2nd floor Room 3
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - September 7, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Head of a Buddha
Hadda, Afghanistan, 3rd–5th century
Sculptures from India and Gandhara
2nd floor Room 3
July 1, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Head of a Buddha
Hotan, China, Ōtani collection, 3rd–4th century
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
June 10, 2025 (Tue) - August 3, 2025 (Sun)
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.
3rd floor
Seal with the Inscription "True Seal of the Emperor"
China, Qin–Western Han dynasty, 3rd–2nd century BC (Gift of Mr. Abe Fusajirō)
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
June 17, 2025 (Tue) - November 3, 2025 (Mon)
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.
Wine Warmer (Jia)
China Erlitou culture (Xia dynasty)–Shang dynasty, 18th–16th century BC
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
June 3, 2025 (Tue) - October 19, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Attendant
Reportedly found in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, Western Han dynasty, 2nd century BC
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
June 17, 2025 (Tue) - November 3, 2025 (Mon)
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.
Jar with Five Lugs, China, Ming dyansty, 16th–17th century
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
April 22, 2025 (Tue) - August 17, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Album of Antique Textiles
China, India, and Japan, 16th–19th century
Chinese Textiles: Albums of Antique Fabrics (Kogire-chō)
3rd floor Room 5
June 17, 2025 (Tue) - August 3, 2025 (Sun)
During Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868), tea masters collected rare, imported textiles. They fashioned these textiles into pouches for important tea utensils or cut them into small fragments for display in albums called kogire-chō (“albums of antique fabric fragments”). This exhibition features three albums containing a variety of textile samples, including pieces produced during China’s Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as Indian chintz.
Oasis6 Education Space: Fortune-telling in Asia
3rd floor Room 6
April 2, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2026 (Tue)
Activity area: Fortune-telling in Asia. Recommended for visitors with children.
4th floor
Stone Bas-reliefBuilding / Tinglan and the wooden doll, etc., From Xiaotangshan, Shandong province, China, Eastern Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century
Stone Relief Carvings of China
4th floor Room 7
April 22, 2025 (Tue) - April 19, 2026 (Sun)
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 (1st–2nd century). 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.
Bamboo (detail)
By Gu An (born 1289), China, Yuan dynasty, 14th century
Commemorating the Gift of the Hashimoto Collection: The Brilliance of Ming-Dynasty Literati Culture
4th floor Room 8
June 3, 2025 (Tue) - July 13, 2025 (Sun)
The Hashimoto Collection is a world-famous collection of Chinese paintings amassed by Mr. Hashimoto Sueyoshi (1902–1991). In 2024, the Tokyo National Museum received 38 works from the collection through a generous donation from Mr. Hashimoto’s grandson, Mr. Hashimoto Taiitsu. In commemoration of this occasion, the present exhibition mainly features paintings from the collection that were donated to the museum, as well as calligraphy and paintings by the literati of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and works that were closely associated with literati culture.
Miaosha jing Sutra in Standard Script (detail), By Emperor Shenzong of Ming, Ming dynasty, 1601 (Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken)
The Collection of the Calligrapher Ichikawa Beian
4th floor Room 8
May 13, 2025 (Tue) - July 6, 2025 (Sun)
Ichikawa Beian (1779–1858) was a renowned Chinese-style calligrapher active late in the Edo period (1603–1868). He was also famous as a collector of calligraphy, paintings, pottery, and stationery from China and Japan. Moreover, he also published a self-curated catalog of his collection, entitled Catalog of Calligraphy, Paintings, and Stationery. In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Beian’s descendants donated many objects that belonged in his collection to the Tokyo National Museum, marking the beginning of the Museum’s collection of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.
Inkstone
China, Ming dynasty, 17th century, Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken
Chinese Literati
4th floor Room 8
May 13, 2025 (Tue) - July 6, 2025 (Sun)
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.
5th floor
Box with Pommel Scrolls
China, Yuan dynasty, 14th century
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
June 24, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Candlesticks
China, Qing dynasty, Qianlong era (1736–95)
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
5th floor Room 9
June 24, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Crown, Reportedly found in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Gaya), 5th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation, Important Art Object)
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 20, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Necklace, Found at the Yangsan Bubuchong Tomb, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), start of the 6th century
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 20, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
This gallery presents artifacts from Korea’s Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–668 AD), an era when powerful rulers vied for control of the Korean Peninsula. The three kingdoms were comprised of Goguryeo in the north, Baekje in the southwest, and Silla in the southeast. A fourth state, known as the Gaya confederacy, also existed in the south before being annexed by Silla.
Each region made full use of the materials of the time–namely, gold, silver, bronze, iron, glass, and jade–to create distinct ornaments and other objects including, armor, horse tack, clay tiles, and pottery.
Box with Vines
Korea Goryeo dynasty, 12th century
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Miniature Shrine with Avalokiteśvara and Vaiśravaṇa, Reportedly found in Kaesong, Korean Peninsula, Goryeo dynasty, 11th–12th century
Buddhist Art of Korea
5th floor Room 10
April 15, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Two-Tiered Wardrobe Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
May 20, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Basement
Lintel (detail), Acquired through exchange with the French School of the Far East, Angkor period, 11th century
Khmer Sculpture
Basement Room 11
April 15, 2025 (Tue) - April 19, 2026 (Sun)
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.
Bust of aLion
Champa period, 10th century (Gift of Dr. Yamamoto Tatsuro)
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - September 7, 2025 (Sun)
Sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities have been produced in Southeast Asia for millennia. Though originally inspired by Indian art, each region developed its own distinct styles. This section features gilt-bronze statues of Buddhist deities and Hindu gods from Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Human-shaped Object
Reportedly found in Uttar Pradesh, India, Copper Hoard culture, ca. 1500 BC
Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - May 31, 2026 (Sun)
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.
Jar with Three Handles
Si Satchanalai ware, Thailand, Found in Kanazawa-chō, Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture, 15th–16th century
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - September 28, 2025 (Sun)
This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.
Covering (Phulkari) with Geometric Patterns, 20th century (Gift of Dr. Okada Nobuyo)
Asian Textiles: Indian Textiles
Basement Room 13
May 27, 2025 (Tue) - August 3, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Raja Leading the Sun's Horse
In the Provincial Rajasthan style, India,Second half of the 18th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
July 1, 2025 (Tue) - August 3, 2025 (Sun)
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.
Kris
Eastern Java, Indonesia, 17th–18th century, (Gift of Mr. J. C. Bijleveld)
Ethnic Cultures of Asia: The Kris: A Mysterious Weapon from Indonesia
Basement Room 13
June 24, 2025 (Tue) - November 16, 2025 (Sun)
The kris is a dagger that was used widely on the Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands in Southeast Asia. A kris consists of a blade, a hilt, and a sheath that are made of different materials, and each of these components is distinctively shaped. Kris blades are either straight or wavy, and many of them have unique patterns created through their forging process during which multiple types of metals were wrought.
Kris daggers were believed to possess magical powers, granting their owners protection and serving as symbols of the owners’ prestige. Even today, kris daggers are worn by Indonesian men around their waists as part of their traditional attire at ceremonial occasions such as weddings. They are not only weapons, but also works of art, as well as objects symbolizing their owners’ spirituality and social standing.