Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 25, 2023 (Tue) -
April 21, 2024 (Sun)
March 29, 2024 (Fri), Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The galleries feature art and artifacts from regions including China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India, and Egypt.
1st floor
The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in a Niche (detail), Tang dynasty, 8th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Mr. Hosokawa Moritatsu)
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 25, 2023 (Tue) - April 21, 2024 (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 1, 2023 (Sat) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
Introducing various journeys with images
Seated Goddess, Greece, Late Helladic III, ca. 14th–13th century BC (Gift of Mr. Momose Osamu and Mrs. Momose Fumiko)
Egypt and Western Asia
2nd floor Room 3
March 19, 2024 (Tue) - June 9, 2024 (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.
Banquet, Gandhara, Pakistan, Kushan dynasty, 2nd–3rd century
Sculptures from India and Gandhara
2nd floor Room 3
July 4, 2023 (Tue) - June 30, 2024 (Sun)
This gallery introduces Buddhist and Hindu sculpture 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.
Two Bodhisattvas, Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, Pelliot collection, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period–Northern Song dynasty, 10th century, Acquired through exchange with the Guimet Museum
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
February 27, 2024 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (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
Chariot Umbrella Finials, China, Warring States period, 4th–3rd century BC
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
November 14, 2023 (Tue) - May 12, 2024 (Sun)
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.
Sword, China, Spring and Autumn–Warring States period, 6th–5th century BC
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
February 20, 2024 (Tue) - June 9, 2024 (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.
Chinese Lion, China, Tang dynasty, 8th century (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
January 23, 2024 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (Sun)
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 Fish and Aquatic Plants, Jingdezhen ware, China, Yuan dynasty, 14th century (Gift of Mr. Tanaka Yoshio, Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
January 2, 2024 (Tue) - April 21, 2024 (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, Japan, Europe, and other regions, 16th–19th century
Albums of Antique Textiles
3rd floor Room 5
February 6, 2024 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (Sun)
During Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868), practitioners of the tea ceremony collected rare textiles from distant regions. They used these textiles to make pouches for tea ceremony utensils and fabric frames for works of calligraphy displayed in the tearoom.
They also made albums containing samples of these luxury textiles, which served as valuable reference guides. This exhibition features five textile albums containing samples from China, Japan, and India, some created hundreds of years ago.
Oasis6 Education Space: Fortune-telling in Asia
3rd floor Room 6
September 21, 2022 (Wed) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
Activity area: Fortune-telling in Asia. Recommended for visitors with children.
4th floor
Stone Bas-relief, Queen Mother of the West / Chariot / Hunting, From Jinyangshan, Shandong province, China, Eastern Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century
Stone Relief Carvings of China
4th floor Room 7
April 18, 2023 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (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 (24–220 AD). 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.
Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons, By Lü Ji, China, Ming dynasty, 15th–16th century (Important Cultural Property)
The Beauty of Bird-and-Flower Paintings
4th floor Room 8
March 19, 2024 (Tue) - April 21, 2024 (Sun)
Birds and flowers have long been popular subjects of painting. They have been admired for hundreds of years not just for their beauty, but also for their individual auspicious meanings. The current exhibition presents how colored bird-and-flower paintings developed from the Ming dynasty in China (1368–1644) to the nineteenth century. Among the works on display are paintings in the style of 16th-century imperial court painter Lü Ji, whose art shaped the development of large-scale bird-and-flower paintings. This influence is evident in the work of those inspired by Shen Quan (b. 1682), who left a lasting impact on Japanese art. Works from the 18th and 19th century include elegant paintings by the Chinese literati artists.
Seal Albums, Compiled by Wang Guan, China, Ming dynasty, 1614 (Gift of Mr. Kobayashi Toan)
Albums of Chinese Seals from the Former Collection of Mr. Kobayashi Toan
4th floor Room 8
March 19, 2024 (Tue) - May 6, 2024 (Mon)
Kobayashi Toan (1916–2007) was a famous Japanese seal engraver who was representative of the art of seal engraving in 20th century Japan. On top of his own work and research, he also amassed an outstanding collection of Chinese seals, seal albums, calligraphy, and paintings. He generously gifted his seal albums and other related materials to the Tokyo National Museum in 2003 and 2004.
This exhibition commemorates the 20th anniversary of his donation to the Museum. On display are the exceptional seal albums from his collection that feature seals from ancient and early modern China.
Inkstone with Clouds and Dragons, China, Ming–Qing dynasty, 17th century (Gift of Mr. Nishibayashi Shōichi)
Chinese Literati
4th floor Room 8
March 19, 2024 (Tue) - May 6, 2024 (Mon)
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
Cabinet with Dragons and Waves, China, Qing dynasty, 18th century (Gift of Mr. Kamiya Denbei)
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
January 2, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2024 (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.
Wine Vessel (You) with Animal Masks (Taotie), China, Qing dynasty, 18th–19th century(Gift of Mr. Kamiya Denbei)
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
5th floor Room 9
January 2, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2024 (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.
Plaque with Animals, Reportedly found in Gyeongju, Korea, Early Iron Age–Proto-Three Kingdoms period, 3rd–1st century BC (Important Art Object, Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
November 21, 2023 (Tue) - May 19, 2024 (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.
Earring, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 6th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
November 21, 2023 (Tue) - May 19, 2024 (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.
Water Pitcher with Ginseng Leaves, Korea, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
November 21, 2023 (Tue) - May 19, 2024 (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.
Buddhist Temple Bell, Korea, Previously owned by Ōyama Shrine, Tokushima, Goryeo dynasty, 1196 (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
Buddhist Art of Korea
5th floor Room 10
October 11, 2023 (Wed) - April 7, 2024 (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.
Water Dropper, Bunweon-ri, Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
January 23, 2024 (Tue) - May 19, 2024 (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
Viṣṇu, Angkor period, 12th century
Khmer Sculpture
Basement Room 11
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - April 7, 2024 (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 l'École Française d’Extrême-Orient.
Seated Mahāvairocana
Central Java period, 9th–10th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
October 11, 2023 (Wed) - April 7, 2024 (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.
Drum, 18th–19th century (Gift of Mr. Sakiyama Kisaburō)
Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - April 7, 2024 (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, predominately from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD.
Vase with Flowers, Khmer, Found in Phnom Kulen, Acquired through exchange with the French School of the Far East, Angkor period, 11th–12th century
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
November 28, 2023 (Tue) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.
Saddlebags with Nested Diamonds, Cappadocia, Turkey, Mid-20th century
Asian Textiles: Textiles of Nomadic People from Asia
Basement Room 13
February 6, 2024 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (Sun)
These textiles were collected by Ms. Matsushima Kiyoe, a researcher of nomadic peoples who was passionate about the nomads of West Asia. She collected these items in West Asia from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Since ancient times, nomadic people lived itinerantly together with their livestock, moving around the plateau regions that stretch from northwestern India to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and from Iran to Turkey. Without fixed places of residence, they acted as tribes. The nomads were self-sufficient in all the necessities of their daily lives, therefore their clothes, bags, sheets for tents, and other textile items were all created by spinning the wool from their livestock, or by turning woolen fibers into felt. Each tribe also developed unique designs, so that they could indicate their tribes from a distance. In today’s world, the lives of nomads have also modernized, as a result of which their culture is gradually being lost.
Wazir Dhian Singh, By the Sikh school, India, Ca. mid-19th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
March 5, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2024 (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.
Stone Money, Yap Islands, Micronesia, Second half of the 19th century (Gift of Mr. Taguchi Ukichi)
Traditional Ways of Life in the South Pacific
Basement Room 13
January 2, 2024 (Tue) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
Tokyo National Museum has a large collection of ethnological materials from the South Pacific, mostly collected from the 19th to 20th century. During that period, the traditional beliefs and customs of South Pacific islanders were changing rapidly as they came in contact with colonial powers. Today, some of the objects in the collection can no longer be found on the islands they came from.
The current exhibition features ethnological materials from the South Pacific related to traditional ways of life, including a model of a ceremonial house, hunting and fishing tools, musical instruments, bowls, and objects used as currency. These works offer a rare glimpse into the unique indigenous cultures of the South Pacific.