Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 22, 2025 (Tue) -
April 19, 2026 (Sun)
December 3, 2025 (Wed), 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
Tiles with Multicolor Glazes
Northwestern Iran, Iron Age, 8th–7th century BC
Egypt and Western Asia
2nd floor Room 3
September 9, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 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.
Buddhist Reliquary
Subashi, China, Ōtani collection, 6th–7th century
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
November 26, 2025 (Wed) - January 18, 2026 (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, Western Han dynasty, 2nd–1st century BC
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
November 5, 2025 (Wed) - March 22, 2026 (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.
Wine Vessel (Bu) with Animal Masks (Taotie)
China, Shang dynasty, 13th–11th century BC (Gift of Ms. Sakamoto Kiku)
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
October 21, 2025 (Tue) - March 8, 2026 (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.
Pig
China, Western Han dynasty, 2nd–1st century BC (Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige)
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
November 5, 2025 (Wed) - March 22, 2026 (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.
Pillow with a Peony
Cizhou ware, China, Northern Song dynasty, 12th century (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
August 19, 2025 (Tue) - December 7, 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.
Robe (Pao) with Dragons
China, Qing dynasty, 19th century (Gift of Mr. Igarashi Tsukasa)
Textile Arts of China:
Weaving and Embroidery of the Qing Dynasty
3rd floor Room 5
November 5, 2025 (Wed) - February 1, 2026 (Sun)
During the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), textile arts reached new heights of refinement and splendor, with patterns rendered so intricately that they were nearly indistinguishable from paintings.
Every motif represented good fortune — for instance, the peony was cherished as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
This exhibition focuses on Qing-dynasty brocades and embroideries, presenting garments, ornamental accessories, and hanging scrolls that showcase the extraordinary artistry of this period.
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.
Insects and Bamboo（detail）
Attributed to Zhao Chang, China Southern Song dynasty, 13th century (Important Cultural Property)
The Essence of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting: Famous Works of the Song and Yuan Dynasties and Their Spread
4th floor Room 8
November 18, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 2025 (Sun)
This exhibition on “The Essence of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting” is an annual affair that introduces masterpieces of calligraphy and painting from China every autumn. On display in this year’s exhibition are select works from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties, which came to Japan long ago and are still admired by many even today. These works flourished in the emperor’s imperial court, where scholar-officials and non-governmental literati formed interest groups, as well as Chan Buddhist temples, which shared a close connection to these intellectuals. The present exhibition introduces the allure of these unique works of calligraphy by scholar-officials and Chan Buddhist monks, and the charms of minutely colored paintings of landscapes, people, and birds and flowers.
5th floor
Buddha with Two Attendants
Korean Peninsula, Hōryūji Treasures, Three Kingdoms period, 6th–7th century, Korea (Important Cultural Property)
Culture of the Korean Peninsula in Japan
5th floor Room 9
September 23, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 2025 (Sun)
Japan and the countries on the Korean Peninsula have shared a long history of exchange that dates back to prehistoric times. Objects featured in this exhibition include Buddhist statues that are symbolic of the initial period when Buddhism was first introduced to Japan via the Korean Peninsula and Korean tea bowls commissioned by Japanese individuals. Also included is a sutra box that was passed down at a temple built by a samurai lord in western Japan who actively engaged in trade with the Korean Peninsula.
We hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity for you to acknowledge that people of Japan have carefully preserved cultural properties that originated in the Korean Peninsula and that they have nurtured Japanese culture while taking in elements of Korean culture.
Korean Patchwork("Jogakbo")
Korean Peninsula, 19th–20th century
Time Traveling through Korea: Encountering People from Different Times (Part 1)
5th floor Room 10
September 23, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 2025 (Sun)
This exhibition features Korean archaeological artifacts, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, lacquerware, and textiles dating from the Three Kingdoms period (4th century–668) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910).
Designed as a journey through time, the exhibition invites visitors to step into different eras and places and to encounter the people who once lived there.
Themes such as tomb culture, court culture, and Buddhist art are explored through a wide range of works showcasing the depth and distinctiveness of Korean culture.
Hairpin, Knife, and Glasses Case
Korean Peninsula, 19th–20th century
Time Traveling through Korea: Encountering People from Different Times (Part 2)
5th floor Room 10
September 23, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 2025 (Sun)
This exhibition features Korean archaeological artifacts, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, lacquerware, and textiles dating from the Three Kingdoms period (4th century–668) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910).
Designed as a journey through time, the exhibition invites visitors to step into different eras and places and to encounter the people who once lived there.
Themes such as tomb culture, court culture, and Buddhist art are explored through a wide range of works showcasing the depth and distinctiveness of Korean culture.
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.
The Buddha
Myanmar, Konbaung dynasty, 18th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
September 9, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 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.
Twelve-Sided Stemmed Dish with Imaginary Animals
Thai Lan Na style, 16th–17th century
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
September 30, 2025 (Tue) - February 1, 2026 (Sun)
This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.
Hanuman Meets with Rama (Ramayana)
By the Mewar school, India, First half of the 17th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
November 18, 2025 (Tue) - December 21, 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.
Waistcloth (Sarong) with Butterflies, Flowers, Birds, and Vines
Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia, Start of the 20th century
Interwoven Traditions:
Dyeing and Weaving of Sumatra, Indonesia
Basement Room 13
November 5, 2025 (Wed) - February 1, 2026 (Sun)
Sumatra is one of the many islands that make up the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. Situated in the west of the country, Sumatra boasts a wide variety of dyeing and weaving techniques from regions across the island.
Through trade across the Indian Ocean, chintz textiles from India made their way to the islands of Indonesia, and it is thought that Indian chintz influenced the famous batik textiles of Indonesia.
This exhibition not only explores this relationship between batik and Indian chintz, but also features early 20th–century photographs of Sumatran textiles when worn, expressing their charming allure.