Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 22, 2025 (Tue) -
April 19, 2026 (Sun)
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
Bull-Shaped Rhyton
Cyprus, Late Bronze Age, 14th–13th century BC (Gift of Mr. Tanimura Keisuke)
Egypt and Western Asia
2nd floor Room 3
March 4, 2025 (Tue) - May 25, 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.
Crowned Buddha
India, Found in Indonesia, Pala dynasty, 9th–11th century
Sculptures from India and Gandhara
2nd floor Room 3
January 2, 2025 (Thu) - June 29, 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.
Goddess, Central Asia, 5th to 7th centuries
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
April 15, 2025 (Tue) - June 8, 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
Tripod Cooking Vessel (Li)
Found in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, Upper Xiajiadian culture, 9th–5th century BC
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
November 19, 2024 (Tue) - June 15, 2025 (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 Warmer (Jue) with a Fret Pattern
Shang dynasty, 15th–14th century BC
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
February 4, 2025 (Tue) - June 1, 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.
Vase with Dragon Handles
China, Tang dynasty, 8th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
March 25, 2025 (Tue) - June 15, 2025 (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 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.
Textile with a Deer, Phoenixes, Butterflies, and Flowers
China, Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th century
Chinese Textiles: Tapestry Weave (Kesi)
3rd floor Room 5
March 25, 2025 (Tue) - June 15, 2025 (Sun)
Kesi is a silk tapestry weaving technique admired for its vivid patterns. During the Song dynasty (960–1279), kesi underwent significant development, enabling the creation of intricate, brightly colored designs that resembled paintings. This exhibition provides an overview of kesi from the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties.
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.
Calligraphy and Paintings
By Dong Qichang (1555–1636), China, Ming dynasty, 1629
Emulating the Classics in Chinese Landscape Painting: In Search of Ni Zan
4th floor Room 8
April 22, 2025 (Tue) - June 1, 2025 (Sun)
The current exhibition presents Chinese landscape paintings that emulate the classics. They are based on the work of Ni Zan (1301–1374), a Chinese painter known for his minimalist, unpopulated landscapes of sparse trees and distant mountains, separated by a quiet body of water. Illustrated only with light ink, his landscapes became famous for their muted and refined style depicting a complete detachment from all worldly affairs. Ni Zan’s work left a profound influence on later generations of painters, who emulated his style in their own way. Enjoy the variations of his landscapes on display in this gallery.
Poem in Seal Script
By Qi Baishi (1863–1957), China, Republic period, 1948 (Gift of Dr. Hayashi Munetake)
Chinese Calligraphy from the 19th and 20th Centuries
4th floor Room 8
March 18, 2025 (Tue) - May 11, 2025 (Sun)
Chinese calligraphers from the latter half of the 1800s to the first half of the 1900s worked with a wide variety of styles, as seen in the works on display here. The calligraphy of this time was based on the study of copybooks or stele inscriptions, and sometimes both informed scholars’ calligraphic practice. During the Qing dynasty (1616–1912), the practice of calligraphy based on stele inscriptions―known as beixue―was held in higher regard than the traditional practice of studying copybooks.
Inkstone with an Orchid Pavilion and Chinese Francolin Pattern
China, Previously owned by Mr. Aoyama San'u, Southern Song dynasty, 12th–13th century (Gift of Ms. Aoyama Toku)
Chinese Literati
4th floor Room 8
March 18, 2025 (Tue) - May 11, 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
Tray with Pavilions and Figures
China, Southern Song dynasty, 12th–13th century
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
March 25, 2025 (Tue) - June 22, 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.
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
March 25, 2025 (Tue) - June 22, 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.
Plaque with Animals
Reportedly found in Gyeongju, Korea, Early Iron Age–Proto-Three Kingdoms period, 3rd–1st century BC (Gift of the Ogura Foundation, Important Art Object)
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
November 12, 2024 (Tue) - May 18, 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.
Headdress
Reportedly found in Changnyeong, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 6th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation, Important Cultural Property)
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
November 12, 2024 (Tue) - May 18, 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.
Jar with a Crane and Turtle
Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
November 26, 2024 (Tue) - May 25, 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.
Dining Table
Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
January 21, 2025 (Tue) - May 18, 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.
Buddha Seated on a Nāga
Thailand, Rattanakosin period, 19th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
October 16, 2024 (Wed) - May 25, 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
April 9, 2024 (Tue) - May 25, 2025 (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.
Shallow Foliate Bowl with Lotus Flowers
Si Satchanalai ware, Thailand, 15th century (Gift of Mr. Yamada)
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
December 3, 2024 (Tue) - May 25, 2025 (Sun)
This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.
Floor Covering with Bouquets and Vines (detail)
Gujarat, India, Second half of 18th century
Asian Textiles: Indian Textiles
Basement Room 13
February 18, 2025 (Tue) - May 25, 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.
Maharaja Vijay Singh of the Marwar Kingdom (detail), By the Bikaner school, India, Ca. mid-18th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
April 8, 2025 (Tue) - May 6, 2025 (Tue)
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.
Club (Ula)
Fiji Islands, Melanesia, Second half of the 19th–start of the 20th century
Ethnic Cultures of Asia: Traditional Ways of Life in the South Pacific
Basement Room 13
March 25, 2025 (Tue) - June 22, 2025 (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.