Past Special Exhibitions
Use the checkboxes to filter past special exhibitions.
2024
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Special Exhibition Commemorating the 1150th Founding Anniversary of DaikakujiTreasures of Daikakuji: From Imperial Villa to Buddhist Temple
January 21, 2025 (Tue) -
March 16, 2025 (Sun) -
Special Exhibition Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Designation of the Warrior in Keikō Armor as a National Treasure Haniwa: Tomb Sculptures of Japan
October 16, 2024 (Wed) -
December 8, 2024 (Sun) -
Special Exhibition Commemorating the 1,200th Anniversary of Jingoji Temple’s Founding Jingoji: The Dawn of Shingon Buddhism
July 17, 2024 (Wed) -
September 8, 2024 (Sun) -
Rei Naito: come and live – go and live
June 25, 2024 (Tue) -
September 23, 2024 (Mon) -
Special ExhibitionHōnen and Pure Land Buddhism
April 16, 2024 (Tue) -
June 9, 2024 (Sun) -
Special Exhibition Celebrating the 900th Anniversary of Its Construction: The Golden Hall of Chūson-ji Temple
January 23, 2024 (Tue) -
April 14, 2024 (Sun)
2023
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Special Exhibition: The Artistic Cosmos of Hon’ami Kōetsu
January 16, 2024 (Tue) -
March 10, 2024 (Sun) -
Yamato-e: Traditions of Beauty from the Imperial Court
October 11, 2023 (Wed) -
December 3, 2023 (Sun) -
Celebrating the Completion of Conservation Work on Jōruriji Temple’s Amida Statues: Buddhist Sculptures from Minami Yamashiro in Kyoto
September 16, 2023 (Sat) -
November 12, 2023 (Sun) -
Tadanori Yokoo: 100 Takes on Hanshan and Shide
September 12, 2023 (Tue) -
December 3, 2023 (Sun) -
Ancient Mexico: Maya, Aztec, and Teotihuacan
June 16, 2023 (Fri) -
September 3, 2023 (Sun) -
Special ExhibitionTōfuku-ji: Monumental Zen Temple of Kyoto
March 7, 2023 (Tue) -
May 7, 2023 (Sun)
2022
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150th Anniversary Special Exhibition Tokyo National Museum: Its History and National Treasures
October 18, 2022 (Tue) -
December 18, 2022 (Sun) -
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and China Special Digital Exhibition: The World of the Gu Gong Imperial Palace
July 26, 2022 (Tue) -
September 19, 2022 (Mon) -
Special Exhibition Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Okinawa's Reversion to Japan RYUKYU
May 3, 2022 (Tue) -
June 26, 2022 (Sun) -
The Saint Kūya and Rokuharamitsuji Temple
March 1, 2022 (Tue) -
May 8, 2022 (Sun) -
Special Exhibition: POMPEII
January 14, 2022 (Fri) -
April 3, 2022 (Sun)
2021
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UNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageSpecial ExhibitionThe World of Traditional Performing Arts: Kabuki, Bunraku, Noh and Kyogen, Gagaku, Kumi-odori
January 7, 2022 (Fri) -
March 13, 2022 (Sun) -
Commemorating the 1200th Anniversary of Saichō's Death: Buddhist Art of the Tendai School
October 12, 2021 (Tue) -
November 21, 2021 (Sun) -
The 1400th Memorial for Prince Shōtoku HŌRYŪJI Prince Shōtoku and Treasures of Early Buddhist Faith in Japan
July 13, 2021 (Tue) -
September 5, 2021 (Sun) -
Sacred Treasures from Ancient Nara: The Eleven-Headed Kannon of Shōrinji Temple
June 22, 2021 (Tue) -
September 12, 2021 (Sun) -
NATIONAL TREASURE: FROLICKING ANIMALS
April 13, 2021 (Tue) -
June 20, 2021 (Sun)
2020
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Japanese Architecture: Traditional Skills and Natural Materials
December 24, 2020 (Thu) -
February 21, 2021 (Sun) -
Momoyama: Artistic Visions in a Turbulent Century
October 6, 2020 (Tue) -
November 29, 2020 (Sun) -
Kōgei 2020 – The Art of Crafting Beauty from Nature
September 21, 2020 (Mon) -
November 15, 2020 (Sun) -
KIMONO: Fashioning Identities
June 30, 2020 (Tue) -
August 23, 2020 (Sun) -
Passing on Cultural Heritage: Buddhist Murals and Sculptures of Horyuji
March 17, 2020 (Tue) -
May 10, 2020 (Sun)
2019
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Izumo and Yamato: The Birth of Ancient Japan
January 15, 2020 (Wed) -
February 26, 2020 (Wed) -
Man, God & Nature in the Ancient World: Masterpieces from The Al Thani Collection
November 6, 2019 (Wed) -
February 9, 2020 (Sun) -
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor Shosoin: Essential Treasures of Ancient Japan Passed Down by the Imperial Family
October 14, 2019 (Mon) -
November 24, 2019 (Sun) -
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Japan–China Cultural Exchange Agreement Three Kingdoms Unveiling the Story
July 9, 2019 (Tue) -
September 16, 2019 (Mon) -
Masterpieces of Japanese Art: From Sesshu and Eitoku to Korin and Hokusai
May 3, 2019 (Fri) -
June 2, 2019 (Sun) -
National Treasures of To-ji Temple; Kukai and the Sculpture Mandala
March 26, 2019 (Tue) -
June 2, 2019 (Sun) -
The 30th Anniversary of the EnthronementCultural Exchanges of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress: Sharing the Beauty of Japan
March 5, 2019 (Tue) -
April 29, 2019 (Mon)
2018
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Unrivaled Calligraphy: Yan Zhenqing and His Legacy
January 16, 2019 (Wed) -
February 24, 2019 (Sun) -
The Buddhist Sculptures of Daiho’onji, Kyoto: Masterpieces by Kaikei and Jokei
October 2, 2018 (Tue) -
December 9, 2018 (Sun) -
Collaborative Exhibition Project between the Tokyo National Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Marcel Duchamp and Japanese Art
October 2, 2018 (Tue) -
December 9, 2018 (Sun) -
JOMON: 10,000 Years of Prehistoric Art in Japan
July 3, 2018 (Tue) -
September 2, 2018 (Sun) -
Celebrating the 130th Anniversary of KOKKA and the 140th Anniversary of The Asahi Shimbun Echoes of a Masterpiece: The Lineage of Beauty in Japanese Art
April 13, 2018 (Fri) -
May 27, 2018 (Sun) -
Roads of Arabia: Archaeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia
January 23, 2018 (Tue) -
May 13, 2018 (Sun)
2017
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Treasures from Ninnaji Temple and Omuro
January 16, 2018 (Tue) -
March 11, 2018 (Sun) -
UNKEI - The Great Master of Buddhist Sculpture
September 26, 2017 (Tue) -
November 26, 2017 (Sun) -
The Living Treasures of France
September 12, 2017 (Tue) -
November 26, 2017 (Sun) -
Celebrating 130 Years of Amity between Japan and Thailand Thailand: Brilliant Land of the Buddha
July 4, 2017 (Tue) -
August 27, 2017 (Sun) -
Chanoyu - The Arts of Tea Ceremony, The Essence of Japan
April 11, 2017 (Tue) -
June 4, 2017 (Sun)
2016
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Eternal Treasures from Kasugataisha Shrine
January 17, 2017 (Tue) -
March 12, 2017 (Sun) -
The Art of ZEN: From Mind to Form
October 18, 2016 (Tue) -
November 27, 2016 (Sun) -
The Hidden Buddha of Rakuyaji Temple, Shiga
September 13, 2016 (Tue) -
January 9, 2017 (Mon) -
A Journey to the Land of Immortals: Treasures of Ancient Greece
June 21, 2016 (Tue) -
September 19, 2016 (Mon) -
Smiling in Contemplation : Two Buddhas from Japan and Korea
June 21, 2016 (Tue) -
July 10, 2016 (Sun) -
Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
April 12, 2016 (Tue) -
June 19, 2016 (Sun) -
Kuroda Seiki, Master of Modern Japanese Painting: The 150th Anniversary of his Birth
March 23, 2016 (Wed) -
May 15, 2016 (Sun)
2015
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The Great Terracotta Army of China's First Emperor
October 27, 2015 (Tue) -
February 21, 2016 (Sun) -
THE ART of BVLGARI 130 YEARS OF ITALIAN MASTERPIECES
September 8, 2015 (Tue) -
November 29, 2015 (Sun) -
Cleopatra and the Queens of Egypt
July 11, 2015 (Sat) -
September 23, 2015 (Wed) -
Masterpieces of Kosan-ji Temple: the complete scrolls of Choju Giga, Frolicking Animals
April 28, 2015 (Tue) -
June 7, 2015 (Sun) -
Indian Buddhist Art from Indian Museum, Kolkata
March 17, 2015 (Tue) -
May 17, 2015 (Sun) -
Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture from Northern Japan
January 14, 2015 (Wed) -
April 5, 2015 (Sun)
2014
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The Great Tsunami of March 11, 2011 and the Restoration of Cultural Properties
January 14, 2015 (Wed) -
March 15, 2015 (Sun) -
National Treasures of Japan
October 15, 2014 (Wed) -
December 7, 2014 (Sun) -
Joint Special Exhibition of National Museums, Japan, China and Korea, 2014 East Asian Elegance: Masterpieces of Ceramics
September 20, 2014 (Sat) -
November 24, 2014 (Mon) -
Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei
June 24, 2014 (Tue) -
September 15, 2014 (Mon) -
Mural Paintings of the Kitora Tumulus
April 22, 2014 (Tue) -
May 18, 2014 (Sun) -
The 800th Memorial of YosaiRoots of Zen: Yosai and the Treasures of Kenninji
March 25, 2014 (Tue) -
May 18, 2014 (Sun)
2013
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Portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga and Nanban Art: Japan-European Exchange 400 Years Ago
February 11, 2014 (Tue) -
March 23, 2014 (Sun) -
Admired from Afar: Masterworks of Japanese Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art
January 15, 2014 (Wed) -
February 23, 2014 (Sun) -
The 60th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition Engendering Beauty, Preserving Techniques: Artworks by Living National Treasures
January 15, 2014 (Wed) -
February 23, 2014 (Sun) -
Kyoto from Inside and Outside: Scenes on Panels and Folding Screens
October 8, 2013 (Tue) -
December 1, 2013 (Sun) -
Commemorative Exhibition for the Reopening of the Toyokan: Treasures of Chinese Painting from the Shanghai Museum
October 1, 2013 (Tue) -
November 24, 2013 (Sun) -
The Beauty of Japanese-style Calligraphy
July 13, 2013 (Sat) -
September 8, 2013 (Sun) -
Grand Exhibition of Sacred Treasures from Shinto Shrines
April 9, 2013 (Tue) -
June 2, 2013 (Sun) -
Enku's Buddhas: Sculptures from Senkoji Temple and the Hida Region
January 12, 2013 (Sat) -
April 7, 2013 (Sun)
2012
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Wang Xizhi: Master Calligrapher
January 22, 2013 (Tue) -
March 3, 2013 (Sun) -
CHINA: Grandeur of the Dynasties
October 10, 2012 (Wed) -
December 24, 2012 (Mon) -
Treasures from Sacred Izumo: On the Occasion of the Renovation of Izumo Taisha Shrine and 1300 Years of the Kojiki Chronicle
October 10, 2012 (Wed) -
November 25, 2012 (Sun) -
The Twentieth Century for Chinese Landscape Painting: Selected Masterpieces from the National Art Museum of China
July 31, 2012 (Tue) -
August 26, 2012 (Sun) -
The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u: The 100th Anniversary of his Birth
July 18, 2012 (Wed) -
September 9, 2012 (Sun) -
Japanese Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
March 20, 2012 (Tue) -
June 10, 2012 (Sun)
2011
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Two Hundred Selected Masterpieces from the Palace Museum, Beijing
January 2, 2012 (Mon) -
February 19, 2012 (Sun) -
In Commemoration of the 800th Grand Memorial of Honen and the 750th Grand Memorial of Shinran Honen and Shinran: Treasures Related to the Great Masters of the Kamakura Buddhism
October 25, 2011 (Tue) -
December 4, 2011 (Sun) -
Sun Yat-sen and Umeya Shokichi: China and Japan 100 years ago
July 26, 2011 (Tue) -
September 4, 2011 (Sun) -
Kukai's World: The Arts of Esoteric Buddhism
July 20, 2011 (Wed) -
September 25, 2011 (Sun) -
SHARAKU
May 1, 2011 (Sun) -
June 12, 2011 (Sun) -
Buddha - The Story in Manga and Art
April 26, 2011 (Tue) -
June 26, 2011 (Sun)
2010
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HIRAYAMA Ikuo and the Preservation of Buddhist Heritage
January 18, 2011 (Tue) -
March 6, 2011 (Sun) -
The 1250th Memorial of Empress KomyoTodaiji Temple and Monuments of Tenpyo Culture
October 8, 2010 (Fri) -
December 12, 2010 (Sun) -
The Birth of Chinese Civilization
July 6, 2010 (Tue) -
September 5, 2010 (Sun) -
The Lineage of Culture - The Hosokawa Family Eisei Bunko Collection
April 20, 2010 (Tue) -
June 6, 2010 (Sun)
2009
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HASEGAWA TOHAKU: 400th Memorial Retrospective
February 23, 2010 (Tue) -
March 22, 2010 (Mon) -
THE POWER OF DOGU
December 15, 2009 (Tue) -
February 21, 2010 (Sun) -
Treasures of the Imperial Collections - Splendor of Japanese Art
October 6, 2009 (Tue) -
November 29, 2009 (Sun) -
In commemoration of the 62nd Shikinen Sengu CeremonyIse Jingu and Treasures of Shinto
July 14, 2009 (Tue) -
September 6, 2009 (Sun) -
SOMETSUKE - The flourishing of underglaze blue porcelain ware in Asia
July 14, 2009 (Tue) -
September 6, 2009 (Sun) -
The National Treasure ASHURA and Masterpieces from Kohfukuji
March 31, 2009 (Tue) -
June 7, 2009 (Sun) -
"Story of ..." - Memories of Cartier creations
March 28, 2009 (Sat) -
May 31, 2009 (Sun)
2008
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Commemorating the 650th Memorial Year of the Founder, Muso DaishiMasterpieces of Zen Culture from Myoshinji
January 20, 2009 (Tue) -
March 1, 2009 (Sun) -
The 150th Anniversary of Keio University FUKUZAWA Yukichi : Living the Future
January 10, 2009 (Sat) -
March 8, 2009 (Sun) -
Celebrating the 350th Anniversary of Ogata Korin's Birth Treasures by Rinpa Masters - Inheritance and Innovation
October 7, 2008 (Tue) -
November 16, 2008 (Sun) -
Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka — The Land of Serendipity
September 17, 2008 (Wed) -
November 30, 2008 (Sun) -
Dueling Geniuses - The Greatest Highlights of Japanese Artists
July 8, 2008 (Tue) -
August 17, 2008 (Sun) -
France Meets Japan - Ukiyo-e Influence on French Ceramics
July 1, 2008 (Tue) -
August 3, 2008 (Sun) -
National Treasures from Yakushi-ji Temple
March 25, 2008 (Tue) -
June 8, 2008 (Sun)
2007
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Courtly Millenium - Art Treasures from the Konoe Family Collection
January 2, 2008 (Wed) -
February 24, 2008 (Sun) -
Legacy of the TokugawaThe Glories and Treasures of the Last Samurai Dynasty
October 10, 2007 (Wed) -
December 2, 2007 (Sun) -
Zen Treasures from the Kyoto Gozan Temples
July 31, 2007 (Tue) -
September 9, 2007 (Sun) -
The Mind of Leonardo -The Universal Genius at Work
March 20, 2007 (Tue) -
June 17, 2007 (Sun)
2006
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Mauri OraMaori Treasures from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
January 23, 2007 (Tue) -
March 18, 2007 (Sun) -
Prized Treasures of Chinese Art — from the National Museum of China
January 2, 2007 (Tue) -
February 25, 2007 (Sun) -
Shaping Faith — Japanese Ichiboku Buddhist Statues
October 3, 2006 (Tue) -
December 3, 2006 (Sun) -
The Price Collection - JAKUCHU and The Age of Imagination
July 4, 2006 (Tue) -
August 27, 2006 (Sun) -
Commemorating the 1200th Anniversary of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination Faith and Syncretism: Saicho and Treasures of Tendai
March 28, 2006 (Tue) -
May 7, 2006 (Sun)
2005
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Twin Peaks : The Finest of Chinese and Japanese Calligraphy
January 11, 2006 (Wed) -
February 19, 2006 (Sun) -
HOKUSAI
October 25, 2005 (Tue) -
December 4, 2005 (Sun) -
Splendid and Refined - Imari Ware and Kyoto Ware Ceramics
October 4, 2005 (Tue) -
December 4, 2005 (Sun) -
Passing Traditions in Japanese Art - Study, Copy, Create
July 20, 2005 (Wed) -
September 11, 2005 (Sun) -
Cultural Crossings - Tang Art and the Japanese Envoys
July 20, 2005 (Wed) -
September 11, 2005 (Sun) -
"Visions of the Divine in the Sanctuary of Art -Masterpieces of the Museum Island, Berlin"
April 5, 2005 (Tue) -
June 12, 2005 (Sun)
2004
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The Dancing Satyr
February 19, 2005 (Sat) -
March 13, 2005 (Sun) -
In Commemoration of the Heisei Restoration of the Kondo National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple - Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha
January 12, 2005 (Wed) -
March 6, 2005 (Sun) -
Treasures of Ancient China
September 28, 2004 (Tue) -
November 28, 2004 (Sun) -
Arts of East and West from World Expositions- 1855-1900: Paris, Vienna, and Chicago -
July 6, 2004 (Tue) -
August 29, 2004 (Sun) -
Treasures of a Sacred Mountain KÛKAI AND MOUNT KÔYA
April 6, 2004 (Tue) -
May 16, 2004 (Sun)