The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures

The Exhibition of the Shōsō-in Treasures is a quintessential autumn event held in the ancient capital of Nara. This year, we are pleased to welcome the seventy-eighth iteration of the exhibition, where visitors will encounter exquisite treasures that have been preserved and passed down over 1,300 years ago.
The treasures of the Shōsō-in boast a diverse collection of objects from that period, ranging from craftworks of the highest caliber to precious documents that provide a glimpse into the lives of people who lived during that time. The core of the collection comprises cherished personal belongings of Emperor Shōmu (701-756, r. 724-749) who ruled during the Nara period (710-794). They have been carefully guarded under the imperial seal (J. chokufū) that restricts access to the treasures; this system, unseen anywhere else in the world, has helped them remain a well-preserved set even today.
This year's Shōsō-in exhibition will once again adorn the museum space with a selection of the finest treasures, vividly evoking life in the ancient capital of Nara. The Persian Style Lacquered Ewer with Design of Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, said to have adorned the personal chambers of Emperor Shōmu, epitomizes the flourishing East-West exchange of the era; the form is based on water vessels from West Asia, but was created using East Asian lacquerware techniques. Other treasures convey the powerful devotion of people from that time, including the Brahma's Net Sutra (Ch. Fangwang jing, Jp. Bonmō kyō) with Frontispiece that demonstrates a high level of calligraphic skill, and the Offering Box with Mitsuda-e Oil Painted Design of Birds and Scrolling Motifs, covered with dynamic and vibrant patterns. Recent research results from the Office of the Shōsō-in, Imperial Household Agency will also be on display, including findings on the materials and techniques used to created ancient rush mats.

What is the Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures?

Each year in the fall, the Imperial seal behind which the Shōsō-in Treasures are stored in the Repository at the Shōsō-in is opened for a short window of time for inspection. During this period, a selection of treasures is put on display to make the treasures accessible to the general public at The Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures. The group of treasures brought out each year are selected to give a sense of the collection as a whole and to feature works that have drawn attention through recent research findings. The first exhibition was held in 1946 at what was then the Nara Imperial Household Museum. With the exception of three subsequent exhibitions in Tokyo (held in 1949, 1959, and 1981), the show has opened in Nara every year since.

What are the Shōsō-in Treasures?

While the treasures preserved through the centuries in the Shōsō-in Repository are believed to have entered the storehouse through various circumstances, the majority of them can be divided into the following three groups: 1. Those presented as offerings by Empress Kōmyō (701-760) to the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji on the twenty-first day of the sixth month in Tenpyō Shōhō 8 (756) after the forty-nine days of mourning following the passing of Emperor Shōmu (701-756; r. 724-749); 2. Various objects and implements used during ceremonies at Tōdai-ji; and 3. Materials connected to the administration of Tōdai-ji and its Scriptorium from the Tōdai-ji Construction Bureau (Zō Tōdaiji Shi). There are also various ritual implements that were used in ceremonies at the palace, weaponry, and instruments. The breadth and variety of the treasures suggests several threads of history and provenance interweaving the collection's objects.

Dates

Saturday, October 24th to Monday, November 9th, 2026
The museum is open every day for the entire run of the exhibition.

Venue

The East and West New Wings of the Nara National Museum in Nara, Japan

Hours

8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and until 8:00 P.M. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays

Last entry is sixty minutes before closing.

Admission

General Admission	2,000 JPY (Late Entry: 1,500 JPY)
University and High School Students	1,500 JPY (Late Entry: 1,000 JPY)
Junior High and Elementary School Students	500 JPY (Late Entry: Free)

Free of charge entry to disabled certificate holders and an accompanying caretaker (upon presenting the certificate); preschoolers; late entry rate (junior high and elementary school students); Nara National Museum Membership card holders (for first and second entry); Sponsorship Members (Nara National Museum, Tokyo National Museum [except Former Silver Members, Bronze Members], Kyushu National Museum); Seifukai Members (Kyoto National Museum)

Those benefitting from free admission do not need to purchase timed-entry tickets but are required to present their certificate or membership card upon arrival. (Except for junior high and elementary school students and younger)

• Please note that you cannot change, cancel, or reissue your timed-entry tickets, and there are no refunds.
• The Late Entry discount is available with timed-entry tickets only and applies from Monday through Thursday after 4:00 P.M. and after 5:00 P.M. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.
• Excluding those benefitting from free admission, all tickets are timed-entry and must be purchased prior to one's arrival at the museum.
• You can purchase up to 8 tickets per transaction.
• Ticket sales will end as soon as the tickets made available for each timed-entry window have been sold out.
• Timed-entry tickets can be purchased the same day as one's visit up to the start of each timed-entry window.
• The period from noon to 3pm is expected to be extremely crowded. Please make use of early mornings and late afternoons.

If there are remaining tickets for timed-entry window, Same Day Timed-Entry Tickets are sold at Nara National Museum Special Ticket Counter.
To avoid long lines, please purchase your ticket in advance.
Timed-entry tickets can be purchased the same day online as one's visit up to the start of each timed-entry window.

Same Day Ticket Admission

General Admission	2,200 JPY(Late Entry:1,700 JPY)
University and High School Students	1,700 JPY (Late Entry:1,200 JPY)
Junior High and Elementary School Students	700JPY (Late Entry: Free)

Location: Nara National Museum Special Ticket Counter

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 4th at 10:00 A.M. Tickets are available for purchase through the following vendors and methods

Exhibition Online Ticket（English Version） https://www.e-tix.jp/shosoin-ten/en/

Museum Entry and Viewing the Exhibition

• You may use your timed-entry Shōsō-in Exhibition ticket for admission the Ritual Bronzes Gallery. The Buddhist Sculpture Hall is temporarily closed for renovation work.
• You will not be permitted to enter the museum on a day or window of time other than that designated on your ticket.
• Depending on the circumstances in the galleries, you may be admitted slightly before the start of your ticket's timed-entry window or a little while after it has begun.
• Because the galleries are typically at their most crowded at the start of each timed-entry window, we recommend that you plan on arriving at the museum shortly after the start of the time slot designated on your ticket.
• Timed-entry tickets are required. There is no time limit on your visit.
• There is no parking lot available at the museum. Please refrain from visiting the museum by car.

About This Year's Treasures

Of the sixty treasures included in this year's exhibition, eleven are displayed for the first time.
There are thirteen treasures from the North Section, twenty-two from the Middle Section, twenty-two from the South Section, and three from the Shōgozō.

Organizer

Nara National Museum

With Special Support from

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Sponsors

The exhibition has been made possible with the support of: Central Japan Railway Company; Daicel Corporation; DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.; Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.; INDEN-YA Co., Ltd.; Iwatani Corporation; Kansai Electrical Safety Inspection Association; Kintetsu Railway Co.,Ltd.; Maruichi Steel Tube Ltd.; Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd.; NTT WEST, Inc.; ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; West Japan Railway Company; YAMATO NOEN Co., Ltd.

Through Corporate Partnership with

DMG MORI Co., Ltd.

Cooperation

Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) Nara Station; Nara Kōtsū Bus Lines Co., Ltd.; Nara Television Co., Ltd.; Bukkyō Bijutsu Kyōkai (Buddhist Art Foundation); the Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation

Major Works