Treasures of Distinguished Elegance Shine Together / The 77th Annual Shoso-in Exhibition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:00 JST, September 28, 2025

Sixty-seven precious items from the vast Shoso-in Imperial collection will be displayed at the Nara National Museum in Nara from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10.

The exhibition will include an exotic glass cup, an elaborately decorated mirror and a large piece of incense wood with connections to key figures in Japan’s history.

To gain access to the venue, the advance purchase of tickets for specified dates and times is required.

Ruri no Tsuki

Blue Glass Cup with Gilt Metal Base

8.6 centimeters in diameter at its opening, 11.2 centimeters high

This glass cup is an elegant cobalt blue. Its surface has small ring-shaped decorations and evokes the feeling of a distant land. The silver base is adorned with dragon-like patterns, a characteristic seen in East Asian metalwork. It is thought that this glass cup was made in the west and then brought to East Asia, where it was used with the base part added. This treasure tells of the history of East-West exchange via the Silk Road.

Heiradenhai no Enkyo

Round Bronze Mirror with Floral and Bird Design in Mother-of-Pearl

27.2 centimeters in diameter, 0.8 centimeters thick at the edge

This mirror with its ornate back is listed in the “Kokka Chinpo Cho,” which records items cherished by Emperor Shomu (701-756, r. 724-749). Its mother-of-pearl inlay, crafted from yakogai shell, depicts birds and flowers. Red amber is set at the center of the flowers. This mirror is also lavishly adorned with finely crushed lapis lazuli and turquoise, materials sourced from various regions along the Silk Road. The body is of bronze and is believed to have been brought from China during the Tang dynasty.

Ojukuko

Aloeswood Incense Known as “Ojukuko” or “Ranjatai”

156 centimeters long

This piece of incense wood, considered to be very high quality, is a hollow section of a tree of the Thymelaeaceae family, mainly native to Southeast Asia, containing resin deposits. Along the piece, there is clear evidence of sections being cut out. Slips of paper pasted on three of them tell that the respective sections were removed by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-1490), daimyo feudal lord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) and Emperor Meiji (1852-1912, r. 1867-1912). The incense wood has captivated many people, and it is said to have retained its fragrance even after more than a millennium.

Torige Tensho no Byobu

Folding Screen Panels with Seal-Script Characters in Bird Feathers

First panel (left): 149 centimeters tall, 56.5 centimeters wide

Second panel (right): 149.3 centimeters tall, 56.8 centimeters wide

These two folding screen panels are part of a group of six listed in the “Kokka Chinpo Cho.” The two bear phrases written in kanji characters alternating between two different styles, the tensho (seal script) and the kaisho (printed style). These phrases are axioms and admonitions for rulers and are thought to have been kept close to Emperor Shomu. The tensho characters are decorated with feathers and gold leaf, and the background contains floral patterns. The feathers are from green pheasants and copper pheasants, and the panels are thought to have been created domestically. All six panels will be exhibited together for the first time in about half a century.

Tenpyo Homotsu Fude

“Tenpyo Treasure” Writing Brush

56.6 centimeters long (excluding the bristles), 4.3 centimeters in diameter

This large brush is said to have been used to paint the pupils on the Great Buddha statue at Todaiji temple at its consecration ceremony in 752, during the heyday of the Tenpyo culture. Traces of ink can be seen on the bristles. A notable feature is the mottled pattern on the brush handle that resembles a rare type of spotted bamboo called hanchiku. The Great Buddha statue and the hall housing it were severely damaged in the 12th century when the Taira clan burned Nara. An inscription on the handle tells that this brush was also used during the consecration ceremony when the hall was rebuilt.

Advance reservation required

Nara National Museum / Oct. 25-Nov. 10 / Open daily

Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Nov. 3). Last entry one hour before closing.

Tickets: ¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,500 for university and high school students, ¥500 for junior high and elementary school students

Late-hour discount: ¥1,500 for adults, ¥1,000 for university and high school students, free for junior high and elementary school students (after 4 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, and after 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Nov. 3)

*Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis through https://www.e-tix.jp/shosoin-ten/en/ 

*Tickets will be sold up until entrance time slots on exhibition days; sales end when tickets sell out.

*For more information, see https://shosoin-ten.jp/en/ 

Organizer: Nara National Museum

Sponsors: Iwatani Corporation, INDEN-YA Co., Ltd., NTT WEST, Inc., Kansai Electrical Safety Inspection Association, Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd., Central Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company, DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD., Daicel Corporation, Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd., Maruichi Steel Tube Ltd., YAMATO NOEN Co., Ltd., ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Special cooperation: The Yomiuri Shimbun

Cooperation: Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, others