2026.10.14 — 2026.12.06 · Happening now
Daitokuji: Special Exhibition for the 700th Anniversary of Its Founding
For the 700th anniversary of Kyoto’s Daitokuji, the Tokyo National Museum’s Heiseikan holds a special exhibition from 14 October to 6 December with 14 National Treasures and 69 Important Cultural Properties; the organisers say it is the first major showing of the temple’s treasures in Tokyo in about 41 years. The run has two periods: Muqi’s National Treasure Guanyin, Monkeys and Crane is shown only in the first (14 October–8 November) and his Dragon and Tiger only in the second (10 November–6 December), while the Kizaemon Ido tea bowl and the Sanmon Shaka Buddha and Sen no Rikyū statues, both shown for the first time, are on view throughout.
The first period shows Muqi’s National Treasure Guanyin, Monkeys and Crane: the white-robed Guanyin in the centre with monkeys on one side and a crane on the other, 13th-century ink in three scrolls each about 1.7 metres tall.
The second period swaps in Muqi’s Dragon and Tiger; the two sets are never shown together, so choose your dates.
The National Treasure Kizaemon Ido is a 16th-century tea bowl made on the Korean peninsula, named after an Osaka merchant who once owned it and kept today at Kohō-an in Daitokuji; it is on view throughout.
An everyday bowl became a National Treasure, which says much about how tea masters chose their objects.
The Sanmon gate’s Shaka Buddha (1404) with Kāśyapa and Ānanda, and a statue of Sen no Rikyū, are all shown for the first time and on view throughout.
They give a glimpse of the temple’s long ties with the tea ceremony.
Muqi’s Guanyin, Monkeys and Crane is in the first period and his Dragon and Tiger in the second; you cannot see both on one visit.
Closed Mondays (open 2, 23 and 30 November) and on 24 November.
Big special exhibitions get busy at peak times; Fridays and Saturdays open until 8pm.
Museum galleries have no fixed seats, so no seating plan is needed; follow the route on site.
Open official guide ↗14 October to 6 December 2026; 9:30am–5pm, until 8pm on Fridays, Saturdays and designated days. Closed Mondays (open 2, 23 and 30 November) and on 24 November. First period 14 October–8 November, second 10 November–6 December.
Asia/TokyoThe Tokyo National Museum is in Ueno Park (13-9 Ueno Park, Taitō-ku, Tokyo).
Enter with a ticket for the day; some works are shown in only one period, so check the schedule for the pieces you want. Tickets are priced for adults, university and high-school students.
Adults JPY 2,300
Confirm accessibility services and companion policies with the organiser before travel.
Dates and entry details refer to this edition; individual sessions may differ.
Association of Cultural Properties · Public domain Image source
Tokyo National Museum
The National Treasure Kizaemon Ido tea bowl (1952 record photograph; Kohō-an, Daitokuji); shown throughout the exhibition.
Information checked on 2026-10-03
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