2026.10.24 — 2026.11.09 · Happening now
The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures — Nara
Each autumn the Shōsō-in repository is unsealed for inspection, and the Nara National Museum shows a selection of its treasures. The 78th exhibition runs from 24 October to 9 November with 60 treasures, 11 shown for the first time: among them the lacquered ewer listed in the Kokka Chinpōchō, the inventory of Emperor Shōmu’s belongings, a white glass ewer made around Iran, red-dyed ivory go stones and a painted box that held offerings at the Great Buddha’s eye-opening. Entry is by date and time slot, with no closing days.
The 41.3 cm lacquered ewer takes the shape of a western water jug, its black lacquer set with thin silver cut-outs of plants, deer, mandarin ducks and mountains.
X-rays show a body built from thin wooden strips; the silver technique is Tang, so it most likely came from China.
Kōryū, 23 cm long in the South Section, has been identified as the mummy of a Japanese marten, probably female.
When the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori opened the storehouse in 1429, a record mentions a “dried dragon”; whether it crept in and dried naturally or was stored as a dragon is unknown.
The red go stones are ivory dyed red, carved with white birds and touched with green and yellow.
Ten of the 132 surviving red stones are shown, with ten of the blue-dyed set.
Checked · 2026-10-04
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Queues and galleries are busiest from morning to 3pm; the museum suggests early or late slots.
Timed tickets cannot be changed or refunded.
The museum has no parking, so do not drive.
Museum galleries have no fixed seats, so no seating plan is needed.
Open official guide ↗24 October to 9 November 2026, no closing days. 8am–6pm, until 8pm on Fridays, weekends and holidays; last entry 60 minutes before closing.
Asia/TokyoThe Nara National Museum is at 50 Noborioji-cho, Nara, inside Nara Park; there is no parking.
Entry is by a date-and-time ticket; once inside there is no time limit. Late-entry discounts apply to slots from 4pm Monday to Thursday and from 5pm Friday to Sunday and holidays. Preschoolers and holders of disability certificates or Mirairo ID (with one carer) are free and need no slot ticket; high-school and university students bring student ID. Up to eight per order; no changes or refunds.
Adults JPY 2,000
Confirm accessibility services and companion policies with the organiser before travel.
Dates and entry details refer to this edition; individual sessions may differ.
あずきごはん (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image source
Nara National Museum
The Shōsō-in storehouse, June 2020; the treasures are shown at the Nara National Museum, not here.
Information checked on 2026-10-04
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