Calender
Past Exhibitions
Special Exhibition
The 77th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures
October 25, 2025（Sat） November 10, 2025（Mon）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Feature Exhibition
Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual
February 10, 2024（Sat） March 17, 2024（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Tōdaiji Temple, Nara)
Special Exhibition Celebrating the 1,250th Anniversary of Priest Kūkai’s Birth
KŪKAI
The Worlds of Mandalas and the Transcultural Origins of Esoteric Buddhism
April 13, 2024（Sat） June 9, 2024（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Mandalas of the Two Worlds (Takao Mandara): Diamond World, Detail
(Jingoji Temple, Kyoto)
Feature Exhibition
Masterworks of the SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM
Sacred Forms Cherished by Sumitomo Shunsui
July 20, 2024（Sat） September 1, 2024（Sun）
The East New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(The SENOKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM, Kyoto)
Exploring Art
The Wonders of Japan’s Gods and Goddesses
July 20, 2024（Sat） September 1, 2024（Sun）
The West New Wings of the Nara National Museum
Tenjin
(Yokitenman-jinja Shrine, Nara)
Feature Exhibition
Gigaku Masks from Tōdaiji Temple by Kasuga no Hitomaro and Kieishi
October 1, 2024（Tues） December 22, 2024（Sun）
Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall of the Nara National Museum
By Kasuga no Hitomaro
(Private Collection)
Feature Exhibition
The Daijōsai Ceremony as Seen in Wooden Tablets: The Enthronement of Emperor Shōmu
October 22, 2024（Tues） November 11, 2024（Mon）
Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall of the Nara National Museum
(Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)
Special Exhibition
The 76th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures
October 26, 2024（Sat） November 11, 2024（Mon）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Feature Exhibition
Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri : Art and Devotion
December 7, 2024（Sat） January 13, 2025（Mon）
The East New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(Kasuga Taisha, Nara)
Feature Exhibition
Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri : Art and Devotion
December 13, 2025（Sat） January 18, 2026（Sun）
The West New Wing of the Nara National Museum
(Items and records for shunnichikō at Fuki in Heguri-chō District)
Kasuga Taisha, Nara
Thematic Exhibition from the Permanent Collection
Newly Conserved Cultural Properties
December 23, 2025（Tues） January 18, 2025（Sat）
The West New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(Nara National Museum)
Thematic Exhibition from the Permanent Collection
Newly Conserved Cultural Properties
December 17, 2024（Tues） January 13, 2025（Mon）
The West New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(Important Cultural Property Twelve Heavenly Deities (Devas) Nara National Museum)
Feature Exhibition
Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual
February 8, 2025（Sat） March 16, 2025（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Nara National Museum)
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Nara National Museum’s 130th Anniversary
Oh! KOKUHŌ
Resplendent Treasures of Devotion and Heritage
April 19, 2025（Sat） June 15, 2025（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Seated Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendent (Bodhisattva Cintāmaṇicakra)
(Chūgūji Temple, Nara)
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Nara National Museum's 130th Anniversary and Tenri University's 100th Anniversary
Voyage Around the World
: Heritage of Beauty and Wonder
July 26, 2025（Sat） September 23, 2025（Tues）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Bali, Indonesia (first half of 20th century)
(Tenri University Sankokan Museum)
Thematic Exhibition from the Permanent Collection
Newly Conserved Cultural Properties
December 19, 2023（Tues） January 14, 2024（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Nara National Museum)
Feature Exhibition
On-Matsuri and the Sacred Art of Kasuga
The Kasuga Shrine Maidens
December 9, 2023（Sat） January 14, 2024（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Kasuga Taisha shrine, Nara)
Special Exhibition
The 75th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures
October 28, 2023（Sat） November 13, 2023（Mon）
The New Wings of the Nara National Museum
Bronze Mirror with Floral Design in Mother-of-Pearl and Amber on the Back
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Completion of Repairs to Jōruriji’s National Treasure Amida Statues
Numinous Minamiyamashiro
Treasures from the Mountains between Nara and Kyoto
July 8, 2023（Sat） September 3, 2023（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
The First of the Jōruriji Nine-Figure Set of Amida Nyorai (Skt. Amitābha) Statues
(Jōruriji Temple, Kizugawa City, Kyoto)
Thematic Exhibition from the Permanent Collection
Newly Conserved Cultural Properties
February 21, 2023（Tues） March 19, 2023（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
Feature Exhibition
Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual
February 4, 2023（Sat） March 19, 2023（Sun）
The East Wing, Nara National Museum
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Cyclical Rebuilding of Wakamiya Shrine
Splendors of Court Devotion
Shrine Treasures from Wakamiya and Kasuga Taisha in Nara
December 10, 2022（Sat） January 22, 2023（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Ancient Shrine Treasures of Wakamiya: Silver Crane
(Kasuga Taisha, Nara)
Special Exhibition
The 74th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures
October 29, 2022（Sat） November 14, 2022（Mon）
The New Wings of the Nara National Museum
Eight-Lobed White Bronze Mirror Inlaid with Gold and Silver Cutouts in Black Lacquer on the Back
Special Exhibition Celebrating the Conservation of the Jōkyō-Era Taima Mandala
Chūjō-hime and the Taima Mandala
Weaving Tales of Faith
July 16, 2022（Sat） August 28, 2022（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
The Jōkyō-era Taima Mandala
(Taimadera Temple, Nara)
Exploring Art
Discover the Buddhist Pantheon
July 16, 2022（Sat） August 28, 2022（Sun）
The East Wing, Nara National Museum
Special Exhibition
Temple of Great Peace
The World of Daianji and Buddhist Art in Ancient Nara
April 23, 2022（Sat） June 19, 2022（Sun）
The New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(Daianji Temple, Nara)
Thematic Exhibition from the Permanent Collection
Newly Conserved Cultural Properties
March 1, 2022（Tues） March 27, 2022（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Nara National Museum)
Special Exhibition
Sacred Treasures from Ancient Nara:
The Eleven-Headed Kannon of Shōrinji Temple
February 5, 2022（Sat） March 27, 2022（Sun）
The East Wing, Nara National Museum
The National Treasure image of Jūichimen Kannon (Skt. Ekādaśamukha) from Shōrinji Temple is revered as one of the great masterworks of Tenpyō-period sculpture. This statue will be on display alongside others from the temple where it was once enshrined, Daigorinji, part of Ōmiwa Jinja Shrine. Devotion to the natural world is central to Ōmiwa Jinja faith, and objects reflecting beliefs from this shrine excavated from the mountain that is its central deity, Mount Miwa, are to be showcased as well.
The Eleven-Headed Kannon
(Shōrinji Temple, Nara)
Feature Exhibition
Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual
February 5, 2022（Sat） March 27, 2022（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(Tōdaiji Temple, Nara)
Special Exhibition
A Long View: Masterworks of Painting from the Fujita Museum
December 10, 2021（Fri） January 23, 2022（Sun）
The New Wings of the Nara National Museum
(Fujita Museum, Osaka)
Special Exhibition
The 73rd Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures
October 30, 2021（Sat） November 15, 2021（Mon）
The New Wings of the Nara National Museum
The Shōsō-in treasures convey the spirit of the Tenpyō era, their brilliance miraculously surviving to the present day. This autumn, we invite you to experience their eternal resplendence at the Nara National Museum’s annual Shōsō-in exhibition.
Special Exhibition
Buddhist Art Paradise
Jewels of the Nara National Museum
July 17, 2021（Sat） September 12, 2021（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
Founded in 1895 (Meiji 28) with the directive to gather and exhibit Buddhist art, the Nara National Museum was only the second national museum to open in this country. This exhibition celebrates the institution’s history, showcasing its greatest jewels of painting, sculpture, sutras and more to offer a rich account of 1,400 years of Buddhist art in Japan. We invite you to delight in this bountiful selection of masterworks from the Nara National Museum’s collection.
Eleven-Headed Avalokiteśvara
(Nara National Museum)
Special Exhibition The 1400th Memorial for Prince Shōtoku
HŌRYŪJI
Prince Shōtoku and Treasures of Early Buddhist Faith in Japan
April 27, 2021（Tues） June 20, 2021（Sun）
The East Wing and West Wing, Nara National Museum
2021 (Reiwa 3) is the 1,400th anniversary of Prince Shōtoku’s passing. We mark this important occasion with an exhibition bringing together myriad works of importance to Shōtoku devotion, showcasing treasures from Hōryūji Temple and beyond.
Seated Prince Shōtoku
(Hōryūji Temple, Nara)
Feature Exhibition
The Beginnings of the Nara Imperial Museum:Traces of Effort in Architectural Drawings and Documents
Traces of Effort in Architectural Drawings and Documents
February 6, 2021（Sat） March 21, 2021（Sun）
Main Entrance to the Nara Museum in 1:20 Scale
(From “The Imperial Household Architectural Drawings of the Nara Museum”)
(Nara National Museum)
Feature Exhibition
Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual
February 6, 2021（Sat） March 21, 2021（Sun）
The West Wing, Nara National Museum
(J. Kegon kyo; Skt. Avataṃsaka Sūtra) in Silver Paint on Indigo-dyed Paper
(Nara National Museum)