Shōsō-in Exhibition
For seventeen autumn days, the Nara National Museum brings a small selection of Shōsō-in treasures into public view, from imperial game pieces to objects shaped by Silk Road exchange.
2026 dates
- Venue
- Nara National Museum, East and West New Wings
- Where to plan around
- Nara Park, 50 Noboriōji-chō, a short walk from Kōfuku-ji and a longer one from Tōdai-ji and the Shōsō-in storehouse itself
- Access
- Timed tickets will post on the official exhibition site in late August; wait for the 2026 sale rather than quoting last year’s yen. During the run, the historic Shōsō-in repository exterior near Tōdai-ji opens daily 10:00–16:00 free of charge without advance application; no treasures are displayed there. A limited Noborioji Hotel package (director’s talk, dinner, overnight and 08:00 researcher-led viewing) is announced for 25 and 30 October and 3 November, eight guests per date.
- Official information
- Visit Imperial Household Agency ↗
The Banquet note
The Shōsō-in collection preserves thousands of objects associated with Emperor Shōmu, Tōdai-ji and the administration and ritual life of eighth-century Nara. The 2026 selection includes the celebrated lacquer ewer shaped after a western Asian vessel, red and dark-blue ivory go stones, a clear glass ewer probably made in the Middle East and a Gigaku mask representing a drunken western king. Together they show an imperial capital receiving forms, materials and ideas across Asia. First presentations appear each year; treat headline counts cautiously because museum and Imperial Household tallies sometimes differ on grouped objects.
The exhibition opens daily at 08:00 and stays open until 20:00 on Fridays, weekends and holidays. The historic repository near Tōdai-ji is a separate stop: its exterior grounds open every day of the exhibition from 10:00 to 16:00, but no treasures hang there. For a more private visit, the museum and Noborioji Hotel have announced three eight-person programmes combining the museum director’s talk, dinner, an overnight stay and a researcher-led viewing the next morning. Stay in Nara for an 08:00 slot; otherwise Kintetsu Nara is the cleanest Kyoto connection.
Plan it well
Watch shosoin-ten.jp for the late-August ticket announcement and buy the earliest or latest useful timed slot. Give the repository exterior a separate walk after the museum, not a same-hour dash.