The 78th Shosoin Exhibition opens at Nara National Museum for 17 days, bringing imperial treasures, ancient documents and recent research discoveries into public view.
Nara's annual Shosoin Exhibition returns to the Nara National Museum from 24 October to 9 November 2026, offering a short, carefully controlled opportunity to see objects normally kept in the Shosoin Repository. The exhibition runs for only 17 days and has no rest day, with timed admission used to manage demand. It is one of the clearest reasons to plan a specific autumn visit to Nara rather than treating the city as a brief excursion from Kyoto or Osaka.
The Shosoin collection grew around the possessions of Emperor Shomu and objects dedicated by Empress Komyo to the Great Buddha at Todaiji after his death in the eighth century. Its holdings include furniture, textiles, musical instruments, documents, ceremonial objects and materials that travelled through a much wider Asian world. Only a selection is shown each year, allowing conservation work to continue while the public sees different parts of the collection over time.
The Imperial Household Agency's July announcement lists 67 treasures for the 78th exhibition, including 12 being displayed for the first time. Among the highlighted objects is a silver-decorated lidded container recorded in the National Treasure Register associated with Empress Komyo's donation. It will be shown with red and dark-blue ivory gaming pieces said to have been kept inside it, bringing related objects together rather than presenting the container as an isolated work.
Other highlights make the collection's range unusually visible. The lacquered Persian-style ewer known as Shikkohei carries fine decorative patterns and is one of the objects often used to explain the international connections of Nara-period court culture. A plan showing the arrangement of halls, monks' quarters and dining buildings at Todaiji offers a different form of evidence: not a luxury object, but a record of how a major religious complex was organised.
One of the most curious exhibits is Koryu, a preserved mammal once passed down as a dragon-like creature and identified through recent research as a Japanese marten. The exhibition also includes leather high-nosed footwear whose internal material has been examined, and documents concerning taxation and registration in the western half of the ancient capital. These research stories are useful because they show that the repository is not simply a sealed treasury. Scientific analysis and close reading continue to change what is known about individual objects.
The practical arrangements deserve attention before travelling. The exhibition opens from 8:00 to 18:00, extending to 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; final admission is 60 minutes before closing. Admission is generally by timed ticket, with standard prices of ¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,500 for university and high-school students, and ¥500 for younger pupils. The organisers also list reduced late-entry tickets. Availability can change, so visitors should secure the chosen time through the official ticket page before building the rest of the day around it.
The museum stands inside Nara Park, making it possible to combine the exhibition with Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha or a walk through the park, but the limited entry period is likely to concentrate visitors. An early slot offers more time afterwards, while an evening admission on an extended day can leave the main daylight hours for temples and neighbourhoods. Allowing a full day, or staying overnight, also makes the journey less dependent on the timing of one museum reservation.
This year's exhibition arrives as interest in the wider Nara area is growing. HOSHINOYA Asuka is planned to open in July 2027 in the newly inscribed Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara World Heritage landscape, adding a new reason to explore beyond Nara city. The Shosoin Exhibition is more immediate and more temporary: a 17-day window into objects that connect the ancient capital with craft, administration and trade across Asia, presented in the city where much of that history was made.