Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum

Established 1872, the Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum’s collections focus on ancient Japanese art and Asian art along the Silk Road. There is also a large collection of Greco-Buddhist art.

The museum has 5 exhibition buildings:

Honkan Building (on top) provides a view of Japanese art

Highlights:

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  A Middle Jōmon vessel (3000-2000 BCE).
 
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  Kokin Wakashu, Heian period, 10th century.
 
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  Samantabhadra, Heian period, 12th century.
 
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  Cintamani in flame type, 12-13 century.
 
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  Twelve Heavenly Generals, Kamakura period, 13th century.
 
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  O-yoroi, Edo period, 16th century.
 
• Noh Mask, Edo period, 18th century.
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Tōyōkan (Asian Gallery)

Highlights of Asian Gallery:

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  One of the first representations of the Buddha, 1st-2nd century CE, Gandhara from Pakistan.
 
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  Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 1st-2nd century CE.
 
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  Maitreya, seated on a throne in the Western manner, with Kushan devotee. 2nd century Gandhara.
 
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  Bacchanalian scene, representing the harvest of wine grapes, Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 1st-2nd century CE.
 
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  Drinking scene, Greek drinking cups, Greek dress. Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. 3rd century CE.
 
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  Greek scroll supported by Indian Yaksas, Amaravati, 3rd century.
 
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  Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443.
 
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  Tang Dynasty Bodhisattva.
 
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  Wooden plate with inscriptions in Tocharian. Kucha, China, 5th-8th century.

Hyōkeikan Building


Built to commemorate the marriage of the then Meiji Crown Prince (later Emperor Taisho), Hyokeikan was inaugurated in 1909.This building is designated as an Important Cultural Property as a representative example of Western-style architecture of the late Meiji period (early 20th century). It is open for events and temporary exhibitions only.

Heiseikan

Heiseikan serves primarily as space for special exhibitions, but also houses the Japanese Archaeology Gallery. The Japanese Archaeology Gallery on the first floor traces Japanese history from ancient to pre-modern times through archaeological objects.This gallery displays some examples of pottery, the Jōmon linear appliqué type, from around 10,000 BCE. The antiquity of these potteries was first identified after World War II, through radiocarbon dating methods: "The earliest pottery, the linear applique type, was dated by radiocarbon methods taken on samples of carbonized material at 12500 +- 350 before present" (Prehistoric Japan, Keiji Imamura).

Highlights:

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  The earliest polished stone tools in the world. Pre-Jōmon (Japanese Paleolithic) period, 30,000 BCE.
 
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  Incipient Jōmon pottery (10,000-8,000 BCE), the earliest pottery type in the world.
 
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  A Final Jōmon statuette (1000-400 BCE).
 
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  Horse chariots during the Kofun era. Detail of bronze mirror (5th-6th century). Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto.
 
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  Iron helmet and armour with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun period, 5th century.
 
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  Haniwa horse statuette, complete with saddle and stirrups, 6th century, Japan.
 
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  The Buddha, Asuka period, 7th century.
 
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  Temple tiles from Nara, 7th century.
 
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  Vine and grape scrolls from Nara, 7th century.
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Hōryū-ji Hōmotsukan (The Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures)

Art works from the 319 Hōryū-ji Treasures, originally donated to the Imperial Household by Hōryū-ji in 1878, are exhibited in six rooms. The reference room on the 2nd floor mezzanine houses the "digital archive" which allows visitors to view the entire collection of Horyuji Treasures on computer with explanations provided in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, French, and German. A restaurant is located on the first floor.

General Information:

Location:13-9 Uenokoen, Taito, Tokyo 110-8712, Japan

Hours:
9:30 - 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)

Kuroda Memorial Hall: trough the year 9:30 - 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Research and Information Center: Monday-Friday, 9:30-17:00

• Regular exhibitions will be open until 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays from April 2017.
• Regular exhibitions will be open until 21:00 on April 30, May 3, 4, 7 and November 2, 2017.
• Open until 18:00 on Sundays and National Holidays, April - September, 2017.
• Open until 22:00 from  September 22 and 23, 2017
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* Last admission 30 minutes before closing. 
* Hours are subject to change.
 Closed
Mondays and year-end holidays (December 26, 2017 - January 1, 2018)
(open on Mondays that fall on national holidays, in which case the museum is closed on following day)

Research and Information Center:  Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, the last day of the month (if this falls on a holiday, the day before), and during the year-end and New Year holidays (please ask for specific dates). Also closed as occasion demands.
Tickets:
Adults: 620 (520) yen
University Students: 410 (310) yen
High/Junior High/Elementary School Students and persons under 18 and over 70: Free
Adults accompanying children of high-school age and under receive a 100-yen discount on Regular Exhibition admissions. (Valid for up to two adults with each child.)

Kuroda Memorial Hall:

Admission free. Kuroda Memorial Hall is located at the corner westward from the Main Gate of the museum.