Grand Opening Commemorative Special Exhibition at the Imperial Palace Sannomaru Shozokan: "Imperial Treasures—Where Beauty Emerges" Opening Report: How Has the Imperial Family Influenced Japanese Art?
The Sannomaru Shozokan fully opens with a special exhibition of 190 imperial treasures, exploring the imperial family's influence on Japanese art.Summary
The special exhibition "Imperial Treasures—Where Beauty Emerges" opened on November 3, 2025, at the Sannomaru Shozokan in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, commemorating the museum's grand opening. Running until January 24, 2027, the exhibition is presented in three phases with rotating displays. It showcases 190 masterpieces of Japanese art inherited by the imperial family, including the first public display of Shosoin treasures within the Imperial Palace grounds and a gathering of Horyuji-donated treasures that became imperial property in the Meiji era. The museum originated in 1993 as the Imperial Household Agency's Sannomaru Shozokan, following the donation of imperial art collections to the nation in 1989. Management was transferred to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage in October 2023, and the museum fully opened on November 3, 2025, with exhibition space expanded to 1,280 square meters—about eight times its former size. The exhibition comprises three sections: "The Essence of Japanese Art," "Shosoin Treasures: Ancient Splendor," and "Meiji: The Birth of Imperial Court Artists." Highlights include Minamoto no Kaneyuki's "Kumogami-bon Wakan Roeishu" (National Treasure), Kano Tan'yu's "Genji Monogatari Screens," and Ito Jakuchu's "Rising Sun and Phoenix." The exhibition illuminates the imperial family's role in preserving and advancing Japanese art.
(Source：美術手帖)