To commemorate the enthronement of the Emperor, special exhibitions featuring treasures of Nara's Shoso-in repository will be held in Tokyo and Nara this autumn.
"Shosoin: Essential Treasures of Ancient Japan Passed Down by the Imperial Family" will be held at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, from Oct. 14 to Nov. 24.
In Nara, "the 71st Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures" will be held at the Nara National Museum from Oct. 26 to Nov. 14.
The two museums announced the event's outline on Friday. It will be the first time that exhibitions on the Shoso-in treasures will be held at two locations at the same time.
The Tokyo exhibition will showcase about 110 items, including the Shoso-in treasures as well as the Horyuji treasures, which were donated by Horyuji temple in Nara to the Imperial Household in the Meiji era (1868-1912). The Horyuji treasures are housed by the Tokyo National Museum. The exhibition's first half will run from Oct. 14 through Nov. 4, and the second half from Nov. 6 to 24.
Exhibits for the first half of the Tokyo show will include "Raden Shitan no Gogen Biwa" (red sandalwood five-string biwa lute with mother-of-pearl design). This Shoso-in treasure is the only existing five-stringed biwa lute of Indian origin.
The instrument's plectrum guard is decorated with an image of a person playing the lute on a camel, and shows the flow of culture that reached Japan via the Silk Road.
The history of the Shoso-in collection began when items including those used by Emperor Shomu (701-756) were dedicated to the statue of the Great Buddha at Todaiji temple in Nara. Shoso-in was originally a repository of the temple.
Among the items on display at the second half of the Tokyo exhibition, Hakururi no Wan (cut glass bowl) retains the same shine it had when it was originally made.
The 71st annual exhibition in Nara will be three days longer than past exhibitions, or 20 days in total, to celebrate the enthronement of the Emperor.
"Torige Ritsujo no Byobu" (screen panels with bird feathers decorating a lady under a tree) will be exhibited with all six of its panels for the first time in 20 years. Each panel depicts a woman with a voluptuous appearance, which was considered to be the ideal form of feminine beauty around the time of the Tenpyo period in the eighth century. The work is named after the way it was originally decorated with bird feathers and represents the rich culture of the time.
Yoichi Inoue, vice curator of the Tokyo National Museum, said, "Through these two exhibitions, we hope that many people will see these items, which symbolize the eternal beauty that has been protected and will be passed down by the Imperial family."
The Yomiuri Shimbun will host the Tokyo exhibition and provide special support for the annual exhibition in Nara.
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