National Treasures of Japan Exhibition at Osaka 2025

• Event date:
  April 26, 2025 at 1:28 am
• Event end:
  June 15, 2025 at 1:28 am

Dates

Start: April 26, 2025 (Saturday)
End: June 15, 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed on Mondays (except April 28 and May 5)

Venue

Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Arts
1-82 Chausuyama-cho, Tennoji Ward, Osaka, 543-0063, Japan

Overview

Celebrate the renewal of the Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Arts and the upcoming Osaka-Kansai Expo with this landmark cultural event. For the first time in Osaka, approximately 130 National Treasures from across Japan will be showcased, offering a rare opportunity to explore Japan’s rich heritage of art, craftsmanship, and history.

Official supporter Ayami Nakajo, a model and actress from Osaka’s Abeno Ward, will promote and represent the exhibition.

What to Expect

This extraordinary exhibition brings together Japan’s most revered cultural artifacts under one roof. Expect to see intricate Buddhist sculptures, classical paintings and calligraphy, centuries-old decorative and functional crafts, and famed samurai blades, armor, and lacquerware. Each piece offers a window into Japan’s historical and aesthetic evolution.

Purpose of the Exhibition

The exhibition marks two important milestones: the reopening of the Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Arts after a two-year renovation, and Expo 2025 in Osaka – the second World Expo in the city since 1970.

This event was designed to deepen understanding of Japanese culture across generations and regions. The exhibition reflects on the journey of Japan’s cultural heritage and emphasizes the importance of preserving and passing on these treasures.

Exhibition Highlights

1. Japan’s Most Celebrated Masterpieces

Travel through time with artifacts from the Jōmon period to the Edo period. Featured items include sacred Buddhist statues, Momoyama-period folding screens, calligraphy, lacquerware, ceramics, and weapons and armor from the samurai era.

2. 130 Iconic National Treasures from Across Japan

See iconic works from textbooks and museums around the world, such as the gold seal of the King of Na (57 CE), flame-shaped Jōmon pottery, the alleged portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Chinese Lions by Kanō Eitoku, and Irises by Ogata Kōrin.

3. Osaka’s First National Treasures Showcase

This is the first National Treasures exhibition ever held in Osaka. It will feature works with cultural and historical ties to the region in the museum’s beautifully renovated space.

Ticket information:

• Adults:
  Advance sales: ¥2,400
  At the door: ¥2,400
• Children:
  Advance sales: ¥500
  At the door: ¥500
• Students:
  Advance sales: ¥1,700
  At the door: ¥1,700

Official Title

Special Exhibition Commemorating Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and the Reopening of the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts — National Treasures of Japan

Organizers and Sponsors

Organizers: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Agency for Cultural Affairs, NHK Osaka Station
Special Sponsorship: Canon Inc., Daiwa Securities Group, T&D Insurance Group, Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.
Sponsorship: East Japan Railway Company, SHIMIZU CORPORATION, TAKENAKA CORPORATION, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL CO., INC., MITSUBISHI ESTATE CO., LTD.
Special Cooperation: Kyoto National Museum, The Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan)
Support: LIVE Art Books Inc., Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

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Location