What do you think of when you hear the words “treasures of an Emperor?” Test your imagination against the reality this fall at the 68th Annual Shoso-in Exhibition at the Nara National Museum!
The Shoso-in storehouse, a former property of Todaiji Temple, is a repository for the treasures collected by Todaiji Temple and the Emperors of 8th century Japan from domestic artists and manufacturers and traders from the ancient Silk Road. The majority of the items in the 9,000 or so piece collection date from the Nara period (710-794), and are almost certainly the only examples of their kind in the world. 64 of these unique items will be displayed during the 2016 Shosoin Exhibition, 9 of which are going on public display for the very first time.
The Shoso-in Exhibition runs from Saturday October 22nd to Monday November 7th. Admission is ¥1,100 for adults and parent-child pairs, ¥700 for high school and university students, and ¥400 for elementary and junior high school students (groups of 20 or more will receive a ¥100 per person discount). No matter what your imagination dreams up, be prepared to be surprised.
Works consulted:
http://www.narahaku.go.jp/exhibition/2016toku/shosoin/2016shosoin_index.html (Japanese)
Photo licenses
“The Nishi-no-Shōsōin.” This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user STA3816 and is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Shosoin_Hall01.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 3.0, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.0 licenses.
“EIGHT-LOBED BRONZE MIRROR” This Public Domain image is from the Japanese Imperial Agency and is freely available at https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:Silver_Backed_Bronze_Mirror_Shosoin.JPG
“Lacquered Ewer.” This Public Domain image is from the Japanese Imperial Agency and is freely available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LACQUERED_EWER_Shosoin.JPG
“Shoso-in Exhibition Flyer front.” This image was created by or for the Nara National Museum for the purpose of promoting the Shoso-in Exhibition. It is freely available at http://www.narahaku.go.jp/exhibition/2016toku/shosoin/2016shosoin.pdf