Meiji Jingu Museum Summer Special Exhibition "Brilliant Techniques and Beauty - Metalwork from the Meiji Jingu Collection" Announcement

Exhibition Overview

The turbulent Meiji era, when Japan began its journey as a modern nation, was also a period of great transition for Japanese artisans. The field of metalwork, which had achieved high levels of development, particularly in sword fittings, under the Edo Shogunate, shifted its focus in the Meiji period to the production of art crafts suited to the changing times, with the support of the government. Meiji metalwork, backed by outstanding techniques, was in demand as imperial household goods and export items, blossoming with new beauty.

This exhibition introduces metalwork items related to the Imperial family, including those belonging to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The exquisite pieces that adorned court culture, such as ornaments, vases, stationery, and bonbonnières, reveal the solid skills and rich imagination of the metalworkers. Please enjoy the techniques and beauty that have been passed down to the present day, along with modern and contemporary metalwork items dedicated to Meiji Jingu.

Image of the front of the flyer

Incense burner with the motif of Lady Murasaki's Genji, Tsubone, and Evening Faces, made of shakudo, Imperial property of Emperor Meiji, by Masami Ito

Vase with the motif of cherry blossoms and hawks, Imperial property of Emperor Meiji, by Yoshizane Nakagawa

Vase with the motif of sparrows, mallow, and chrysanthemums, Imperial property of Emperor Meiji, by Yasuyuki Namikawa

Statue of a demobilized soldier, ornament, original design by Kazunori Yamazaki / casting by Tsurusaburo Yamamoto, Imperial property of Emperor Meiji

Exhibition Information

Brilliant Techniques and Beauty - Metalwork from the Meiji Jingu Collection

[Period] July 11, 2026 (Sat) - September 6, 2026 (Sun)

[Opening Hours] 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)

[Closed] Thursdays *Open on Thursday, July 30

[Organizer] Meiji Jingu

[Cooperation] Meiji Jingu Keishukai Foundation *Members of Keishukai can enter for free.

[Venue] Meiji Jingu Museum

[Admission Fee] Adults: 1,000 yen; High school students and younger, groups: 900 yen

*Free for children under elementary school age.

*Children of elementary school age and younger must be accompanied by a guardian.

[Facility Overview]

Facility Name: Meiji Jingu Museum

Opening Hours: 10:00-16:30 (Last admission 16:00)

Closed: Every Thursday (However, if Thursday is a holiday, the museum will be open) *Closed during exhibition change periods.

Address: 1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Access: 5-minute walk from Omotesando Exit, West Exit of JR Harajuku Station; 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) Station on Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line/Fukutoshin Line.

Phone Number: 03-3379-5875

Homepage: https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/museum/

Meiji Jingu Museum Official X: https://twitter.com/Meiji_Jingu_M

Exterior view of Meiji Jingu Museum

[About Meiji Jingu Museum]

The Meiji Jingu Museum is a facility built to preserve and exhibit for eternity the items related to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, the enshrined deities of Meiji Jingu.

It opened in October 2019 as part of the 100th anniversary of the enshrinement memorial project. The museum was designed by Kengo Kuma, a leading Japanese architect.

In addition to displaying treasured items of the enshrined deities and related collections, the museum also introduces the history and daily life of Meiji Jingu.