Special Exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors” Opens October 31 at the Kyushu National Museum; Tracing the Birth of the Yamato Kingship Through Triangular-Rimmed Mirrors

The special exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors: How the Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors Built the Yamato Kingship” will be held at the Kyushu National Museum (Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture) from Saturday, October 31, 2026 to Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday). Centered on the “one hundred bronze mirrors” that Himiko, queen of Wa, received from the emperor of Wei, and on the triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors excavated from burial mounds across Japan, it explores the birth of the Yamato kingship. There are no advance tickets; only same-day tickets are sold at the venue. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults and free for high school students and younger and those under 18.

What are “Himiko’s mirrors”? The hundred bronze mirrors of 239 and the triangular-rimmed mirrors

According to the museum, in 239 AD Himiko sent envoys to Wei and received one hundred bronze mirrors from the emperor, about 1,800 years ago, toward the end of the Yayoi period. The organizers’ press materials say Himiko received the mirrors along with the title “King of Wa, Friend of Wei” and other treasures.

The exhibition calls these hundred mirrors “Himiko’s mirrors.” They are thought to have included the bronze mirrors known as “triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors” (sankakubuchi shinjukyo), which have been excavated from burial mounds across Japan. Himiko and the Yamato kingship that followed are said to have distributed these mirrors to regional rulers to enhance their own authority.

At the venue, characters from the triangular-rimmed mirrors, Himemiko-chan, the Queen Mother of the West, the King Father of the East and a sacred beast, serve as guides. Photography is permitted except in some areas.

Why see it now? A newly discovered mirror and research on where and how the mirrors were made

The organizers bill the exhibition as a mirror exhibition on “one of the largest scales ever,” exploring the birth of the kingship through the latest research. One exhibit, a triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirror excavated from the Tomio Maruyama Kofun in Nara Prefecture, is labeled “new discovery” on the official website; it is held by the Nara City Archaeological Research Center.

The research questions are reflected in the titles of the related lectures. The opening commemorative lecture is titled “Approaching the Production Site of the Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors,” and the special lecture on Monday, November 23 (national holiday) uses 3D data to investigate how the mirrors were made.

The relay lectures take up the triangular-rimmed mirrors and the “sea route” and the network of the Yamato kingship, and one session asks who wrote the “Account of the Wa” in the Records of Wei, and when. Where and how were the mirrors made, and how did they spread across the country? The lecture titles follow these questions.

The dating is also noteworthy. The museum dates the triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirror inscribed with “the first year of Zhengshi” to 240, in the Three Kingdoms period (Wei) of China, the year after Himiko sent envoys to Wei in 239.

At a press conference held at the Tokyo National Museum on Thursday, July 2, the actor Yoshio Inoue, a Fukuoka native and goodwill ambassador for the Kyushu National Museum, appeared. According to the organizers’ press materials, Inoue said he was surprised to learn that triangular-rimmed mirrors had been excavated near Nishijin and Fujisaki in Fukuoka, where he was born and raised.

What can be seen? Highlights and main works

The main works introduced on the official website are as follows. The chapter structure and number of exhibits were not listed on the official website as of October 19.

• Important Cultural Property “Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirror,” China, Three Kingdoms (Wei) to Western Jin, 3rd century. Excavated from the Takeshima Gokaroyashiki Kofun, Yamaguchi Prefecture (Kofun period, 3rd–4th century), Kyushu National Museum

• Important Cultural Property “Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirror with Inscription of the First Year of Zhengshi,” China, Three Kingdoms (Wei), 240. Excavated from the Kanisawa Kofun, Gunma Prefecture (Kofun period, 4th century), Tokyo National Museum

• Important Cultural Property “Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirror,” China, Three Kingdoms (Wei) to Western Jin, 3rd century. Excavated from the Ishizukayama Kofun, Fukuoka Prefecture (Kofun period, 3rd century), Uhara Shrine

• “Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirror,” China, Three Kingdoms (Wei), 3rd century. Excavated from the Tomio Maruyama Kofun, Nara Prefecture (Kofun period, 4th century), Nara City Archaeological Research Center

• “Deity-and-Beast Mirror with Magatama Band,” excavated from the Shikinzan Kofun, Osaka Prefecture (Kofun period, 4th century), Kyoto University Archaeology Laboratory

• National Treasure “Mirror with Animal Band in Relief,” China, Southern and Northern Dynasties (Song), 5th century. Excavated from the Watanuki Kannonyama Kofun, Gunma Prefecture (Kofun period, 6th century), owned by the national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs; in the custody of the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History)

• Important Cultural Property “Gilt Bronze Visored Helmet with Upright Decorations, Neck Guard and Short Cuirass of Horizontal Riveted Plates,” excavated from Indo Tomb No. 21, Fukuoka Prefecture (Kofun period, 5th century), Yukuhashi City Board of Education

• “Kabutsuchi Sword (Sword with Mallet-Shaped Pommel),” said to have been excavated at Nishihirai, Gunma Prefecture (Kofun period, 7th century), Kyushu National Museum

• Important Cultural Property “Haniwa: Seated Shrine Maiden,” excavated at Furumi, Oizumi-machi, Gunma Prefecture (Kofun period, 6th century), Tokyo National Museum

In addition to mirrors, 5th-century armor, 6th-century haniwa and a 7th-century kabutsuchi sword are on view. From Kyushu, the mirror from the Ishizukayama Kofun and the armor from Indo Tomb No. 21, both in Fukuoka Prefecture, are exhibited.

Tickets, prices and opening hours: no advance tickets, same-day tickets only

Admission is 2,000 yen for adults and 1,200 yen for university students. High school students and younger and those under 18 are free, as are holders of a disability certificate or similar and one caregiver (proof required). The ticket also admits visitors to the Cultural Exchange Exhibition (regular exhibition) on the 4th floor.

No advance tickets are sold. Same-day tickets are sold during the run only at the ticket office on the museum’s 1st floor and cannot be refunded or resold. There is also a pair ticket, a set of two adult tickets (3,600 yen, limited quantity), which can be used twice by one person or shared by two. When crowded, visitors may have to wait to enter.

Opening hours are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). During the special exhibition, the museum stays open until 19:00 on Saturdays (last entry 18:30; subject to change). It is closed on Mondays, on Tuesday, November 24 and from Thursday, December 24 to Thursday, December 31, but open on Monday, November 23 (national holiday) and Monday, January 11 (national holiday).

The audio guide (800 yen) is narrated by voice actor Soichiro Hoshi.

Access and related events

The nearest station is Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station, about a 10-minute walk away. From Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, the trip takes about 35 minutes, changing to the Dazaifu Line at Futsukaichi Station on the Tenjin Omuta Line. From JR Hakata Station, the Dazaifu Liner bus “Tabito” from Hakata Bus Terminal takes about 40 minutes to Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station. By car, it is about 20 minutes from the Dazaifu IC or Chikushino IC, and parking is charged.

All related events are free, with no application required, on a first-come, first-served basis. The venue is the Museum Hall on the 1st floor, with a capacity of 270 for each session.

• Opening commemorative lecture “Approaching the Production Site of the Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors”: Saturday, October 31, 13:00–15:00. Speaker: Shinya Fukunaga, specially appointed professor at Osaka University

• Relay lecture, part 1: Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), 13:30–15:00. Speakers: Yoshinori Ozawa, senior researcher at the museum, and Kei Kishimoto, head of the exhibition division

• Relay lecture, part 2: Saturday, November 7, 13:30–15:00. Masanori Kawano, senior researcher at the Tokyo National Museum, speaks on “The Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors and the Sea Route: The Network of the Yamato Kingship,” and Katsuya Shirai, head of the museum’s curatorial department, on “Himiko Dies: Who Wrote the ‘Account of the Wa’ in the Records of Wei, and When?”

• Special lecture “How the Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors Were Made, as Understood So Far: Tackling the Mystery with 3D Data”: Monday, November 23 (national holiday), 13:00–15:00. Speaker: Toshinori Mizuno, deputy chief of the materials section, Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture

According to the museum’s annual gallery schedule, the 4th-floor Cultural Exchange Exhibition Gallery holds the special display “Kyuhaku’s Ryukyu Collection” from Tuesday, October 27 to Sunday, December 6. From Friday, January 1, 2027 (national holiday), the New Year special display “National Treasure: The Hatsune Trousseau, from the Collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum” begins.

In Fukuoka City, “Indian Chintz: Stories That Traveled the World” is on view at the Fukuoka Art Museum until December 20. At the Fukuoka Castle ruins, the “teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins Light Festival” runs from October 30 to January 11, 2027.

Editor’s perspective

Mirrors of the same type have been excavated from burial mounds in distant places. The very fact that the find sites of the exhibits stretch from Yamaguchi to Gunma offers material for thinking about the ties between the regions and the kingship that is said to have distributed the mirrors. The significance of the exhibition lies in bringing mirrors from many places together in one location, where they can be compared side by side.

On the other hand, as the lecture titles show, where and how the mirrors were made are still questions under research. It is worth looking into the newly discovered mirror and the research using 3D data in both the exhibition and the lectures. With free admission for high school students and younger and those under 18, and characters guiding visitors through the venue, the exhibition is also easy to visit as a family.

Overview

Name: Special Exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors: How the Triangular-Rimmed Deity-and-Beast Mirrors Built the Yamato Kingship”
Dates: Saturday, October 31, 2026 – Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday)
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Until 19:00 on Saturdays during the special exhibition (last entry 18:30)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 23 [national holiday] and Monday, January 11 [national holiday]), Tuesday, November 24, Thursday, December 24 – Thursday, December 31
Venue: Kyushu National Museum, 3rd-floor Special Exhibition Gallery
Address: 4-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Admission: Adults 2,000 yen, university students 1,200 yen, high school students and younger and under 18 free (same-day tickets only; pair tickets 3,600 yen in limited quantity)
Organizers: Kyushu National Museum / Fukuoka Prefecture, NHK Fukuoka, Nikkei Inc.
Co-organizer: Kyushu National Museum Promotion Foundation
Sponsors: Nishi-Nippon Railroad, JR Kyushu
Special cooperation: Dazaifu Tenmangu, Shinsensha
Supported by: The Saga Shimbun
Official website: https://www.kyuhaku.jp/exhibition/exhibition_s78.html
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: from a press release by the “Himiko’s Mirrors” PR office

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the special exhibition “Himiko’s Mirrors” PR office (July 2, 2026) and information on the Kyushu National Museum’s official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team