NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2026 Opens October 23; Tokugawa Masako’s Aesthetic Sense Expressed in Light and Fragrance

“NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2026,” a nighttime art exhibition planned, directed and produced by NAKED, will be held for 44 days, from Friday, October 23 to Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto. Hours are 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00). Marking the 400th anniversary of the Kan’ei Imperial Visit, it takes as its theme Tokugawa Masako, who became the consort of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, and presents projection mapping on the historic buildings and spatial staging with light, sound and fragrance. Regular admission is 2,000 yen Monday to Thursday, and for the first time, junior high school students and younger are admitted free.

The 400th anniversary of the Kan’ei Imperial Visit and Tokugawa Masako: why Nijo-jo Castle now?

The Kan’ei Imperial Visit was an event in 1626 in which the Tokugawa shogunate welcomed Emperor Go-Mizunoo to Nijo-jo Castle and entertained him for five days. 2026 marks 400 years since then, and the “Kan’ei Imperial Visit 400th Anniversary Festival,” which looks back on Kan’ei culture through reenactments of the event and other programs, is under way in Kyoto. The exhibition is positioned as a linked project carried out as a related event.

Its subject, Tokugawa Masako, was the fifth daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada and entered the court of Emperor Go-Mizunoo in 1620; she later became known as Tofukumon-in. According to Kyoto City’s announcement, Masako introduced the kosode to the imperial court and is said to have influenced the fashion of the time. NAKED’s announcement describes Masako, who was exposed to both court and samurai culture, as having supported various forms of culture, including kimono.

The exhibition is also the nighttime program of “Nijo-jo Castle Festival 2026,” the castle’s autumn event. Regular daytime viewing runs from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, December 6, with an autumn leaves stamp rally, Kan’ei culture programs such as ikebana and incense appreciation, and a “Kyoto Specialty Products Fair” planned. On Sunday, December 6, because of a reenactment of the Kan’ei Imperial Visit procession, last entry is at noon.

Highlights: what kind of staging can be seen?

NAKED’s second announcement, released on September 10, presents the highlights in three scenes. The viewing route and areas differ from those in the daytime.

Karamon Gate: “Blossoming Culture”

At the Karamon Gate, the entrance, the exhibition first introduces Masako’s life and her connections with Nijo-jo Castle and Kan’ei culture. Then, lighting that brings out the gate’s carvings is applied, and the patterns and colors of Kan’ei culture spread out in light.

Inner Moat “Weaving of Designs,” Koun-tei “Colors and Fragrance,” Seiryu-en “Between Times”

Proceeding from the Ninomaru Palace to the gardens, the inner moat and Seiryu-en, visitors encounter a series of displays that unravel the sensibility of the Kan’ei era. They are said to incorporate narration based on Masako’s waka poems and letters, expression through light and sound, the sculptural beauty of the Ninomaru Garden, and colors inspired by Kan’ei-era designs and Gosho-zome dyeing.

Kitchen Front Garden: “Twill of Kosode” and “Masako’s Night Tea Gathering”

In the Kitchen Front Garden near the end, an interactive presentation is planned in which patterns selected from kosode pattern books are projected onto white kosode that visitors then wear. “Masako’s Night Tea Gathering,” where visitors can enjoy food and art inspired by Masako’s sensibility, is also held.

How it differs from the 2025 edition

According to Kyoto City’s announcement of September 18, 2025, “NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2025 Kangetsu” in autumn 2025 ran for 38 days, from October 31 to December 7, offering spatial staging for enjoying moon viewing that combined autumn leaves illumination with Noh, waka, ikebana and more. In 2026, the run is 44 days, opening on October 23, and the theme centers on the Kan’ei Imperial Visit and Tokugawa Masako.

In terms of prices, 2025 had two categories, “junior high school students and older” and “elementary school students,” with elementary school students also paying 1,000–1,600 yen. In 2026, according to NAKED, junior high school students and younger are free for the first time, with the aim of giving children an opportunity to take an interest in the history and culture behind cultural properties. The regular prices (2,000 yen Monday to Thursday, 2,400 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays) are the same as the 2025 prices for junior high school students and older.

The discount system also differs. In 2025 there was a citizen discount (500 yen off for junior high school students and older) for those living or studying in Kyoto City, while in 2026, students and residents of Kyoto City receive 500 yen back at the venue on the day.

Tickets, prices and access

Because day and night sessions are separate, a light-up ticket is required in addition to daytime admission to Nijo-jo Castle. Prices are as follows.

• Early bird (purchased by Thursday, October 22): 1,600 yen Monday to Thursday, 2,000 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays

• Regular (from Friday, October 23): 2,000 yen Monday to Thursday, 2,400 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays

• Junior high school students and younger: free

• Students and Kyoto City residents: 500 yen back at the venue on the day (at regular prices, effectively 1,500 yen Monday to Thursday and 1,900 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays)

Tickets are sold through Nijo-jo Castle’s official web tickets (asoview) and the event’s official website, and are also scheduled to be sold through various ticket agencies. Some programs may cost extra.

Nijo-jo Castle asks visitors to come by public transportation. The parking lot for castle visitors accepts cars only until 16:00 and requires exit by 18:00, so it cannot be used during the light-up hours.

Editor’s perspective

This autumn and winter, events that open castles, temples and shrines at night and tell history through images and light are again planned across Japan. Among them, this exhibition stands out for focusing on the aesthetic sensibility of one woman and turning it into an experience in which visitors wear kosode patterns. Free admission for junior high school students and younger lowers the burden of visiting a nighttime event with children.

In Kyoto, night viewings and light staging are also held at other temples and shrines during the same period. Events around Japan are introduced in our roundup of projection mapping and light events across Japan, and the background to the spread of light staging at cultural properties in our feature on why nighttime light staging at cultural properties has increased.

Overview

Name: NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle 2026
Dates: Friday, October 23 – Saturday, December 5, 2026 (44 days)
Hours: 18:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00)
Venue: Nijo-jo Castle (541 Nijojo-cho, Nijo-dori Horikawa Nishi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto)
Admission: Early bird (purchased by Thursday, October 22): 1,600 yen Monday to Thursday, 2,000 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays / Regular (from Friday, October 23): 2,000 yen Monday to Thursday, 2,400 yen on Fridays, weekends and holidays / Free for junior high school students and younger / Students and Kyoto City residents receive 500 yen back at the venue on the day
Planning, direction and production: NAKED, Inc.
Official website: https://event.naked.works/nijojo/autumn/ja/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Nighttime events at castles across Japan are sorted out in our roundup of castle projection mapping and night events.

*Top image: from a press release by NAKED, Inc.

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on a press release from NAKED, Inc. (September 10, 2026), a press release from Kyoto City (August 19, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team