The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, Fully Opens November 3; All 30 Scrolls of Jakuchu’s “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” Shown Together in a Commemorative Exhibition

The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace) holds its grand opening on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (a public holiday). Construction of a new facility expanding its storage and galleries began in 2019. To mark the opening, three special exhibitions will be held in succession until Sunday, May 16, 2027. Following the first, “Treasures of the Imperial Household: Where Beauty Arises,” all 30 scrolls of Ito Jakuchu’s National Treasure “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” will be shown together from Thursday, February 4, 2027. All three exhibitions use timed-entry tickets, and no same-day tickets are sold at the venue.

What is the Sannomaru Shozokan? From the 1989 donation to the full opening

According to the museum’s history, in 1989 (Heisei 1), the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Kojun donated to the state paintings, calligraphy and crafts handed down through generations of the imperial family. The museum opened in November 1993 as the Imperial Household Agency’s Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, and donations continued thereafter from the former households of Prince Chichibu and Prince Takamatsu, among others. The name “Sannomaru” comes from its location on the site of the Third Bailey of the former Edo Castle.

While construction of the new facility was under way, management and operation were transferred from the Imperial Household Agency to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage in 2023. The museum partially opened as the “Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan” in November of that year, but had been closed since May 2025 as construction continued. In addition to galleries, the new facility has an auditorium, used mainly for video screenings but also for lectures and workshops, and a museum shop.

Highlights of the three commemorative special exhibitions

Treasures of the Imperial Household: Where Beauty Arises (until January 24, 2027)

Representative works from the museum’s collection, including National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, are joined by Shosoin treasures and treasures donated by Horyuji held at the Tokyo National Museum. It is said to be the first time Shosoin treasures have been shown inside the Imperial Palace. As 2026 marks 100 years since the beginning of the Showa era, masterpieces of modern art from the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras are also presented. All works are changed between the first period (November 3–23), the middle period (November 26 – December 20) and the last period (December 23 – January 24, 2027).

Major works in the first period include the Shosoin treasure “Biwa (Lute) of Red Sandalwood with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay” and Ito Jakuchu’s “Phoenix and Rising Sun.” The middle period features the National Treasures “Gigaku Mask: Chido” and “Ewer with Dragon Head” (Tokyo National Museum), among others. The last period includes the National Treasure “Illustrated Account of the Mongol Invasions, First Scroll,” Kano Eitoku’s National Treasure “Chinese Lions” (right screen) and Taikan Yokoyama’s “Dragon Leaping over the Four Seas” (right screen). Shosoin treasures are also on view at the 78th Annual Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures at the Nara National Museum (October 24 – November 9).

National Treasure “Colorful Realm of Living Beings”: A World of Color (February 4 – March 14, 2027)

All 30 scrolls of “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” by Ito Jakuchu (1716–1800), who was active in 18th-century Kyoto, will be shown together. According to the museum, it will be the first simultaneous display in Japan in about 10 years and the first at the Sannomaru Shozokan. It will also be the first since the work was designated a National Treasure in 2021. Masterpieces of early modern bird-and-flower painting made in Kyoto in the same period will be shown alongside, with some works rotated during the run.

1,300 Years of the Beauty of Japanese Calligraphy (March 25 – May 16, 2027)

Starting with Wang Xizhi’s “Sangluan Tie,” brought from China in the Nara period, the exhibition traces about 1,300 years of the history of Japanese calligraphy through imperial calligraphy (shinkan), sutra copies, the ink traces of Zen monks and more. Exhibits will change substantially between the first period (March 25 – April 18) and the second period (April 21 – May 16).

Tickets, prices and reservations: no same-day tickets

Admission for adults (tax included) is 2,500 yen for “Treasures of the Imperial Household” and “1,300 Years of the Beauty of Japanese Calligraphy,” and 3,000 yen for “National Treasure ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings.’” Those under 23 and university, high school and junior high school students are free but must reserve in advance and show proof on the day. Elementary school children and younger, and holders of a disability certificate and one companion each, are free without a reservation.

All three exhibitions use timed-entry tickets, and no same-day tickets are sold at the venue. As of October 19, reservations were open for “Treasures of the Imperial Household” and not yet open for the other two. Remaining availability can be checked on the ticket website; the museum does not answer phone inquiries about availability. Part of the proceeds from each exhibition goes to restoration work under the “Tsumugu Project.”

Opening hours, closed days and access

Opening hours are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30), and until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (last entry 19:30). The museum is basically closed on Mondays; during “Treasures of the Imperial Household,” it opens on November 23 and January 11 and is closed on November 24, November 25, December 22, December 28 – January 3 and January 12.

Via the Otemon Gate, it is about a 5-minute walk from Exit C13a of Otemachi Station on the subway and about a 15-minute walk from the Marunouchi North Exit of JR Tokyo Station. From Exit 1a of Takebashi Station on the Tozai subway line, it is about a 10-minute walk via the Hirakawamon Gate. The Hirakawamon and Kitahanebashimon gates are closed on Mondays and Fridays, and there is a bag check at the gates. On November 3, “Sarutahiko Coffee Kokyo Higashi Gyoen” opens at the Ote Rest House in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. According to the company, museum visitors can use the rest house whenever the Sannomaru Shozokan is open, even when the East Gardens are closed.

Editor’s perspective

With the full opening, the museum is set up to show treasures associated with the imperial family in a run of special exhibitions spanning half a year. The “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” exhibition in particular runs for just over five weeks, with no same-day tickets. Other Japanese art exhibitions in Tokyo in 2027 are introduced in our 2027 exhibition schedule.

Overview

Name: Special exhibitions commemorating the grand opening of the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan
Dates: “Treasures of the Imperial Household: Where Beauty Arises,” Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (public holiday) – Sunday, January 24, 2027 / “National Treasure ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings’: A World of Color,” Thursday, February 4 – Sunday, March 14, 2027 / “1,300 Years of the Beauty of Japanese Calligraphy,” Thursday, March 25 – Sunday, May 16, 2027
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays and other days (vary by exhibition)
Venue: The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan
Address: East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, 1-8 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 2,500 yen (3,000 yen for “National Treasure ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings’”). Timed-entry tickets
Organizers: The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, The Yomiuri Shimbun, NHK
Special cooperation: Imperial Household Agency, Agency for Cultural Affairs
Official website: https://shozokan.nich.go.jp/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Ito Jakuchu, “Mandarin Ducks in the Snow” from “Colorful Realm of Living Beings,” Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on an announcement by the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (September 4, 2026), information on its official website and press materials from Sarutahiko Coffee (September 4, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team