❖ Osaka Venue / Osaka Museum of History Scheduled to open in June 2025
❖Tokyo venue/Ueno Royal Museum Scheduled to open in September 2025
A completely new “Shosoin experience” begins
An exhibition will be held in conjunction with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and will be supervised by the Imperial Household Agency’s Shoso-in Office, to allow visitors to “feel” and “enjoy” the miracle of the Shoso-in Repository, where rare items from around the world have been preserved in good condition for some 1,300 years and where they remain. The exhibition will take a completely new approach to the experience of the miracle of the Shoso-in Repository and its treasures.
This exhibition offers new ways to experience and enjoy the world of Shosoin, through a collaboration between the latest digitally controlled video, music, and lighting, and a variety of “reproductions” (works in which modern master craftsmen meticulously recreate the original appearance of the treasures) that have been researched and produced by the Imperial Household Agency’s Shosoin Office.
We will also be showcasing new works by contemporary artists from a variety of fields, based on the theme of the beauty and history of Shosoin.
Within the venue, you can take photos and post them on social media, not just at the photo spots. This is an exhibition event that is decorated with the splendor of a show, where you can immerse yourself in the world of Shosoin through the words, music, and spatial direction of cutting-edge creators.
[Highlights of this exhibition]
❖ Experience the “feelings” that have been woven together
The treasures of Shosoin have been protected and passed down by people on earth for about 1,300 years, making them a rare treasure even on a global scale. The people who have protected these treasures are imbued with a desire to “preserve” them, and it is because this desire has been woven through the ages that the miracle that is Shosoin exists today. This exhibition will touch on the various “feelings” that have been woven from the thoughts of Empress Komyo.
❖ Experience the world of treasures in depth with 3D digital data
In order to leave accurate information about the treasures for future generations, the Shosoin Office is using the latest technology to scan the treasures from 360 degrees and obtain high-definition 3D digital data. By adding effects to the 3D digital data, the exhibits will present the details and texture of the treasures more realistically, allowing visitors to experience the world of the Shosoin treasures more deeply than ever before.
❖ A new appreciation experience with reproduction and the latest digital technology
Even with the utmost care and care, cultural properties deteriorate over time. Therefore, the Imperial Household Agency’s Shosoin Office creates replicas with the aim of faithfully reproducing the materials, structure, and techniques of the treasures to bring them back to their original form. These replicas clearly show that the treasures were made with great care and skill. This exhibition offers a new appreciation experience by displaying the replicas in combination with the latest digitally controlled video, music, and lighting.
❖Collaboration with contemporary artists
The beauty of the Shosoin treasures, which has not faded even in modern times, will be given new appeal through collaboration with artists. Contemporary artists active in a wide range of genres will create and exhibit works inspired by Shosoin. Details will be released in due course.
[Greetings]
We are pleased to announce that Shosoin “THE SHOW” will be held. Located in the former grounds of Todaiji Temple in Nara, Shosoin is truly a “treasure trove of miracles,” having protected and handed down some 9,000 treasures above ground for nearly 1,300 years. An exhibition of Shosoin is held every autumn, but this time we will be taking a different approach to viewing the actual items, using the latest digital technology to offer a new way of enjoying the treasures. We hope that this will be an opportunity for visitors to appreciate the value of the treasures more deeply, and to come into contact with the irreplaceable value of the Imperial family and the feelings of the people who supported their transmission. (Iida Takehiko, Director of the Shosoin Office of the Imperial Household Agency)
[Event Summary]
Exhibition title: Shosoin “THE SHOW” – Feel the miracle here and now –
Dates and Venue: Osaka Venue/Osaka Museum of History Scheduled to open in June 2025
Tokyo venue: Ueno Royal Museum, scheduled to open in September 2025
Organized by: Shosoin “THE SHOW” Executive Committee
Supervised by: Shosoin Office of the Imperial Household Agency
Official website: https://shosoin-the-show.jp
*More details will be announced on the official website around April 2025.
