Art Festivals & Events

The Shosoin treasures—preserved in the former repository of the Nara temple of Todaiji, the Shosoin Repository—represent an invaluable collection of masterworks that deliver to us in the present day the spirit of a flourishing Tenpyo culture. Full-fledged efforts at reproducing the Shosoin treasures to ensure their conservation and transmission to future generations began in the Meiji era (1868–1912). Since 1972, the Office of the Shosoin Treasure House, Imperial Household Agency has been responsible for these endeavors of conservation and reproduction. The beauty and skill of Tenpyo times is brought back to life in this exhibition that assembles for public viewing treasures carefully selected from among the exceptional reproductions that have been achieved through the masterful artistry of experts in traditional crafts and by making use of the latest scientific technologies.