In the heart of Tokyo, the Imperial Palace is a vast green oasis where traces of Edo Castle can still be found. But did you know that tucked away within its grounds is a museum?
The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan houses works of art passed down through generations of the Imperial Family. After undergoing a major redevelopment since 2019, the museum will finally reopen in full on November 3, 2026.
The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (south exterior)
The Imperial Collection and Its Unique Cultural Property Status
The collection of the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan has a rather different history from that of a typical museum.
The story begins in 1989, when His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus and his mother, Empress Kojun, donated to the nation paintings, calligraphy, decorative arts and historical materials passed down through generations of the Imperial Family. To preserve, study and share the collection with the public, the museum opened in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in 1993. Subsequent donations from the former Chichibu and Takamatsu branches of the Imperial Family and the Mikasa family have since expanded the collection to around 6,300 works, among them 10 National Treasures and 13 Important Cultural Properties.
For a collection of such significance, the relatively small number of official designations might seem surprising. Historically, however, works inherited by the Imperial Family were largely left outside the designation system, partly because the Agency for Cultural Affairs was hesitant to formally evaluate their cultural value. Only in recent years have Imperial-associated works increasingly begun to receive National Treasure and Important Cultural Property status.
Yet a collection that has received some of the finest works of art from across the centuries hardly needs official designation to establish its importance. The extraordinary value of the Imperial Collection has long been apparent in the works themselves.
Seven Years of Redevelopment, Eight Times the Exhibition Space
The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (southeast exterior)
The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan has been undergoing a major redevelopment since 2019. In 2023, management and operation of the museum were transferred from the Imperial Household Agency to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, and part of the new facility opened to the public. Now, after around seven years of redevelopment, the museum is set to fully reopen on November 3, 2026.
The biggest change is the amount of space. The former museum had just 160 square metres of exhibition space. In the new facility, Galleries 1 to 3 provide a combined 1,280 square metres, expanding the exhibition area eightfold. A new auditorium for film screenings, lectures and workshops has also been added, along with a museum shop.
Traditional Japanese elements have been incorporated throughout the contemporary architecture. Both the exterior and interior feature details inspired by the Imperial Palace itself, including verdigris-coloured copper roofing and traditional diamond-shaped patterns.
Grand Opening Special Exhibition, Beauty Through the Ages: Treasures of the Imperial Collections
True to its title, the exhibition brings together around 190 works with deep connections to the Imperial Family. Among the highlights are the Shōsōin Treasures, which will be displayed within the Imperial Palace grounds for the first time. The entire selection will change across the exhibition’s three rotations, meaning each of the three periods offers something different to see.
Grand Opening Special Exhibition: Beauty Through the Ages: Treasures of the Imperial Collections
Dates: November 3, 2026–January 24, 2027
Rotation One: November 3–23, 2026
Rotation Two: November 26–December 20, 2026
Rotation Three: December 23, 2026–January 24, 2027
All works on display will be changed between the early, middle and late periods.
Advance reservations for a designated date and time are required.
Website: https://shozokan.nich.go.jp/feature/grand-opening/beauty/english.html
