5 ways the Museum of Imperial Collections deepens your knowledge of art and history in Japan

The Imperial Household’s art collection was, for many centuries, reserved exclusively for the viewing pleasure of the royal family and its select guests. With the 1989 passing of Emperor Showa (b. 1901) and the accompanying end of the Showa period, the family wished the subsequent Heisei era (1989-2019) and beyond to be a time in which the Imperial Household and the Japanese public enjoyed a closer relationship.

This sentiment was demonstrated by the Household’s gift to the nation, in 1989, of a great number of artworks from its private collection. To exhibit these pieces in a style befitting their importance, the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan was then opened in 1993, in a specially constructed building within the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The museum also seeks to preserve and carry out research on these often delicate works.

The works exhibited here have largely been unseen for centuries, and include some of Japan’s most valuable masterpieces. Thousands of items, handed down through generations of the Imperial Family, encompass genres including painting, calligraphy and decorative arts such as ceramics, lacquerware and metalworks. These date from at least the fourth century BCE right through to the 20th century.

Besides items received from artists themselves, and acquired through international exchange and other means, the Sannomaru Shozokan collection also includes works created by the Imperial Household Artists, for the Imperial Household’s patronage and promotion of art, from 1890 to 1947.

Each item, besides possessing aesthetic appeal that can range from poignant beauty to formidable power, illuminates the period of history in which it was created. Illustrated hand scrolls from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) chronicle the two invasions of Japan by Mongol armies, while a 17th-century folding screen, titled ‘Arrival of the Nambanjin (Western People)’, depicts with fascination the ‘exotic’ occupants and cargo of a European ship.

Other creations reflect the world views or cultural tastes of their times. Works from the revered Kano school of painting, which dominated Japanese art from the 15th to 19th centuries, include Kano Eitoku’s National Treasure screen painting 'Chinese Lions (Right Screen)’, which embodies the dynamic atmosphere and aesthetic sensibility of the Momoyama period (1573-1615).

Japanese culture’s famed affinity with nature, meanwhile, is evident in a representative work by Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), entitled ‘Colourful Realm of Living Beings’ (also a National Treasure), which comprises 30 hanging scrolls depicting birds, fish, plants and more in vibrant colour and meticulous detail.

Fittingly for a museum that connects the distant past of Japanese history and culture with the present, Sannomaru Shozokan is an example of modern Japanese architecture that echoes the style of the neighbouring Imperial Palace. Elements of traditional Japanese architecture, such as copper roofing featuring blue-green patination and a diamond-pattern motif on the building’s white facade, combine with clean lines to form a construction that conveys both reverence to the treasures within, and an eye on the future. The present building opened in 2023 after renovation and expansion, and ongoing work (due to be completed in 2026) will see its exhibition space further enlarged.

Equal design flair can be seen in the Sannomaru Shozokan logo, which takes inspiration from both the museum’s name, and its collection. The Japanese word ‘san-no-maru’ can be read two ways: meaning ‘three circles’ or ‘third enclosure’. In the venue’s name, this word refers to the third bailey (outer wall) of the former Edo Castle, where Sannomaru Shozokan now stands. In the logo, meanwhile, ‘san-no-maru’ is playfully represented as three circles. These spheres additionally represent three visitors having an engaging discussion next to an artwork.

The logo’s central diamond, meanwhile, signifies the Sannomaru Shozokan collection, with the diamond shape chosen for its association with the traditional architectural motif seen in both the museum building and the Imperial Palace.

Sannomaru Shozokan offers an in-depth look at the Japanese Imperial Family’s relationship with the art world over many centuries. Furthermore, combining a visit here with a tour of the Imperial Palace and its East Gardens, in which the museum is located, will give you a complete picture of the Imperial Household’s rich legacy.

The expansive East Garden, which covers around a third of the Imperial Palace grounds, is open to visitors year-round, and admission is free. These grounds were once home to the majority of Edo Castle, during the period (1600-1868) that the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled over Japan.

Though the main castle buildings disappeared long ago, a number of moats, gates and walls remain to this day. Surrounding them is traditional decorative landscaping that utilises enchanting trees, spacious lawns and peaceful ponds. One highlight is the Bairinzaka (‘plum forest hill’), between the inner and outer castle keeps, upon which stand more than 50 plum trees.

Access to the rest of the Palace precincts is also free of charge. This is well worthwhile, however, as it brings you up close to the Imperial Household Agency Building (an early 20th-century example of borrowed Western architectural style), the beautiful Fujimi-yagura Keep, and the Imperial Palace itself, which was completed in 1968.

The sheer size of the Sannomaru Shozokan collection makes displaying it in its entirety impossible. Moreover, the fragile nature of many works means that they can only be exposed to light for brief periods.

This, though, is actually one of the museum’s strengths. Without a permanent exhibition, its programme of themed temporary exhibitions can make repeat visits a different experience, each and every time. Indeed, it can be said that each exhibition embodies the Japanese concept of ‘ichigo ichie’: a once-in-a-lifetime encounter to be cherished.

All the artworks housed in the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan belong to the nation of Japan.