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- Special Exhibition Song and Yuan Buddhist Painting: Early Chinese Masterpieces in Japan
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General Information
- Exhibition Title
-
Special Exhibition
Song and Yuan Buddhist Painting: Early Chinese Masterpieces in Japan
- Period
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September 20–November 16, 2025
The exhibition has two installations:
Part I: September 20–October 19, 2025
Part II: October 21–November 16, 2025
Some artworks may be rotated within these installation periods.
- Venue
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Kyoto National Museum, Heisei Chishinkan Wing
- Closed
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- Mondays *The museum will be open on Monday, October 13, and Monday, November 3, 2025.
- Tuesday, October 14, 2025
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025
- Special Exhibition Hours
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9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (entrance until 5:00 p.m.)
Fridays, 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (entrance until 7:30 p.m.)
- Special Exhibition Admission
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Adult 2,000 yen
(1,800 yen)University Student 1,200 yen
(1,000 yen)High School Student 700 yen
(500 yen)- The discounted prices in parentheses ( ) are advance ticket and group ticket rates.
- Group ticket rates apply to groups of 20 people or more.
- Advance tickets will be on sale between July 16 and September 19 at major ticket outlets and the official online ticket site.
- See the official exhibition website (in Japanese only)for more information about tickets.
- Please show student ID for student admission.
- Admission is free for junior high school students and other youths age 0–15, as well as for visitors with disabilities and one caretaker. Please show ID.
- Admission is reduced by 500 yen for Campus Members (including faculty) able to produce ID (applicable only to the purchase of same-day tickets at the South Gate ticket office).
- Special Exhibition Lecture
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See the Japanese page.
*The Special Exhibition Lecture will be conducted in Japanese.
- Symposia
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Kyoto National Museum International Symposium
Song and Yuan Buddhist Paintings in Japan
Friday, October 17, 2025
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (JST)
See the Japanese page.
- Audio Guide
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Venue Rental Edition
- Fee
- 650 yen (includes tax)
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Rental Hours
- 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (return by 5:30 p.m.)
Fridays, 9:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m. (return by 8:00 p.m.)
App Edition
- Fee
- 800 yen (includes tax)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Period of Availability
- September 20 through the end of November, 2025 (planned)
- Organized by
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Kyoto National Museum; The Mainichi Newspapers; The Kyoto Shimbun
- With the support of
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Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.
- Special Exhibition Official Website
- Special Exhibition Official Social Media
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- X: @sougenbutsuga
- Instagram: @sougenbutsuga
Description of Exhibition
Japan is home to some of the most significant early Chinese Buddhist paintings in the world. Japanese monks and envoys who traveled to Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasty China—renowned for its sophisticated Buddhist artistic tradition—brought numerous works back across the sea. These masterpieces were typically enshrined in temples, where they were preserved for hundreds of years. Chinese Buddhist paintings served not only as devotional objects but also as important models for Japanese artists, becoming deeply integrated into Japanese culture. The paintings imported between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries are of particularly high artistic quality. This exhibition explores the distinctive characteristics and rich diversity of Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings, delving into the enduring allure of these rare treasures that have been cherished in Japan for centuries.
National Treasure
Peacock Wisdom Queen (Mahāmāyūrī)
Ninna-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: September 20–October 19, 2025]
National Treasure
Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara), Gibbons, and Crane
By Muqi
Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: October 21–November 16, 2025]
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