Museum of the Imperial Collections Audio Guide

Museum of the Imperial Collections: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

   Welcome to The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, known in Japanese as 宮内庁 三の丸尚蔵館. Think of it as a quiet treasure chest tucked into the grounds of the old Edo Castle. Inside, the museum cares for cultural masterpieces once owned by Japan's imperial family: calligraphy, paintings, crafts and historical documents, passed down through generations. A practical note before you plan a visit. The museum has been temporarily closed since May 2025 while a second building is constructed on the site of the old one, and its grand opening is scheduled for Tuesday, the third of November, 2026. So treat this guide as a way to understand the place and its story, and check the current opening status before you go. Over the next few minutes we will look at how the collection came to exist, what is in it, and why the building itself is worth a second glance. Let's begin with a gift.

2. 02

   A Gift to the Nation: The Origins of The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

   The story begins in 1989, the year Emperor Showa died. That June, his family, namely Akihito and the Empress Dowager Kojun, donated a body of artworks to the state. These were treasures that had been handed down within the imperial household for generations. The nation now needed somewhere to preserve them, study them and show them to the public. The answer was a museum built inside the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Construction was completed in September 1992, and the doors opened to visitors on the third of November, 1993. More gifts followed over the years, including pieces from the households of Prince Chichibu, Prince Takamatsu and Prince Mikasa, as well as from the Empress Dowager. The name carries its own history. Sannomaru means the third enclosure of the old Edo Castle, which is where the museum stands. Shozo means to keep with great care. It echoes an ancient title, the head of the office that looked after objects connected with the emperor in the early law codes. So the name is, quite literally, a promise to treasure what is inside.

3. 03

   National Treasures and Hidden Gems at The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

   Here is something that may surprise you. For a long time, nothing in this collection carried the formal title of national treasure. Objects managed by the Imperial Household Agency had customarily stood outside Japan's cultural property designation system. In 2018 an expert panel urged that the value of the holdings be shown more clearly to the public. Then, on the thirtieth of September, 2021, five works became the collection's first national treasures. They are a handscroll of the Mongol invasions, the Moko Shurai Ekotoba. Another is a handscroll telling of the miracles of the Kasuga deity. There is the great folding screen of Chinese lions by Kano Eitoku, and the 30 hanging scrolls of Ito Jakuchu's Colorful Realm of Living Beings. The fifth is a work of calligraphy by Ono no Michikaze, from the middle Heian period. Today the collection includes eight national treasures. The breadth is remarkable. The collection runs from archaeological material to Heian calligraphy, and on to Edo period painting and modern works by artists such as Yokoyama Taikan. Many pieces are in very good condition, partly because they were never meant for public display.

4. 04

   White Walls and Diamond Patterns: The Building of The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

   Now picture the building. The newer building has fresh white walls under a blue-green copper roof, a design that takes its cue from the palace itself. Look closely at the walls and you will find a diamond pattern carved into them. The diamond shape has four equal sides, which stands for harmony, and it is an auspicious motif long loved in Japan. The building has its own timeline. Reconstruction began in the 2019 fiscal year to expand the storage and exhibition space. In October 2023, management passed from the Imperial Household Agency to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs took over care of the collection. On the third of November, 2023, the first phase building opened and the museum took the name it carries today. Since May 2025 it has been closed temporarily while the second phase building rises on the old building's site. There is also a curious reason to come back again and again. Many of the works are made of wood, paper and silk, which are delicate, so they can only be shown for limited periods. Fewer than half the collection has been shown to the public so far, and the same piece is rarely displayed twice.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off: The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

   One more thread to follow. After 1868, when the Tokugawa shogunate fell, the emperor moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and made Edo Castle his residence. The imperial household commissioned many works as Japan modernized, and as the country opened to the world after more than 200 years of isolation, gifts arrived from abroad. That is why the collection falls into three broad groups: works from before 1868, Japanese works from after 1868, and non-Japanese works from after 1868. The museum has also staged around 90 exhibitions over the years, including special shows marking imperial enthronements and weddings, and exchange exhibitions with other countries. When the grand opening comes, the museum is scheduled to welcome visitors again on the third of November, 2026. Keep an eye on which themes are chosen, and on which treasure is placed in the spotlight. Until then, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are worth a wander in their own right. Which of those treasures would you most like to see in person?