The Shōsōin holds about 9,000 objects from the eighth-century court, many dedicated by Empress Kōmyō after Shōmu's death, including Persian-derived glass and lacquer. The storehouse is never open; about 60 objects come out once a year for the Shōsōin Exhibition at the Nara National Museum, timed to the autumn airing.
Why it's unique
No other collection of this age has survived above ground in its original store and is shown this way.
The window is the experience: about two weeks a year, a different selection each time, from a storehouse that has kept the eighth century's belongings in place for more than twelve centuries.
Before you go
2026 is the 78th exhibition, 24 October to 9 November, with 60 objects (11 never shown before). Tickets are date-and-time slots. A late-entry discount applies after 16:00 Monday to Thursday and after 17:00 Friday to Sunday, and the museum stays open to 20:00 on Fridays, weekends and holidays, which is the way to avoid the crush.
The storehouse itself can be seen from outside only, on weekdays 10:00 to 15:00. The museum's Buddhist Sculpture Hall is closed for renovation from September 2026; the exhibition is in the East and West wings.
