Museum · Marunouchi

Seikado Bunko Art Museum 静嘉堂文庫美術館

The Iwasaki family's treasure house, now in the 1934 Meiji Seimei-kan in Marunouchi, owner of one of only three intact yohen tenmoku tea bowls on earth, whose glaze sparkles like a galaxy.

Hours10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30; some evening openings)

ClosedMondays (Tue if Mon is a holiday), exhibition changeovers, New Year

PriceAdult: ¥1,500
High school / university student: ¥1,000
Junior high and under: Free

Getting thereNijubashimae Station (Chiyoda Line, Exit 3), 1 min; Yurakucho Station (JR), 5 min

Time needed1 hour

Best timeWeekday mornings

AddressMeiji Seimei-kan 1F, 2-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo

Websiteseikado.or.jp

About

The collection was formed by Yanosuke and Koyata Iwasaki, the second and fourth heads of Mitsubishi, and spans Chinese and Japanese ceramics, lacquer, swords, paintings and rare books. In 2022 the galleries moved from suburban Setagaya into the ground floor of the Meiji Seimei-kan, a colonnaded Important Cultural Property beside the Imperial Palace moat, and the result is one of Tokyo's most beautiful exhibition spaces, with coffered ceilings and a central hall lit through a skylight. The star is the National Treasure Inaba Tenmoku, a Song-dynasty yohen tenmoku tea bowl whose black glaze is speckled with iridescent blue spots; it appears in many but not all shows. Autumn 2026 brings Mingei SHOCK!!, 51 works by potter Kawai Kanjiro (to Nov 8), followed by THE MASKS (Nov 21 to Jan 17, 2027).

Highlights

National Treasure yohen tenmoku tea bowl with its starry blue glaze
Galleries inside the 1934 Meiji Seimei-kan, an Important Cultural Property
Mingei SHOCK!!: Kawai Kanjiro (Sep 5 – Nov 8, 2026)
THE MASKS exhibition (Nov 21, 2026 – Jan 17, 2027)
Central skylit hall where you can sit and admire the architecture

Tips

Check whether the yohen tenmoku bowl is on display before you go; it is not shown in every exhibition.
Bring a previous Seikado ticket stub for ¥200 off general admission.
The entrance is through Meiji Yasuda Village on the ground floor; Nijubashimae Exit 3 is almost directly connected.
Timed reservations are recommended but same-day tickets are sold.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Seikado Bunko Art Museum 静嘉堂文庫美術館

About

Highlights

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