Reproductions of Shosoin treasures to be showcased at Meiji Jingu Museum in Tokyo

Reproducing an original piece of classic artwork is done for various reasons, one of which is to study and learn the material and techniques used to make it in order to better conserve the original and to pass down the artistic and practical skills of the ancient past. Japanese conservators have long been doing just that with the treasured objects of Shosoin*, the 8th-century repository located on the grounds of Todai-ji temple in Nara, since the Meiji era (1868-1912).

*Shosoin: Soon after Emperor Shomu’s death in 756, Empress Dowager Komyo donated about 650 items that belonged to the Emperor to Todai-ji as an offering to the Great Buddha of the temple, and later repeated her offerings. These and other valuable objects which have been preserved in the repository are what came to be known as the Shosoin treasures. In 1997, the repository was designated as a national treasure, and in the following year, registered as a World Heritage site (as a part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”).

“Inheriting Shosoin Treasures,” an exhibition that opened at the Meiji Jingu Museum in Tokyo’s Harajuku district on Dec. 23, 2023, showcases about 30 reproductions, such as that of a five-string biwa lute listed in the “Kokka Chinpo Cho (List of Rare Treasures of the State),” to give visitors an overview of the history of reproducing precious items from the repository.

Inheriting Shosoin Treasures

Dec 23 (Sat), 2023 – Feb 25 (Sun), 2024

Meiji Jingu Museum
(Harajuku, Tokyo)

*See outline below for details

According to “The Emperor Meiji Chronicles,” a part of which will go on display in the exhition, Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) found that a great number of the items in the repository were damaged over time during his visit to Nara in 1877, and thereby issued an order to have the items sorted out and some of them repaired. Experts say this was what led to the reproduction of the Shosoin treasures.

Among other reproductions to be exhibited are those of the “Decorative Karatachi-Style Sword with Gold, Silver, and Glass Decoration,” which is said to have been Emperor Shomu’s long sword for ceremonial purposes, and the “Red-Stained Ivory Bachi Plectrum with Bachiru Carved Designs,” a plectrum for a four-stringed biwa lute. Conservators have been trying to revive the bachiru craft technique (a way to create patterns and designs by carving dyed ivory to reveal its white ivory base) used to make the plectrum, which has been unseen since the 8th century. Experts see the reproduction of the plectrum as “one achievement in this process.”