Exhibition Overview

In the spring of 2025, the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts will host National Treasures of Japan, an exhibition featuring nearly 130* outstanding cultural masterpieces from across the country that are government-designated National Treasures. Experience Japanese culture as never before with an exclusive, close-up look at some of history’s most inspiring masterpieces brought together for a limited time only in Osaka. The event commemorates two occasions: Osaka’s second World Expo since 1970 and the museum’s first complete renovation since its founding in 1936—a massive undertaking that required the museum to close for over two years.

Works of art are windows to the past, offering unique insights into the eras in which they were produced. During this exhibition, visitors will have the extraordinary opportunity to explore Japanese history through the lens of its National Treasures—masterworks tracing the zenith of art through the ages. The exhibition is further the first of its kind to be held in Osaka and is timed to coincide with the city’s World Expo as well as the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts’

much-anticipated reopening. In celebration of these three events, special focus will be placed on cultural treasures with ties to Osaka. Finally, the works on view were produced in diverse contexts but share the remarkable history of having been preserved for centuries—or even millennia—before they were designated National Treasures. To honor the tireless efforts of those who safeguarded them, the exhibition also highlights the importance of conserving cultural heritage for future generations.

• * Does not include supplementary exhibits.