Shosoin Repository
正倉院
A raised storehouse built in the azekura style, holding relics of Emperor Shomu and treasures from the Silk Road. The exterior can be viewed on weekdays.
The Shosoin main repository is Todai-ji's treasure house. Its triangular timbers are stacked crosswise in the azekura construction, which keeps out moisture. It preserves about 9,000 eighth-century artifacts, including a five-stringed biwa with mother-of-pearl inlay and a white glass bowl from Persia, treasures of the Silk Road. It is managed by the Imperial Household Agency and is listed as a World Heritage Site. The storehouse itself can only be viewed from the outer fence on weekdays from 10:00 to 15:00 (free; closed on weekends and public holidays). The treasures are displayed only at the annual Shosoin Exhibition in autumn, rotating each year, and you need to buy tickets online in advance. It is on the north side of the Great Buddha Hall, about a 5-minute walk.
Opening hours
Exterior viewing: weekdays 10:00–15:00
Nearby sights
- Todai-ji
- Todai-ji Nigatsu-do & Hokke-do
- Isui-en Garden
- Yoshikien Garden
- Tamukeyama Hachiman-gu
- Himuro Shrine
- Nara Park
- Nara National Museum