Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store is holding the 73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (THE 73rd JAPAN TRADITIONAL Kōgei EXHIBITION) in the Main Building's 7th-floor event hall from Wednesday, September 2 through Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
The exhibition is a juried open competition that the Japan Kogei Association, a public-interest incorporated association, has held every year since 1954 to nurture and protect the artists carrying Japan's finest traditional crafts into the future. This year's edition is the 73rd.
From the 1,071 works submitted for open entry across the exhibition's seven categories -- ceramics, textile dyeing and weaving, lacquer art, metalwork, woodwork and bamboo work, doll craft, and other crafts -- the show brings together the selected pieces along with the newest works by holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property status, for about 550 pieces in total.
73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition Special Site
Running at the same time, the Main Building's 1st-floor Central Hall hosts the "2nd Special Exhibition: Japan's Traditional Culture for the Future -- What Traditional Craft Artists Create" from Wednesday, September 2 through Monday, September 14, 2026, offering visitors a closer look at the techniques of traditional craft being carried into the future.
2nd "Japan's Traditional Culture for the Future" Special Site
Full details will be posted on the site from Wednesday, August 26.
Award-Winning Works at the 73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
Japan Kogei Association President's Award -- flower basket, "Sound of the Waves," by Oki Toshie
Takamatsunomiya Memorial Award -- Aizu keshifun maki-e lacquer box, "Wind Crossing the Valley," by Suto Yasunori
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award -- raw-silk float-weave kimono, "Tree Rain," by Miyairi Ei
Tokyo Governor's Award -- ash-glazed decorated bowl, "Oboro (Haze)," by Ichino Shusaku
NHK President's Award -- jindai-keyaki wood box finished in fuki-urushi lacquer, "Ceaseless Change," by Hayashi Tetsuya
The Asahi Shimbun Award -- Kokura-jima cotton obi, "Abstract: Black Butterfly," by Tsuiki Noriko
Japan Kogei Association Chairman's Award -- inlaid flower vase, "Canal in Twilight Colors," by Murakami Kodo
Japan Kogei Association Holders' Award -- keyaki wood serving vessel finished in fuki-urushi lacquer, "Soaring," by Kawaguchi Seizo
Gallery Talks
Held daily at 12:30 PM in the Main Building's 7th-floor event hall.
Piece commentaries (about 30 minutes each)
- September 3 (Thu): Ceramics -- Fukushima Zenzo (holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property "Koishiwara Ware")
- September 4 (Fri): Textiles -- Koka Yoshimura (former curator, Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum)
- September 7 (Mon): Lacquer art -- Kondo Toyoko (former senior cultural properties investigator, Traditional Culture Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- September 8 (Tue): Metalwork -- Iede Takahiro (metalwork artist)
- September 9 (Wed): Woodwork and bamboo work -- Shimazaki Keiko (head of curatorial department, Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Tomo Museum)
- September 10 (Thu): Doll craft -- Tsuboi Noriko (director, Sano Art Museum)
- September 11 (Fri): Other crafts -- Kubo Kayoko (cloisonne artist)
Titles omitted.
Award-winning artists' commentaries on their own work (about 10 minutes per artist)
September 5 (Sat)
- Lacquer art: Suto Yasunori (Takamatsunomiya Memorial Award)
- Ceramics: Ichino Shusaku (Tokyo Governor's Award)
- Woodwork and bamboo work: Hayashi Tetsuya (NHK President's Award)
September 6 (Sun)
- Woodwork and bamboo work: Oki Toshie (Japan Kogei Association President's Award)
- Textiles: Komiya Yasuyoshi (Japan Kogei Association Encouragement Award)
Titles omitted.
Seating is not provided.
Schedules may change or be canceled without notice due to unforeseen circumstances.
Also on View: "2nd Special Exhibition: Japan's Traditional Culture for the Future"
The Main Building's 1st-floor Central Hall hosts the "2nd Special Exhibition: Japan's Traditional Culture for the Future -- What Traditional Craft Artists Create" from Wednesday, September 2 through Monday, September 14, 2026.
Timed to coincide with the 73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, where the skill and beauty of Japanese craft come together, this exhibition uses video along with displays of raw materials and tools to introduce the process behind the works and the appeal of the techniques involved. The exhibition displays works by full members of the Japan Kogei Association, and offers a corner for speaking directly with artists at the venue as well as a corner for viewing exhibition catalogs from the past ten years.
Special display of the catalog from the 1st exhibition
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store was the venue for the very first "1st Exhibition of Intangible Cultural Property: Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition," held in 1954. The catalog from that time goes on special display, along with a large-scale replica, so visitors can get a hands-on look at this valuable material.
Special display of the catalog from the 1st Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
Browse Catalogs From the Past Ten Years
Visitors can freely browse the exhibition catalogs from 2017 through this year, 2026. From "What kind of work was this artist making ten years ago?" to comparisons by artist or by award, the catalogs trace the evolution of the traditional craft pieces created over the years from many different angles.
A Historical Timeline From the 1st Exhibition to Today
A timeline comparing the 73-year histories of the Japan Kogei Association and Mitsukoshi is on display.
The Story of the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition So Far
Mitsukoshi declared itself a department store in 1904 and has continued to this day as Japan's first department store. Since its founding, it has been involved in promoting art and culture, and as part of that effort it held the "1st Exhibition of Intangible Cultural Property: Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition," organized by the Cultural Property Protection Committee (now the Agency for Cultural Affairs) and others, in 1954. The Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition has been held every year since, aimed at protecting outstanding traditional crafts and nurturing the artists who create them, and reaches its 73rd edition this year.
Since last year, the exhibition has also expanded into the Central Hall, introducing the appeal of Japanese traditional craft from every angle -- its history, the process behind the works, and the carefully chosen materials -- in addition to the display of finished pieces.
"73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition" Overview
- Dates: Wednesday, September 2 to Tuesday, September 15, 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (until 5:00 PM on the final day)
- Venue: Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Main Building, 7th-floor event hall (free admission)
- Organizers: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, NHK, The Asahi Shimbun, Japan Kogei Association (public-interest incorporated association)
- Sponsors: Asahi Group Foundation (public-interest incorporated foundation), Okada Mokichi Foundation of Art and Culture (public-interest incorporated foundation), Panasonic Holdings Corporation, POLA Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Japanese Culture (public-interest incorporated foundation), Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
- Cooperation: KPMG AZSA LLC; ARTerrace Co., Ltd.; Anchor Ship Partners Co., Ltd.; Unsodo Co., Ltd. (art book publisher); Opendoor Inc.; KANSEI Company; Kyoei Tanker Co., Ltd.; Ginza Motoji Co., Ltd.; Kubara Honke Group Head Office Co., Ltd.; Gouda Co., Ltd.; The Saga Kyoei Bank, Ltd.; SUNRAY Inc.; Shibamago Group; Chuo-Nittochi Group Co., Ltd.; Nagamune Shoten Co., Ltd.; BRIDGE MULTILINGUAL SOLUTIONS Co., Ltd.; HOSOO Co., Ltd.; Matsuo Construction Co., Ltd.; Mazda Motor Corporation; Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Inc.; Yaskawa Electric Corporation; Yamato Noen Holdings Co., Ltd.; and Yoshida Kaiun Co., Ltd.
- Special cooperation: Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd., Nippon Express Co., Ltd.
"2nd Special Exhibition: Japan's Traditional Culture for the Future" Overview
- Dates: Wednesday, September 2 to Monday, September 14, 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM
- Venue: Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Main Building, 1st-floor Central Hall (free admission)
- Sponsor: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
- Cooperation: Japan Kogei Association, Japan Kogei Association Eastern Japan Branch, Agency for Cultural Affairs, The Asahi Shimbun, ARTerrace
All prices include tax.
Event details are subject to change without notice.
