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The Nagoya Sword Museum "Nagoya Token World" (Naka Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture) will hold a special exhibition "A Grand Collection of Various Swords". When you hear "Japanese sword," many people probably imagine the swords worn by samurai at their waists. However, the world of Japanese swords is incredibly diverse. In addition to name changes based on length, such as "tachi," "uchigatana," "wakizashi," and "tanto," "naginata" (a polearm with a sword blade at the end of a long handle) and "ken" (a double-edged sword) are also included in the family of Japanese swords. This exhibition allows you to see the history of swords spanning approximately 1,000 years, from the Heian period to the Heisei period, all in one place. Even if you are not very knowledgeable about swords, you are very welcome. Please experience how the shapes and uses of swords changed with each era through actual artifacts.

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, located in Tenmon, northwest of Kyoto, is a shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. To mark the 1,125th anniversary of Michizane's death in 2027, the Kyoto National Museum will hold a special exhibition showcasing 17 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties from Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, as well as items related to Tenjin worship from across Japan. For the first time ever, the entire Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki (Jokyu Version), a National Treasure, will be on display, along with many other Important Cultural Properties, including the Koan Version, Mitsunobu Version, and Mitsuoki Version, showcasing the legendary birth of Kitano Tenjin. Also, the two tachi swords "Higekiri" and "Hizamaru", both designated Important Cultural Properties and held by the Kitano Tenamngu Shrine and Daikakuji Temple respectively, will be on display for the first time together during this special exhibition. And further more, the Kyoto National Museum has advised that Photography will be OK! Additionally, through works discovered through research by the Kyoto National Museum and the Kitano Cultural Research Institute, as well as a number of masterpieces handed down at Tenmangu Shrines, Tenjin Shrines, and temples throughout Japan, the exhibition will unravel the diverse aspects of Tenjin worship that have not been discussed much until now, and the important role that these have played in Japanese culture. Held in the 1F-2 exhibition room of the Heisei Chishinkan Wing of the Kyoto National Museum. To find out more click here.