Since its opening in April 2011, the Ryukoku Museum, located in front of Nishi Hongwanji Temple, has sought to be more than a university museum.
As a comprehensive museum of Buddhism open to all, it presents a diverse range of exhibitions throughout the year.
Alongside special and thematic exhibitions —including, in 2026, the spring special exhibition Treasures of Shinnyo-do Temple, Kyoto and the autumn exhibition Higashi-Mikawa’s Fumonji Temple — the Museum presents its exhibition series, Buddhist Thought and Culture: From India to Japan twice a year.
Beginning in India, the birthplace of Buddhism, the series traces the paths by which Buddhism spread across Asia and eventually took root in Japan. Drawing primarily on the rich and varied collections of Ryukoku University, each exhibition in the series incorporates important objects from other institutions and features a special thematic display. In January 2027, the series will feature Indian miniature paintings from the internationally renowned Hatanaka Collection. These changing displays offer visitors fresh perspectives and new discoveries with every visit.
Across all our exhibitions, we seek to illuminate not only the objects themselves but also people and societies connected with them, and the rich traditions of thought and culture in which they were created and cherished. During each exhibition period, we also offer lectures by invited speakers, special talks by our curators, and a variety of workshops, giving visitors further opportunities to explore the objects on view.
At a time when advances in digital technology give us instant access to an extraordinary wealth of information wherever we may be, there is perhaps all the more value in making the journey to a museum and coming face to face with the objects themselves. Whether an object unearthed from an ancient site or one handed down through the centuries, each takes on a new presence within the galleries of the Ryukoku Museum. In that encounter, we hope that every visitor will discover—and perhaps begin to unfold—a story of their own.
As a museum belonging to a university dedicated to education and scholarship, the Ryukoku Museum will continue to provide a place for students to learn and for scholars to pursue their research. We also regularly welcome visitors from universities and research institutions overseas, offering opportunities to explore our exhibitions and, where appropriate, to study works in our collections. At the same time, we aspire to be a welcoming and engaging museum for people of all generations, from Japan and around the world.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Ryukoku Museum.
Yasuko Fukuyama
Director, Ryukoku Museum
Ryukoku University