100th anniversary of Meiji Jingu Gaien: special exhibition on the giant murals of Tokyo’s Seitoku Gallery

TOKYO – On September 26, 2026, the special exhibition “Approaching the Giant Murals of the Seitoku Memorial Picture Gallery” opened at the Meiji Jingu Museum in Tokyo and will remain open until December 6, 2026, as PR Times reports, citing the Meiji Shrine’s official press release.

The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Meiji Jingu Gaien, the outer precinct of the Meiji Shrine, established in October 1926. At the heart of this space stands the Seitoku Memorial Picture Gallery, opened on October 23, 1926, inside which 80 giant murals are displayed — each 3 meters wide and 2.7 meters tall — created by 76 renowned Japanese artists. The works chronologically depict the achievements of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken in the 1868–1912 period, while the work of creating them lasted a full 20 years. The gallery building was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in June 2011.

The focus of the new exhibition is precisely the artists who devoted themselves to these monumental murals. Throughout its run, six original murals are shown, rotated in three phases. The first phase, from September 26 to October 11, is titled “Patronage of historical painting” and is dedicated to the people and organizations that supported the gallery’s creation, with the murals “Audience at the Tomioka Silk Mill” by Arai Kanpō and “Restoration of Imperial Rule” by Shimada Bokusen. The second phase, from October 17 to November 8, is dedicated to artists marking the 150th anniversary of their birth, while the third phase, from November 14 to December 6, presents Japanese painters of the Western style who traveled abroad and their artistic relationships.

Further details about the exhibition and the exhibited works can be found in the Meiji Jingu’s official announcement, published on PR Times.