The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Past Special Exhibitions

Zafimaniry Style: Life and Handicrafts in the Mist Forest of Madagascar
Zafimaniry Style: Life and Handicrafts in the Mist Forest of Madagascar
March 14, 2013 ~ June 11, 2013
The Warp and Weft of Weaving: Handlooms and Textiles of the World
The Warp and Weft of Weaving: Handlooms and Textiles of the World
September 13, 2012 ~ November 27, 2012
"Modernologio" Now: Kon wajiro's science of the Present
"Modernologio" Now: Kon wajiro's science of the Present
April 26, 2012 ~ June 19, 2012
Devotion to the Arts of Living Daily Life Among the Aynu of the Kurile, Sakhalin and Hokkaido Islands Objects from the Late 19th - Early 20th Century Collections of Ethnological Museums in Germany and Japan
Devotion to the Arts of Living Daily Life Among the Aynu of the Kurile, Sakhalin and Hokkaido Islands Objects from the Late 19th - Early 20th Century Collections of Ethnological Museums in Germany and Japan
October 1, 2011 ~ December 6, 2011
Umesao Tadao: An Explorer For the Future
Umesao Tadao: An Explorer For the Future
March 10, 2011 ~ June 14, 2011
Africa in the Works of El AnatsuiA Fateful Journey
Africa in the Works of El AnatsuiA Fateful Journey
September 16, 2010 ~ December 7, 2010
Voices from the Land, Visions of Life: Beauty Created by the Indigenous Peoples of Canada
Voices from the Land, Visions of Life: Beauty Created by the Indigenous Peoples of Canada
September 10, 2009 ~ December 8, 2009
When Japan's Tea Ceremony Artisans Meet Minpaku's Collections: Creative Art in Perspective
When Japan's Tea Ceremony Artisans Meet Minpaku's Collections: Creative Art in Perspective
March 12, 2009 ~ June 2, 2009
SELF and OTHER: Portraits from Asia and Europe
SELF and OTHER: Portraits from Asia and Europe
September 11, 2008 ~ November 25, 2008
The Profound Earth: Ethnic Life and Crafts of China
The Profound Earth: Ethnic Life and Crafts of China
March 13, 2008 ~ June 3, 2008
The Great Ocean Voyage: VAKA MOANA and Island Life Today
The Great Ocean Voyage: VAKA MOANA and Island Life Today
September 13, 2007 ~ December 11, 2007
Pilgrimage and Sacred Places: A Voyage of Self Discovery
Pilgrimage and Sacred Places: A Voyage of Self Discovery
March 15, 2007 ~ June 5, 2007
Arabesque of Batik Designs and Techniques: From Java to the World
Arabesque of Batik Designs and Techniques: From Java to the World
September 7, 2006 ~ December 5, 2006
Minpaku Kids-World: Objects as Ties between Children and Their Society
Minpaku Kids-World: Objects as Ties between Children and Their Society
March 16, 2006 ~ May 30, 2006
Fashioning India
Fashioning India
September 1, 2005 ~ December 6, 2005
More Happy Every Day: The World of Bricolage Art
More Happy Every Day: The World of Bricolage Art
March 17, 2005 ~ June 7, 2005
The Arabian Nights
The Arabian Nights
September 1, 2004 ~ December 7, 2004
Multiethnic Japan: The Life and History of Immigrants
Multiethnic Japan: The Life and History of Immigrants
March 25, 2004 ~ June 15, 2004
Messages from the Ainu: Craft and Spirit
Messages from the Ainu: Craft and Spirit
January 8, 2004 ~ February 15, 2004
A West African Story-telling Village
A West African Story-telling Village
July 24, 2003 ~ November 25, 2003
Mandala Deities in Tibet and Nepal
Mandala Deities in Tibet and Nepal
March 13, 2003 ~ June 17, 2003
Wrapping Culture: Furoshiki and Wrapping Cloths of the World
Wrapping Culture: Furoshiki and Wrapping Cloths of the World
October 1, 2002 ~ January 14, 2003
Seoul Style 2002: Life as It Is with the Lee Family
Seoul Style 2002: Life as It Is with the Lee Family
March 21, 2002 ~ July 16, 2002
The Sea Otter and Glass Beads: Trade of Indigenous Peoples of the North Pacific Rim
The Sea Otter and Glass Beads: Trade of Indigenous Peoples of the North Pacific Rim
September 20, 2001 ~ January 15, 2002
Ethnology of Life in the Taisho and Showa Periods: Shibusawa Keizo and the Attic Museum
Ethnology of Life in the Taisho and Showa Periods: Shibusawa Keizo and the Attic Museum
March 15, 2001 ~ July 5, 2001
Ethnology and the Rise of Cinema: From Shadow Theater to Multi-Media
Ethnology and the Rise of Cinema: From Shadow Theater to Multi-Media
July 20, 2000 ~ November 21, 2000
Theater at the Museum: The Expressive Body
Theater at the Museum: The Expressive Body
March 18, 2000 ~ May 14, 2000
Ethnic Cultures Abroad: People Moving, Cultures Mixing
Ethnic Cultures Abroad: People Moving, Cultures Mixing
September 1, 1999 ~ January 11, 2000
Cultural Heritage of the South Pacific: The George Brown Collection
Cultural Heritage of the South Pacific: The George Brown Collection
March 11, 1999 ~ May 31, 1999
Mongolia: The Rise of Nomadic Culture
Mongolia: The Rise of Nomadic Culture
July 30, 1998 ~ November 24, 1998
What is inside? Forays and X-rays into Ethnographic Objects
What is inside? Forays and X-rays into Ethnographic Objects
March 12, 1998 ~ May 26, 1998
Images of Other Cultures: From the British Museum Collection
Images of Other Cultures: From the British Museum Collection
September 25, 1997 ~ January 27, 1998
Japan through the Eyes of Siebold and His Son
Japan through the Eyes of Siebold and His Son
August 1, 1996 ~ November 19, 1996
Weaving Color as Culture: The Maya Today
Weaving Color as Culture: The Maya Today
September 14, 1995 ~ November 30, 1995
Music and Musical Instruments in Latin America
Music and Musical Instruments in Latin America
March 16, 1995 ~ May 30, 1995
Woven Flowers of the Silk Road: An Introduction to the Carpet Heritage of West Asia and Central Asia
Woven Flowers of the Silk Road: An Introduction to the Carpet Heritage of West Asia and Central Asia
September 8, 1994 ~ November 29, 1994
Indigenous Peoples and Cultures in Taiwan
Indigenous Peoples and Cultures in Taiwan
March 10, 1994 ~ May 24, 1994
Javanese Cotton Print: A World of Diverse Traditions
Javanese Cotton Print: A World of Diverse Traditions
September 1, 1993 ~ November 30, 1993
Ainu Moshiri: The Ainu World Viewed through Their Designs
Ainu Moshiri: The Ainu World Viewed through Their Designs
June 10, 1993 ~ August 17, 1993
Asia Viewed by Torii Ryuzo, a Pioneer of Ethnology
Asia Viewed by Torii Ryuzo, a Pioneer of Ethnology
March 11, 1993 ~ May 14, 1993
Aboriginal Australia: Fifty Thousand Years of Hunters and Spirits
Aboriginal Australia: Fifty Thousand Years of Hunters and Spirits
September 10, 1992 ~ December 8, 1992
Daghestan, Crossroads of Civilization: Ethnic Arts of the Caucasus
Daghestan, Crossroads of Civilization: Ethnic Arts of the Caucasus
March 12, 1992 ~ May 19, 1992
Greater India: Deities and Man in the Hindu World
Greater India: Deities and Man in the Hindu World
August 1, 1991 ~ November 5, 1991
Engelbert Kämpfer: The Genroku Period Viewed by a German
Engelbert Kämpfer: The Genroku Period Viewed by a German
February 7, 1991 ~ April 16, 1991
The E.S. Morse Collection: Meiji Folk Crafts that Crossed the Pacific
The E.S. Morse Collection: Meiji Folk Crafts that Crossed the Pacific
February 1, 1991 ~ April 16, 1991
Masks in Equatorial Africa: Hidden Forest Spirits
Masks in Equatorial Africa: Hidden Forest Spirits
March 15, 1990 ~ May 31, 1990
The Great Andes Civilization: Inca, the Reviving Empire of the Sun
The Great Andes Civilization: Inca, the Reviving Empire of the Sun
September 14, 1989 ~ December 12, 1989

Before 2001, exhibitions marked ※were categorized as "thematic".

Current and planned Special Exhibitions