The CPCP Blog Features the Hands-on Program Using the Reproduction of the Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, Produced with ARTerrace's Collaboration
On August 18, 2026, the blog of the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties (CPCP), Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, featured a hands-on program using the reproduction of the Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay (Hōō Enmon Raden Karabitsu), produced with the collaboration of ARTerrace.
The article, "Learning the Maker's Spirit Through Experience: A Hands-on Program Using the Reproduction of the Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay," is set in the hands-on exhibition corner in Room 9 on the first floor of the Japanese Gallery (Honkan) at the Tokyo National Museum. Accompanied by photographs, it shows visitors encountering the techniques behind cultural properties and the work of the artists who made them.
<Produced with the Collaboration of ARTerrace and Four Craft Artists>
The object used in the hands-on program is a half-scale reproduction created for tactile experience, based on the Important Cultural Property Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay (Hōryūji Treasures) in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.
It was produced as part of a CPCP project, planned and supervised by the Tokyo National Museum, through the collaboration of ARTerrace Inc. and four traditional craft artists, including a Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure).
How were the techniques embodied in the original—the phoenix motifs rendered in mother-of-pearl inlay, the metal fittings ornamented down to the finest detail—translated into a reproduction? That meticulous work is itself one of the great points of interest of this piece.
<A Way of Seeing That Only a Reproduction Can Offer>
What is striking is not only the completed reproduction, but the hands-on experience of the visitors themselves. As they examine the details with the guidance of volunteer staff, or observe how the green turban shell changes with the play of light, visitors' interest gradually shifts from the impression that it is beautiful toward the question of how it was made.
The blog introduces two particular points of interest in detail, illustrated with photographs.
Some 900 years ago, how did the makers create these motifs and ornaments? What comes into view when you encounter the reproduction firsthand? Please take a look at the blog.
<Behind the Scenes: The Making-of Film>
For those who would like to know more about how the reproduction was made, a making-of film is also available, documenting the production process together with interviews with the four artists involved.
<Experiencing Both the Original and the Reproduction at the Tokyo National Museum>
In Room 9, "Midori-no-lion," on the first floor of the Japanese Gallery (Honkan) at the Tokyo National Museum, the Urushi Lacquer Hands-on Tool using this reproduction is available through Sunday, September 13, 2026.
The original, the Important Cultural Property Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, is on view at the Gallery of Hōryūji Treasures through Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Seeing the original and the reproduction together offers an opportunity to come to know a single cultural property more deeply.
Urushi Lacquer Hands-on Tool
Venue: Hands-on Corner, Room 9 "Midori-no-lion," 1F, Japanese Gallery (Honkan), Tokyo National Museum
Dates: Tuesday, June 16 – Sunday, September 13, 2026
*Available Tuesday through Sunday, between 11:30 and 15:30, during the hours when volunteers are on duty.
*Depending on the number of volunteers on duty on a given day, the corner may be closed or its hours shortened. Thank you for your understanding.
*Suspended: Saturday, August 1 – Sunday, August 16
Museum Hours: 9:30–17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
*9:30–20:00 every Friday and Saturday, and on Sundays when the following Monday is a national holiday.
*Hours follow those of the TNM Collection Exhibition.
Closed: Mondays (open when Monday falls on a national holiday, closed the following weekday), during the New Year holidays, and on other occasional closures
Admission: Free
*Included with admission to the TNM Collection Exhibition (Regular Exhibition): Adults 1,000 yen, University students 500 yen, free for high school students and under and visitors aged 70 and over, among others. Also accessible with a ticket to a special exhibition currently on view (valid on the day of the visit only).
Reference: National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties (CPCP), Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, "Learning the Maker's Spirit Through Experience: A Hands-on Program Using the Reproduction of the Chinese-Style Chest with Phoenix Roundels in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay" (published August 18, 2026). Please refer to the original site for further details. (Japanese only)
