Feature Exhibition
Toyotomi Hideyoshi and East Asian Diplomacy
Nowadays, heads of state communicate directly through phone calls or in-person meetings.
However, before this was possible, letters and gifts brought by envoys played a critical role in
diplomacy among the nations of East Asia and Europe. These letters and gifts were adorned with
various devices designed to visually express hierarchical relationships among the leaders of
each country. Especially in the letters that served as diplomatic documents, we can see how
nations sought to position themselves through their format, wording, materials, decoration, and
the placement of seals.
Our Feature Exhibition looks specifically at diplomatic documents and foreign gifts related to
the Imjin War (known in Japan as the Bunroku-Keichō Campaigns, 1592–98). Warlord Toyotomi
Hideyoshi drew Asian nations into this conflict on the Korean Peninsula, which we are exploring
through a comprehensive selection of top-level diplomatic materials related to Hideyoshi,
including National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties on display for the first time in
Kyushu. Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to study Hideyoshi’s global strategy, the
reactions of Asian nations, and the realities of premodern diplomacy as revealed through these
fascinating works.
Exhibition Period |
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27 January (Tue) – 8 March (Sun) 2026 |
Venue |
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Room 11, Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall
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Tickets (Cultural Exchange Exhibition) |
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| Adults | 700 yen |
| University students | 350 yen |
| High school students, under-18s, and over-70s Free | |
*For further details on ticket prices, please refer to this page.
List of Works |
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Exhibition Leaflet |
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Exhibition Highlights
Setting his sights on conquering Asia
Saga Prefecture Important Cultural Property
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Length 36.3, width 24.0 cm
Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum
Envoys from Ming China visited this base
Saga Prefecture Important Cultural Property
Hizen Nagoya
Castle
Length 157.0, width 350.0 cm
Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum
Exhibition period: from 17 Feb to 8 Mar
Unveiling a full 5-meter-long scroll calling Hideyoshi the “King of Japan!”
Important Cultural Property
Edict from Emperor Shenzong of Ming
China, addressed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Length 31.3, width 501.2 cm
Osaka Museum of History
Exhibition period: from 27 Jan to 15 Feb
A Ming emperor’s message to Hideyoshi
Edict from Emperor Shenzong of Ming China, addressed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Length 53.0, width 172.8 cm
Archives and Mausolea Department, Imperial Household Agency
Appointing Hideyoshi’s close aides as Ming military officers
Important Cultural Property
Official letter of appointment from Ming
China, addressed to Maeda Gen’i
Length 111.1, width 85.3 cm
Historiographical Institute, the University of Tokyo
Exhibition period: from 17 Feb to 8 Mar
*From 27 Jan to 15 Feb, we will display an official letter of
appointment from Ming China, addressed to Uesugi Kagekatsu
(Important Cultural Property, owned by Uesugi Shrine, Yamagata).
Adorned with golden dragons, this box stored state letters from kings to shoguns.
Important Cultural Property
Royal document box in vermilion lacquer
with gold leaf dragons
Length 16.5, width 52.5, height 16.5 cm
Tokyo National Museum
Making their debut in Kyushu are a National Treasure and Important Cultural Properties from Kyoto’s Myōhō-in Temple and Uesugi Shrine in Yamagata!
National Treasure, Letter from the Viceroy of Portuguese India, Myōhō-in
Temple, Kyoto (Exhibition period: from 27 Jan to 15 Feb)
Important Cultural Property, Large crimson brocade round-collar robe,
Myōhō-in Temple, Kyoto
Important Cultural Property, Green lined undergarment, Myōhō-in Temple,
Kyoto (Exhibition period: from 10 Feb to 8 Mar)
Important Cultural Property, Large crimson round-collar robe, Uesugi Shrine,
Yamagata (Exhibition period: from 27 Jan to 8 Feb)
Important Cultural Property, Rhinoceros kaku obi, Uesugi Shrine,
Yamagata
(Exhibition period: from 27 Jan to 8 Feb)
Events (in Japanese only)
No registration required, capacity of 270
Kyuhaku in 3-D: Deep Dive Discoveries
Dig Deeper into our Feature Exhibition,
Toyotomi
Hideyoshi and
East Asian Diplomacy
by Araki Kazunori (Associate Professor, Kyushu University Graduate School; Medieval Japanese History, the History of Foreign Relations)
by Kawakami Shigeki (Professor, Osaka Gakuin University; Professor Emeritus, Kwansei Gakuin University; Textile History)
No registration required; first come, first served
Museum Talks
② 17 Feb (Tue) 2026, 15:00 to 15:30
② Ichinose Tomo (Researcher, Exhibitions Division, Kyushu National Museum)