The 64th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures

The Osaka District Meteorological Observatory announced that Kogarashi-ichigou(木枯らし1号, the first cold wintry wind of the year) blew in Kinki Region on October 29th.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace is being opened to the public from October 31st to November 4th. Admission is free.

The 64th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures is being held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), from Octber 27th to November 12th at the Nara National Museum.
Refer to previous post for information about Shoso-in Treasures.

The venue is very crowded with visitors. YOMIURI ONLINE(Japanese version) is offering information on waiting times to enter the venue. Visitors had to wait about 75 minutes around 11:30 a.m. on the 31th.

At this year's exhibition, 64 items in its collections are on display.
The exhibits include a red sandalwood four-stringed biwa lute decorated with lamina of mother-of-pearl,a red-stained ivory plectrum with bachiru decoration, a sugoroku(Japanese backgammon) game board and game pieces, and a blue glass cup.

The lute might have been crafted in China during the Tang dynasty. The cup is thought to have been made in Sassanian Persia and brought to Japan along the Silk Road.

The Shosoin collection also include a five-stringed biwa lute, and oter five glass items including a cut glass bowl called Hakururi no Wan although they are not exhibited this time.
The biwa lute is said to be the only existing five-stringed one in the world.
It is said that about 2,000 Sasanian cut glass bowls still remain in the world, but most of them are not transparent because they have been buried in the soil for so long. Hakururi no Wan has been preserved very much in its original state. The bowl sparkles from receiving light even now.