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The blade of a Japanese dagger (or short sword; tantō), dated to 1358. It was made by Tsugunao, one of the best sword-smiths of his day.

To quote the label in the museum (Tokyo National Museum): "Daggers were sometimes given to children as a talisman to ward of evil. [Former] Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632) presented this exceptionell dagger to the samurai Date Mitsumune (1627-1645) when Mitsumune was four years old [the Japanese part of the label, says that this was in 1630]. From then on, the dagger was passed down as an heirloom of the Date clan."

It was probably not only the gesture of kindness from a ruler towards his subject - Mitsumune was the second son of Date Tadamune and his wife Furihime. And she was the adopted daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada (Furuhime's mother was actually the sister of him), making the boy more or less the shogun's grandson.

And not that the old dagger (it was almost 300 years old when given away) gave the boy enough protection. He died as a young man, it is believed from poor health when out travelling.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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The original, Sanskrit, name of this deity is Virūpākṣa, but in Japan he is known as Kōmokuten (広目天 = wide see heaven[ly king]; he is thought to possess a third eye so that he both could see things far away, but also the karma of living creatures). He is one of the four heavenly kings.

This 8th century wooden statue, on display at Tokyo National Museum, comes from the Nara temple Daian-ji​, one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, founded in 639 A.D. He was a part of a set of four, with the other three kings.

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And Zaō Gongen himself - made of exquisitely crafted gilt bronze (zoom in to see the details). This not very large piece dates to the Heian period and the 10-12 century.

Gongen is a phenomenon in shugendō, a religious tradition dating back to the Nara period (8th century AD) which combines Shinto and Buddhism. And the gongen are considered to be Buddha turned into a kami (i.e. a Shinto god).

On display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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From the entrance hall of the main building (honkan) of Tokyo National Museum at Ueno.

The building was inaugurated in 1938, after the prior building had been destroyed by the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923. The architect was Jin Watanabe, and it is built in what is known as the Imperial Crown Style (a style developed in Japan between the two world wars). But this new museum building was not just built to be top modern for the time, but also earthquake safe(er) being reinforced with concrete.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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This is a 6th century rendition of a warrior, made of stone.

This period of Japanese history is known as the Kofun period, which literally means the old grave period. And, as might be expected from that name, the period is famous for its graves: enormous earth mounds of different shapes which still can be seen in the Japanese landscape (even in the middle of cities, including Tokyo). And I do mean enormous.

The Kofun period burials are perhaps most known for its Haniwa sculptures - made of terracotta (for a Haniwa warrior from roughly the same time, see: www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16545691348 ). But as can be seen here, they also made sculptures of stone, and they are quite massive.

This one is from the Iwatoyama Tumulus, the largest burial of its kind in northern Kyushu (the mound length is 135 metres, and the height 18 metres). The burial is thought to be that of Tsukushi no Kuni Iwai, identified from historical texts (primarily Nihon Shoki). Iwai was a powerful local leader and he was the head of what would later be called the Iwai rebellion, against the Yamato court. Iwai did not succeed, and the Yamatos were strengthened. (This was before the unified Japan we know today.)

The exact function of the stone sculptures are unknown - but whatever there is a religious and/or political or even decorative function, there is no denying it must have been quite impressive, and perhaps even slightly intimidating.

It is labeled as an Important Cultural Property, and is on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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Two traditional Japanese buildings in the garden behind the main building of the Tokyo National Museum (a garden that is a lovely place to visit).

The closer building is the Okyokan (書院), dating to 1742 and the one further away is Kujōkan (九条館). That one is not given a date by the museum signage, it was gifted to the museum in 1934 and was once located close to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and later moved to Tokyo. It contains paintings dated to sometime in the 17th or early 18th century.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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This big Japanese bronze bell dates to sometime from the 1st century to the 3rd century AD, found at a Yayoi settlement in Tsu in the Mie prefecture.

The name (dōtaku - written 銅鐸) literally means big copper bell (bronze is generally written 青銅, which means blue copper, but 銅 is sometimes used to denote bronze too). Their exact function(s?) is under debate, but they were definitely used in religious ceremonies. And according to Japanese folklore they were used as warning bells. It would seem quite possible that they had several uses, despite many of them having a similar design, because they were very different in size - from just about 10 centimetres all the way up to almost 1.3 metres. (This particular example is one of the really big ones.)
They were in use from the 2nd century BC to the end of the Yayoi period to the 3rd century AD.

On display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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A Japanese paper-screen, depicting a landscape shifting between the seasons (with winter to the left). This screen is quite old, considering the fragility of the material, dating to the 15th century and the Muromachi period.

On display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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Japanese clay figurines called dogū (in Japanese written 土偶 which translates to earthen figure) were popular in the Late and Final Jōmon period, with these two figurines dating to sometime 1000-400 B.C.

They are found all other Japan (except Okinawa), but much more prevalent in Easter Japan, and their function is unknown - not that that stops people from speculating of course. But it is prehistory, there are no written records and when it comes to believes archaeology can't reveal everything.

Japan is also known for the Haniwa figuries of the Kofun period, more than 600 years later - but those were clearly used for funeral purposes in a way these are not, and there is no obvious connection between them and the Jōmon dogū, neither in function nor looks. Furthermore, there was no tradition of clay figurines in the period in between, in the Yayoi period (ca 300 BC - 300 AD).

For examples of Haniwa figurines see:
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16545691348/
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/32145980021/
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/30001595682/

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.

Painted wooden sculpture from the 9th century, in the Heian period, of Bishamonten - the Japanese version of Vaiśravaṇa, one of the four heavenly kings in Buddhism (Shitennō - 四天王). In Japan he is viewed as the leader of the heavenly kings, a warrior god dressed in armour - in folklore he is viewed as one of the seven gods of fortune (Shichi Fukujin - 七福神). He is usually depicted wit a pagoda in one hand (you can see it in the left, raised, one) and a spear. There is no spear here, but I think that would explain the strange angle of the fingers on right hand and that the spear has been lost.

Another angle of the same statue: www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16776236886
And a detail of the defeated monster: www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16873241631

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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18th century wooden sculpture of the Buddhist monk Kūkai, founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan. He was born as Saeki no Mao in 774 and died in 835.

He was given the posthumous name Kōbō Daishi, which is the name heading the museum label for this piece of art, though the - at least for me - more familiar name of Kūkai appears later in the same text. The description actually calls him Kōbō Daishi (also known as Kūkai), in the English text, but says Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) in the Japanese. My guess is, though I might be wrong, that Kōbō Daishi is the more correct way to call him, but he is more familiar in Japan under the name Kūkai.

The age of the sculpture, made a thousand years after he was born, probably indicates that this shall not be taken as a real portrait of likeness but is rather meant to capture his essence.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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Located at the gardens of Tokyo National Museum this house dates (according to the museum) to 1742 when it was built as what is called a shoin (書院) in Japanese.

A shoin is, historically speaking, a hall and a place for sūtra studies at a temple - and this building began its history as a shoin at the Myogen'in Buddhist temple, in Oharucho, Aichi prefecture, so it was probably meant just for that. (Today the word shoin rather means a drawing room or study, but those words ill captures the nature of such a big hall as this.) The house is 15 metres long and 9 metres deep, consists of just two room and a surrounding corridor.

The museum acquired the building in 1933.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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A gilded wooden sculpture of the Buddha Vairocana - in Japan known as Dainichi Nyorai. It dates to the Heian era and 11th century and is now on display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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A wooden sculpture of the bodhisattva Jizō, dating to the 12th century. Now at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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Illustration from a Japanese book-scroll depicting the fight between the hero Minamoto no Raikō, his samurai vassal Watanabe no Tsuna and a gigantic spider which lived north of the capital of Kyoto. The scroll dates to the 14th century and the Kamakura period.

But both Minamoto no Raikō and Watanbe no Tsuna are real, historical persons. Raikō is also known under the first name Yorimitsu and lived 948-1021 and held several high government positions. And Tsuna was known as Watanabe no Tsuna, but was actually officially named Minamoto no Tsuna (but they were from different branches of the Minamoto family). He lived 953-1025.

They feature in several stories, though one would think that not all of them are based entirely on historical facts, because I somehow doubt the existence of giant spiders like this one, even back in the day.

The angle of this shot is due to me taking it through glass and I wanted to avoid the light reflections. It is on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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A Buddha statue from Gandhara, in what is now Pakistan. It dates to the second or third century A.D. and is made of schist.

Now on display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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A bodhisattva statue from Gandhara, in what is now Pakistan. It dates to the second century A.D. and is made of schist.

Now on display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.

A bodhisattva statue from Gandhara, in what is now Pakistan. It dates to the second century A.D. and is made of schist.

Now on display at Tokyo National Museum.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.

This is the old Kujou family residence, now at the gardens of Tokyo National Museum. The house, called Kujoukan (kan,館, means building or house) was donated to the museum in 1934 - and that was the second time this house moved. It started as the family residence at the imperial grounds in Kyoto (I would assume before the move of the emperor to Tokyo). The house was eventually moved to Asakusa in Tokyo, where it was the home of the head of the Kujo clan (again, a guess for my part, since I haven't been able to find any dates for anything but the final move, I would think that it is likely that the family relocated to Tokyo after the Meiji restauration).

The house may not be entered by ordinary visitors, but you are free to look in, to see the sliding doors with rice paper (shōji), tatami flooring and (though you can't see it from this angle) wall paintings.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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Well, perhaps not that hidden since this is taken at the gardens at Tokyo National Museum, and there were so many visitors there that it was a real struggle to get a good shot of this view. But it doesn't LOOK that way so...

I have visited this museum quite a few times by now (and its well worth it), but it was the first time I had the opportunity to actually visit the gardens too!