New Works Competition and Exhibition 2026

Preview: written before the show opened

Every year more than 2,000 new pieces arrive from over 200 makers across Japan, and the Mingeikan's jury sorts each one into accepted, semi-accepted or rejected. Both passing tiers go on sale. Accepted works stay on display for the whole run and are sold by reservation; semi-accepted pieces are sold on the spot, so the runners-up can ride home with you on the Inokashira Line that afternoon.

The entry rule, in this form since 1953, is "useful and repeatable": ceramics, weaving, dyeing, wood, lacquer, metal, glass, bamboo, straw and paper made for daily use rather than as one-offs. In 2024 the accepted works filled the Large Exhibition Room and the new-wing corridor, and the semi-accepted pieces took two ground-floor rooms in the main building.

Come ready to buy. You book an hourly slot online in advance, two people per booking at most; the museum suggests about 90 minutes, and a ticket lapses an hour after its slot. Adults pay ¥1,500, students ¥800.