Education programs

The interactive content “Cultural Properties in 8K: The National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku” made available in 2018 as part of the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at the Tokyo National Museum was reborn and released online in January 2026 as “National Treasure The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku Digital Art Viewer.”

Users can enjoy viewing the National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku with high-resolution images and episode explanations at school, at home, or anywhere, anytime.
With the addition of Chinese and Korean, the content is now supported in four languages (Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean), making it available to even more users.

National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku　by Hata no Chitei／Heian period,dated 1069／color on twill-weave silk／ 10 panels／Tokyo National Museum (N-1)

The National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum is a series of paintings that once adorned the inner walls of the Hall of Paintings at Horyuji Temple in Nara. Created by Hata no Chitei in 1069, corresponding to Japan’s Heian period, they are the oldest paintings that chronicle the prince’s life and deeds, exemplifying the early yamato-e style of classical Japanese painting.However, time has taken a considerable toll on the Illustrated Biography, and the fine details are no longer visible to the naked eye.
“National Treasure The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku Digital Art Viewer” is the web application version of content jointly developed by the Tokyo National Museum, the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties, and NHK Educational Corporation in 2018 using high-resolution images of the National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku. The new interactive viewing tool additionally includes content in Chinese and Korean, which were not available in the museum gallery.

Each 1.9-by-1.5-meter painting in the illustrated biography was photographed in twenty-eight sections, which were then recombined to create 1.8 billion pixels of data per painting. The application processes two panels—3.6 billion pixels of data—in real time as viewers explore the work at their own pace on their home computer, smartphone, or other mobile device.
Viewers may zoom in on any part of the illustrated biography to see Prince Shotoku’s facial expressions in stunning detail or choose an episode from the prince’s life to view it with commentary. Enjoy a closeup look at the National Treasure painted almost one thousand years ago and the fascinating figure of Prince Shotoku himself.

＊Contents production: National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties and NHK Educational Corporation

Viewers can get a closeup look at scenes of twelve selected legendary feats from the prince’s life.
For example, select the episode “Japan’s First Constitution” when the prince was aged 33 to view the scene depicting the prince creating the well-known Seventeen-Article Constitution.

Scene of the prince creating the Seventeen-Article Constitution (Panel 6). Some episodes contain quiz challenges, which allow users to enjoy searching for the answers in a game format.

Somewhere in Panel 1, Prince Shotoku is smiling while levitating in the air. Can you find him?

When you click the “Reveal Answer” button, the relevant part is displayed. Zoom in closer on the scene to see the sweetly smiling prince!
The appeal of the content is that it allows users to zoom in with their devices and closely view details that would be difficult to make out with the naked eye in a gallery exhibition of the actual artwork.

A total of 60 highlights from the Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku are introduced, starting with the twelve legendary feats.

See scene explanations for the National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku (Japanese only)

The content also includes extensive information to help users understand the artwork, such as the history of the artwork and a chronology related to Prince Shotoku.
Please use it to enjoy the National Treasure Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku from various angles.