New exhibition exploring the sense of touch opens at ROM

TORONTO, March 26, 2026 – This spring, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) welcomes visitors to a truly distinctive original exhibition highlighting the sensory connection key to the creation and appreciation of Japanese art. 

Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art, running from April 4 to September 7, 2026, focuses on the Japanese concept of shokkan – or the sense of touch – to bring to life how the tactile experience of interacting with artworks and everyday objects is essential to understanding Japanese culture.

Offering visitors a new perspective on Japanese art, the concept of shokkan can be understood as a personal impression created in one’s mind when touching something. Shokkan is more than simply a tactile sensation, it is also influenced by other senses like vision and sound, as well as language and memory.

Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art features more than 80 original objects from ROM’s collection – from an intricately woven silk kimono to an elaborately gilded screen – alongside striking examples of armour, paintings, ceramics, lacquerware, prints, and contemporary art.

This unique exhibition is the first of its kind to centre the notion of shokkan – which is vital to understanding Japanese art more fully and contributes to appreciating how Japan’s material culture is so celebrated around the world.   

“This exhibition explores the complexity of touch – or shokkan – in Japanese art from a broader perspective, emphasizing the importance of the handmade and the textural, of surface decoration and ‘imagined touch,’” says Dr. Akiko Takesue, Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture at ROM. “Taking Japanese art as a case study, Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art aims to promote a new awareness of touch and diversify how we appreciate art of all kinds.”

Underscoring the way in which all these pieces were meant to be used in daily life, the exhibition will showcase how even the most precious items serve an important function – from the serving of a cup of tea to the unfurling of a scroll. 

“Traversing eras and mediums, Shokkan's multidisciplinary approach makes it right at home at ROM,” says Jennifer Wild, ROM Interim Co-Director & CEO. “Offering new insights into Japanese art, Shokkan encourages us to pay more attention to the sense of touch, inviting visitors to experience everyday objects in entirely new ways.”

Experiencing shokkan can provide a more nuanced understanding of some of the most distinctive elements of art created in Japan – such as the contours of an imprint of a finger left by the maker’s hands on a matcha tea bowl, or the implied touch suggested by a woodblock print – and recognizing this concept can unlock a whole new way to appreciate the sense of touch that is often taken for granted in daily life.  

Exhibition highlights will create interesting points of comparison between eras – from a striking red silk kimono from the 18th century paired alongside a colourful Issey Miyake pleated dress; a 400-year-old golden folding screen juxtaposed with a contemporary screen painting; and a delicately crafted tea bowl by 17th-century master potter Nonomura Ninsei contrasted with the bold texture of a 20th-century vessel made by Ōmine Jissei. Also included are nearly a dozen intricately carved handheld netsuke sculptures as well as a selection of striking woodblock prints from the Edo period (1603-1868) that depict intimate moments.

Six interactive stations throughout the gallery allow visitors to touch a range of different objects – including trying their own hand at wrapping with furoshiki cloths, holding the layered texture of a samurai sword handle, feeling the woven silk fabrics of kimono, discovering the intricate details of a small handheld carved netsuke sculpture, unrolling a painted hand scroll, and touching the grainy surface of contemporary Shigaraki pottery.

In addition to these hands-on areas, pop-up activations throughout the run will include opportunities for museumgoers to try on an authentic kimono, hold a matcha tea bowl, and unroll a hand scroll themselves. Visitors will also be able to learn more through a series of programs and talks. 

Programming highlights

Bishop White Committee: Friends of East Asia
Monday, May 4, 2026 | 6:30 pm 
Almost Human: Robo Sapiens Japonicus offers an evening of thought-provoking conversations examining robots, sensory perception, and the evolving relationship between humans and machines in post-industrial Japan. Professor Emerita Jennifer Robertson (University of Michigan) will deliver a keynote address exploring how robots occupy the space between technological reality and cultural imagination, while Dr. Akiko Takesue will present key works from the exhibition that exemplify the uniquely Japanese synthesis of visual elegance and sensory engagement. For tickets and more details, visit ROM’s website here. 

TIFF – Silver Screenings 
Friday, May 8, 2026 | 12 pm 
Dr. Akiko Takesue will give a short talk on May 8 prior to a screening of Yasujirō Ozu's Equinox Flower as part of TIFF's Silver Screenings series at TIFF Lightbox (350 King St. W.), starting at 12 p.m. This free event during Asian Heritage Month is presented in partnership with ROM and the Japan Foundation, Toronto. Tickets will be available to the public on April 17, with an exclusive promo code (first-come, first-served) for ROM Members. For more information, visit TIFF's website here.

A Universal Museum – Learning Through Touch in Public Spaces
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 | 7 pm 
In celebration of Museum Month, consider: What makes a museum, gallery, or other public space welcoming and available to all audiences? Join Professor Kōjirō Hirose (National Ethnographic Museum, Osaka, Japan) and Dr. Akiko Takesue as they discuss the concept of a Universal Museum, a space where every member of society feels comfortable to learn and grow through touch, followed by access to the exhibition. For tickets and more details, visit ROM’s website here.

Catalogue
A richly illustrated companion publication, Sense of Touch: Shokkan and Sensory Exploration in Japanese Art, features object highlights and essays that explore how shokkan is not merely about the sensation felt at one’s fingertips but can be understood as a nuanced combination of human senses, language, and memory. 

Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art is included with ROM general admission and runs from April 4 to September 7, 2026. 

Lead Exhibition Patron: 
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation

Exhibition Patrons: 
Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Gail Rose Appel
Bishop White Committee
The Gennaro and Rosalia Family Charitable Foundation
The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation 

This exhibition is generously supported by the Royal Exhibitions Circle with additional support from ROM Women Initiative. 

Image credit: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Woman getting tattooed from the 32 Aspects of Beauties of the Woman, c. 1888, woodblock print. Photo © Paul Eekhoff/ROM.