New ROM exhibition explores how the sense of touch is inherent in Japanese art

TORONTO, January 21, 2026 – This spring, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents a groundbreaking original exhibition that reveals unique insights into Japanese art and culture – and offers visitors a new perspective on artwork and objects that have far more depth than their surface beauty might otherwise suggest.

Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art, running from April 4 to September 7, 2026, is the first exhibition focused on the Japanese concept of shokkan – or the sense of touch – highlighting the tactile experience of handling objects as an integral way to appreciate the material culture of Japan. 

Beyond the physical sensation of texture or surface, shokkan refers to a personal impression made by the combination of multiple senses, language, and memory. Shokkan is deeply embedded in all aspects of Japanese art, and understanding the concept allows for a more nuanced appreciation of the influence of Japan’s cultural legacy across the ages.

“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.”

Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art draws primarily from ROM’s rich collection of Japanese art and includes over 80 exceptional examples of Japanese textiles, armour, paintings, ceramics, lacquerware, prints, and contemporary art. Each of the artfully crafted pieces featured will show how even the most precious artforms were meant to be used in everyday life – from the handling of a scroll to the ritual of a tea ceremony.

“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.”

Intimate and personal, the notion of shokkan can be seen through some of the most recognizable art created in Japan – from the imprint of the maker’s hands in the contours of a simple matcha tea bowl to the implied sensation of touch suggested by the grain of a woodblock print. Visitors will come away with a renewed awareness of the sense of touch that is sometimes taken for granted – and in the process discover new ways to appreciate Japanese art. 

Five interactive stations throughout the gallery allow visitors to engage their senses through touching a range of different pieces – including the finely woven silk fabrics of a kimono, the wrapped layers of a samurai sword handle, the intricate details of a small carved netsuke sculpture, or the grainy surface of Shigaraki pottery.

Exhibition highlights include a 400-year-old golden painted folding screen juxtaposed with a contemporary screen painting, as well as 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.

By interacting with Japanese art in a way that simply viewing objects cannot replicate, Shokkan gets to the heart of how such works are meant to be appreciated – and why the country’s artistic output has enticed art lovers and collectors for generations.

Catalogue
A richly illustrated publication will accompany the exhibition, featuring 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: 

Exhibition Patrons:

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

Image credits: Tea bowl, Ōmine Jissei 大嶺實清 (Japan, b. 1933), late 1900s – early 2000s, glazed stoneware. Gift of Deanna L. Horton Photo © Paul Eekhoff/ROM.