The V&A has been collecting Japanese art and design since it was founded in 1852 and now holds one of the world's most comprehensive collections, including ceramics, lacquer, arms and armour, woodwork, metalwork, textiles and dress, prints, paintings, sculpture and modern & contemporary studio crafts.

With the exception of some early metalwork, ceramics and Buddhist sculpture, most objects date from the Edo (1615-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) periods. Of particular interest is our collection of over 30,000 Edo-period ukiyo-e prints, paintings, drawings and albums. We also hold one of the finest and most complete collections of Japanese enamels in the world, as well as the earliest documented examples of this art form in any museum.