The Japan Institute for the Survey and Conservation of Outdoor Sculpture was founded in June 1997 by sculptors, conservators, conservation scientists, staff of local government organizations, and art historians. The primary objective of this group was to prompt local government and other organizations that own outdoor sculptures throughout Japan to appropriately manage these works that are often neglected in their current conditions.
  In Japan, the placement of sculptural works in public outdoor spaces where large numbers of people congregate began in the Meiji period, upon the introduction of the European concept of monuments. The numerous outdoor sculptures erected since then have gone through three periods of crises since their installation - 1) compulsory delivery of metals to the government during World War II, 2) destruction of the works deemed to be militaristic in the immediate post-war era, and 3) the ongoing damage, caused by environmental pollution, and the public's lack of interest.
  These historical elements must be considered in conjunction with implementing present-day preservation of outdoor sculptures in Japan. In other words, the changes that have occurred in such historical factors as people's views on outdoor sculpture, the techniques and expression used to create the works, and the societal and natural environment that surround those works have served together to create the current state of outdoor sculpture.
  Given these perspectives, the following is a list of the major activities of the Institute.  

1)	Detailed survey of individual outdoor sculptures. Surveys have so far been conducted on the bronze figures of Omura Masujiro (1893, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo) and of Prince Arisugawa-no-Miya Taruhito (1903, Arisugawa Memorial Park, Tokyo), both designed by Okuma Ujihiro, and Yasuda Ryumon's cement figure of Yoshida Shoin (1942, Shimoda, Shizuoka).
2)	Survey of the current state of outdoor sculptures installed throughout Japan between the Meiji and early Showa periods. Using the photo collection of bronze sculptures Ijin no Omokage (Images of Japanese Heroes) published in 1928, this survey took as its frame of reference the 630 figures, mostly reproduced in the book, and examined such issues as which works were melted down for metal supply during WWII, and which were destroyed or moved after WWII.
3)	Survey of post-war outdoor sculptures. We traced the activities of the late Yagyu Fujio, first chairman of the Institute, and conducted interviews with sculptors who actually created outdoor sculptures as part of a consideration of the direction of outdoor sculpture in the post-war era.

  This report will introduce these activities, focusing on 2), as it considers the history, value and preservation of outdoor sculpture in Japan, while also touching on our maintenance activities for currently installed outdoor sculptures in conjunction with Oita City. This study is also an experiment in understanding the meaning of the existence or absence of a sculpture, based on the local people's memory of it or their will and desire to hand it on to the next generation.