Completion of Removal of Kitora Tumulus Murals

On November 25, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced that the plaster removal work, commenced in August 2004 to preserve the murals of the Kitora Tumulus (Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture), nationally designated as Special Historic Site, had now concluded all operations on all sections where murals were suspected to exist. Furthermore, on December 15, the Agency also announced that X-ray examinations of areas on the Dragon (east wall), the Snake (south wall), and the Monkey (east wall) sections where murals might have remained had failed to confirm their presence. On December 24, the Agency decided at the Study Group on the Preservation and Utilization of Kitora Tumulus Muras to preserve the removed plaster without immediately removing the mud covering it for the time being. (Japanese)