Web Release of Digital Content for “Yamazaki Bridge” (Kubosō Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi)
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) concluded a memorandum of understanding for joint research with the Kubosō Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi in 2024 (Reiwa 6). Under this collaboration, research has been conducted on works in the museum’s collection, and a research meeting on the painting “Yamazaki Bridge” was held in September 2025 (Reiwa 7). (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/katudo/2403901.html))
With the aim of making the results of the optical investigation of “Yamazaki Bridge” widely available, we created digital content for the work and have now released it as an open-access resource. The site provides explanations in both Japanese and English regarding the work and the research methods used. Users can freely zoom in and out while comparing high-resolution color images of the painting with near-infrared and fluorescence images.
In many historical artworks, the surface of the painting becomes difficult to see due to aging, making it challenging to identify depicted elements and fine details with the naked eye. In the near-infrared images, however, ink line drawings can be observed with remarkable clarity, while fluorescence images reveal features such as areas of infill silk carried out during past restorations and differences in coloring materials. In addition, for the engi text (inscription) located at the bottom of the painting, we developed photographic methods and image-processing techniques designed to make the characters easier to discern. Previous studies have relied primarily on the text in an accompanying document dating to the late Edo period. Now that the characters on the painting’s surface can be more readily examined, it has become possible to undertake more in-depth analysis. Further advances in research are therefore anticipated.
We invite you to explore the pictorial space of this work and experience the atmosphere of the Kamakura period that it evokes.