Poster Presentation at the 29th Annual Training Session of the Association for Conservation of National Treasures
Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been involved in a project called the “Investigation of Tools and Materials Used for the Preservation and Restoration of Fine Arts and Crafts”—part of a project headed by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the “TAKUMI Project,”—since the 2022 fiscal year. On October 3, 2025, at the 29th annual training session organized by the Association for Conservation of National Treasures (ACNT), a key deliverable of this project was presented as a poster presentation highlighting the Database of Restoration Records for Cultural Properties (Fine Arts and Crafts).
ACNT is a group of specialists dedicated to the conservation and restoration of cultural properties, particularly fine arts and crafts such as paintings, calligraphies, books, documents, and historical materials. As of the 2025, ACNT had ten member studios with approximately 140 registered specialists. ACNT is certified as the preservation organization for mounting and restoration techniques, which are nationally designated as “Selected Conservation Techniques.” Many technicians and specialists from across the country participate in its annual training session, with 376 attending in the 2025 fiscal year.
On the presentation day, Mr. ASAKA Hiroshi (Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan) and Mr. WATADA Minoru (First Cultural Properties Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs) delivered lectures on the appreciation and preservation of portraits and ink paintings. Alongside reports of restoration cases by member studios, TOBUNKEN participated in the poster presentation under the title “On the Database of Restoration Records for Cultural Properties (Fine Arts and Crafts): Project Report of the Investigation of Tools and Materials Used for the Preservation and Restoration of Fine Arts and Crafts” (presenters: Ms. YAMANAGA Naomi, Mr. OYAMADA Tomohiro, Mr. TARASHIMA Satoshi, and Ms. EMURA Tomoko from the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems). The presentation included details on research procedures, database structure, scope of content, outlook and challenges, and methods of use.
At the venue, numerous questions and comments were received from restoration technicians, museum personnel, and graduate students studying cultural property restoration. Furthermore, valuable information was obtained on restoration records that have become increasingly difficult to inherit in recent years for various reasons. These insights will be fed back into the project, ensuring ongoing resource development of restoration records and effective operation of the database.