| ■Tokyo National Research
Institute for Cultural Properties |
■Center for Conservation
Science |
| ■Department of Art Research,
Archives and Information Systems |
■Japan Center for
International Cooperation in Conservation |
| ■Department of Intangible
Cultural Heritage |
|
During the lecture
To welcome Dr. Stanley Abe (professor, Duke University, USA), an expert in Chinese art history, as a visiting researcher to the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems, the lecture by Dr. ABE was organized under the title of Imagining Chinese Sculpture from 2:00 to 5:30 PM on June 5 (Wed.) in a basement meeting room at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo.
Dr. ABE’s lecture focused on the fact that the Western concept of “sculpture” did not exist in China until the 19th century. Instead, emphasis was placed on the text that accompanied three-dimensional objects. Tracing the history of this text, Dr. Abe noted that it was valued in different ways and was intended as a gift or treated as an art object. Since the dawn of the modern age, that text gained new value as a work of art when it was collected by Westerners and Japanese who visited China.
After the lecture, a discussion took place with comments by Dr. TANAKA Shuji (associate professor, Graduate School of Education, Faculty of Education and Welfare Science, Oita University) and OKADA Ken (Head of the Institute’s Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques). The discussion revealed that China and Japan attached different value to three-dimensional objects prior to encountering the Western European concept of “sculpture,” and the social status of the individuals who produced those items also differed. In China, the term “sculpture” strongly connotes an object produced after the dawn of the modern age.
The discussion brought up topics such as variations not only in the acceptance of Western culture, but also in the modern shaping of the plastic arts, and the historical and economic contexts that led to those variations. The lecture had 48 attendees and was a success.
YUKI Somei’s manuscript for A Description of Graves of Artists
The Japanese-style painter YUKI Somei (1875–1957) is known as a figure who contributed to a revolution in modern Japanese-style painting. He did this by developing a style based on naturalism in the middle of the Meiji Period and by participating in the forming of Kinreisha (an organization encouraging Japanese-style painters) with painters such as HIRAFUKU Hyakusui and KABURAKI Kiyokata during the Taisho period. Many of YUKI’s written works about art survive today. Some of these works contain empirical information based on documentary research that is valued even today. These works include A Study of the Graves of Tokyo Artists (1931), A Description of the Graves of Tokyo Artists (1936), and A Description of the Graves of Artists (1953). These 3 works compile information on the graves of artists (with a focus on “artists” in the traditional sense), and they are valuable sources that provide clues to the past.
AOKI Shigeru, the head of the Association for the Study of Modern Japanese Art History and a visiting research at the Institute, donated YUKI’s rough draft of his series of descriptions of graves to the Institute. Like the printed edition, the rough draft features the date when different artists died, their age at death, and a biography. However, YUKI continued to revise the draft copy by adding information even after the printed edition came out. The assembled rough draft is more than 10 inches thick. The work conjures up YUKI’s devotion to compiling descriptions of graves. This work can be viewed in the Institute’s Library.
The instant that the decision was made to inscribe Fujisan, sacred place and source ofartistic inspiration (a property nominated by Japan), on the List of World Heritage
The 37th Session of the World Heritage Committee was held from June 16 to 27 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (the closing ceremony on the 27th took place in Siem Reap-Angkor). Prior to the session, personnel at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo analyzed data on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties and data regarding properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. Five representatives from the Institute, including FUTAGAMI Yoko (Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems), attended the session to gather information on World Heritage issues.
This session of the World Heritage Committee decided to inscribe 19 properties on the World Heritage List. During discussion of Mt. Fuji, which Japan nominated for inscription, 19 of the 20 Committee Members (excluding Japan) expressed approval of the site for inscription, but many opposed a recommendation to exclude the Miho-no-Matsubara pine grove because of its distance from the mountain. Committee Members gained a full understanding of the value of Mt. Fuji and the Miho-no-Matsubara site thanks to materials such as letters of nomination and explanations from Japanese representatives, leading to inclusion of the Miho-no-Matsubara site.
In addition, 6 properties in Syria, such as the Site of Palmyra, were inscribed as World Heritage site of Syria properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This was a result of the country’s domestic instability, which has hampered efforts to conserve Syrian cultural properties. However, restoring peace is a complicated issue and will take time.
Additionally, the Committee explored reducing the number of properties to discuss and having Committee Members voluntarily withdraw nominations of properties in their own countries during their term of office. However, many Committee Members opposed these proposals, so no decision was reached. The World Heritage Committee does not merely discuss nomination of properties to the World Heritage List as it also plays an important role in dealing with any topic related to the conservation of World Heritage. Representatives from the Institute were involved in varied aspects of the session’s agenda and they gathered, analyzed, and presented relevant information at the session.
The Korea Bamboo Museum in Damyang County
As part of the second Research Exchange between Japan and South Korea in relation to the Safeguarding and Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage that took place last year, Migiwa IMAISHI of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage visited South Korea for a scheduled 2 weeks starting on June 12. In South Korea, the survey examined traditional Korean techniques and their preservation and conservation. The survey focused on techniques of bamboo work in the Damyang region of South Jeolla Province and techniques of sedge (“wangol”) handicrafts on Ganghwa Island, part of the City of Incheon.
Damyang is a major center for production of bamboo products, with almost all of its residents engaged in bamboo work. Five specialties, including the making of chaesang (bamboo boxes or baskets), the making of folding fans, and comb-making, have been designated as intangible cultural properties by the national or municipal government. The survey provided the opportunity to meet possessors (preservers) of cultural properties and ask about traditional techniques, changes in those techniques, and the current state of preservation of those techniques. The survey also helped to ascertain circumstances regarding cultural properties in the form of efforts by Damyang County to turn its “bamboo culture” into a tourist attraction and revitalize the local area (e.g. development of new bamboo products, the County’s own craftsmen support system, and management of bamboo-related facilities). The survey provided a glimpse into how cultural properties have been passed on in the past and how they may be passed on in the future. Preservation of traditional techniques differs in Japan and South Korea. In Japan, traditional techniques are preserved under two different systems: “intangible folk cultural properties” (folk techniques) and “intangible cultural properties” (craft techniques). In contrast, traditional techniques in South Korea are preserved under only one system: “intangible cultural properties” (craft techniques). Thus, techniques that fall under “intangible folk cultural properties,” i.e. techniques that are “indispensable to understanding changes in the Japanese people’s way of life” in Japan, are considered to be “intangible cultural properties” in South Korea, where they are valued as arts, skills, or techniques with “significant historical, artistic, or scholarly value.” These differences in the Japanese and Korean systems must have an impact on the perceptions of preservers of cultural properties and the general public and they might also impact techniques themselves. These varied impacts must be clearly discerned during future research exchanges.
A massive steel structure over 500 m in length that extracted coal via strip mining on one end and then transported the unneeded excavated material to dump it on the other end. (F60 overburden conveyor bridge)
Gas chambers and crematoria blown up by the German Army. Buildings have been preserved as they were when they were blown up. (Auschwitz/Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum)
From May 24 (Fri.) to June 4 (Tues.), the Modern Cultural Properties Section conducted a field survey of 7 world heritage sites and potential world heritage sites associated with modern cultural properties in Germany and Poland. The survey also examined the conservation and restoration of railroad and industrial heritage. In Germany, the survey examined the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (which have been inscribed as a world heritage site), the Dresden Elbe Valley (which had its status as a world heritage site revoked), Electropolis Berlin (Berlin as a locus for the heavy electrical equipment industry) and mining and the cultural landscape in Freiberg in the Ore Mountains (both Electropolis Berlin and the Ore Mountains are nominated as world heritage sites). In addition, the survey examined a massive F60 overburden conveyor bridge (a machine used to strip-mine coal that is over 500 m long), paddle steamers that travel the Elbe River, and preserved railroads that operate steam locomotives. The sites and machinery have their own unique characteristics, and they have been conserved via ingenious techniques. The Berlin housing estates appear unremarkable, but the survey revealed that residents and managers have united to save these buildings, which are cultural properties. In Poland, the survey examined the historic center of Krakow (“Old Town”) and Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim), both of which are world heritage sites. There was debate over whether to preserve Auschwitz as a museum because of its historical significance, but the site now has numerous visitors. Open to the public, the gas chambers and crematoria that the German Army blew up as they retreated have been preserved as they were. However, the buildings were red brick and mortar, so conservation techniques are an issue. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (commonly called the “Atomic Bomb Dome”) is in a similar. Sharing information on conservation techniques should prove beneficial.
Conservation efforts underway
Exchange of opinions on conservation policies
The Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation conducted a workshop on conservation of archaeological metal objects at the History Museum of Armenia from June 11 to 22, 2013. This project was a part of the Networking Core Centers for International Cooperation on Conservation of Cultural Heritage Project commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan. The project is in its third year, and the workshop is the fourth to be held domestically.
This workshop was an advanced course for conservators of archaeological metal objects, so Armenian experts were chosen from among personnel who had been attending previous workshops. In total, there were 4 attendees from the History Museum of Armenia and other institutions in Armenia. Based on the knowledge and skills they had gained over the past 2 years, Armenian experts participated in conservation work with Japanese experts. After surveys, which included photography and scientific analysis, and planning exhibition/conservation work, experts concluded the conservation work. This work helped to improve the knowledge and skills of Armenian experts.
The next workshop will be on the topic of preventive conservation for exhibition and storing. Plans are to prepare objects for exhibition in the History Museum of Armenia next year.
On May 17 2013, senior researcher HAYAKAWA Noriko of the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques and NISHIMOTO Tomoyuki and OKURA Takanori of Hayashibara Co., Ltd. were awarded the 63rd Industrial Technology Award by the Osaka Industrial Research Association for their joint study titled “Adhesives for Restoration of Cultural Properties:Development of Furunori (aged paste)-like Polysaccharides.” The Industrial Technology Award is given by the Osaka Industrial Research Association to recognize the achievements of individuals who have advanced or improved industrial research,inventions (leading to or potentially leading to industrial applications) or technologies currently in use.
An explanation in the Radiography Laboratory（May 21）
Five Visitors from Okazaki Junior High School affiliated to Aichi University of Education:
On May 21, five visitors from Okazaki Junior High School affiliated to Aichi University of Education visited the Institute in order to view work involved in the conservation and restoration of cultural properties.
They toured the Library of the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems, the Performing Arts Studio of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Conservation Laboratory and the Radiography Laboratory of the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques, and the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation.
The staff members in charge of each section explained the work they do.
Field in Grez by KURODA Seiki
The Institute of Art Research opened in 1930 with an endowment bequeathed by Western-style painter KURODA Seiki and later became the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo. To inherit Kuroda’s will, the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo has placed stress on the study of Japanese modern art. Field in Grez (canvas, oil, 29.2×51.4 cm) by KURODA Seiki was donated to the Kuroda Memorial Hall upon the condition that it be exhibited there. On May 6, TANAKA Atsushi, SHIOYA Jun, SHIRONO Seiji, and YAMANASHI Emiko of the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems studied and photographed the work. The work depicts a rural landscape with 2 piles of straw in a vast grass field and a red flower in grass in the foreground. The signature,“S.K.”, is at the bottom right. The year the work was painted is not written, but the imagery and style indicates the work was done in Grez-sur-Loing while KURODA was studying in France. It is thought to date to around 1890, when KURODA sought to have his work entered in the Salon. The piles of straw evoke an association with Jean-François Millet, whom KURODA admired. The work has been passed down by the family of NOMURA Yasushi (1842–1909), who served as ambassador to France from 1891 to 1893 and supported KURODA’s painting in France. The work sheds light on NOMURA’s friendship with the painter. Plans are to publish the study’s results and exhibit the work in the Kuroda Memorial Hall.
Study and photography of Taima-dera Temple’s “Backboard” Mandala
The Taima Mandala is a pictorial depiction of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism showing primarily the Pure Land Paradise of Amida based on the Commentary on the Meditation Sutra by the monk Shandao from Tang Dynasty China. The work has been passed down by the Taima-dera Temple in Nara, leading to its name. The work is massive, extending more than 4 meters in width and height. Scenes in the mandala are depicted by weaving, i.e. figured brocade, rather than pictures painted on silk canvas, as was normally the case. A recent view has posited that the work may have been produced in Tang Dynasty China in the 8th century. Nevertheless, the work has unquestionably deteriorated over a span of 1200–1300 years. The state and extent of the original figured brocade that remained had not been fully ascertained. The Institute’s Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems conducted a joint research project on the mandala with the Nara National Museum last year when the museum hosted a special exhibition entitled Taima-dera Temple.
The Taima Mandala was kept affixed to the back of a board in a miniature shrine atop a dais in the mandala hall of Taima-dera Temple. However, the mandala had severely deteriorated by the Edo Period, so paper was placed on top, water was applied, and the fabric of the mandala was detached to that it could be refashioned into a hanging scroll. This hanging scroll was studied last December. Some of the fabric remaining on paper that was used to detach the mandala during the Edo Period has been kept by Saikou Temple in Kyoto as the Mandala “Imprint on Paper.” The remaining woven fabric that has not peeled away from its original backing, known as the “Backboard” Mandala, has survived. Together with the Nara National Museum, SHIRONO Seiji and SARAI Mai performed high-resolution imaging of the Mandala “Imprint on Paper” at the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems on May 28 of last year. On May 29, SHIRONO Seiji and KOBAYASHI Tatsuro participated in a study involving macro-photography of the “Backboard” Mandala in Taima-dera Temple’s mandala hall. Portions of the original figured brocade on the Mandala “Imprint on Paper” were not readily discernible, but the fabric itself was found to remain. Because of the physical constraints on site, the scope of the study of the “Backboard” Mandala was somewhat limited, but the original figured brocade was found to have survived. The Taima Mandala was poorly understood, but the current study has helped to ascertain its true state.
The Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems conducted a regular conference on May 28 (Tues.). This conference was entitled Issues with the Pictorial Biography of Prince Shotoku in 6 Scrolls in the Collection of Shi-tenno-ji Temple. The conference featured presentations from TSUCHIYA Takahiro (Tokyo National Museum) and MURAMATSU Kanako (Ryukoku Museum), who comprised the team that surveyed A Pictorial Biography of Prince Shotoku.
The conference covered Shi-tenno-ji temple’s A Pictorial Biography of Prince Shotoku in 6 scrolls (an Important Cultural Property). The work was commissioned by (at the behest) of AJARI, a priest at the Ida Bessho (a remote religious facility away from the main temple) in year 3 of the Genko Era (1323) and painted by an individual named TOTOMI Hokkyo of an atelier (studio) in the Southern Capital (Nara), according to writing on the back of the work. These aspects mark the piece as important among the many works on Prince Shotoku produced after the early 14th century. The writing on the back of the piece had been considered as-is since it was first printed out some 30 years ago. However, YONEKURA Michio (emeritus researcher at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo), a member of the team that studied the actual work, indicated that the writing is not original. Mr. YONEKURA presented the view questioning what is written along with images of the writing (Mr. YONEKURA was absent that day, so Mr. TSUCHIYA made the presentation in his stead). Afterwards, Mr. TSUCHIYA showed detailed images of the painting and he offered his own doubts about the rather vague grounds for considered the work a Painting of the Southern Capital (school). Mr. TSUCHIYA announced that there was ample room for additional consideration of whether or not that style of work actually existed at the time. Ms. MURAMATSU indicated the iconic relationships in a number of other versions of the Pictorial Biography of Prince Shotoku, and she noted their significance in surviving versions of the Pictorial Biography of Prince Shotoku. Although the work is noteworthy for the exceptional way in which it was crafted, it has not been fully discussed. Perhaps this conference will spur further study of the work.
Burning off brush to prepare fields to grow ramie
Following events in April, Mr. Chae Won LEE of South Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage visited Japan as part of Research Exchanges between Japan and South Korea in relation to the Safeguarding and Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Mr. LEE studied selected conservation techniques, which are techniques for conservation of cultural properties. The Village of Showa, Fukushima Prefecture grows ramie (Boehmeria nivea) and extracts its fiber to supply the material to make Ojiya crepe and Echigo linen, which are important intangible cultural properties. The study coincided with karamushi-yaki, or burning off of brush to prepare fields to grow ramie during shoman (the 8th of 24 solar terms in the traditional Japanese calendar when crops ripen/bloom around May 21st or so). This coincidence allowed Mr. LEE to see an important growing process firsthand. In addition, group interviews regarding ramie were conducted to hear the perspectives of administrators and conservators and the perspectives of others, facilitating a more extensive discussion of the significance of ramie growing to the Village of Showa and systems to conserve selected conservation techniques. Results of the research exchanges, which lasted 2 weeks, were presented at a seminar that highlighted differences in Japanese and Korean perceptions of Selected Conservation Techniques (no such framework exists in South Korea). The seminar also highlighted ways to safeguard cultural properties.
Joint survey in Fugoppe Cave
The Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques has studied the conservation of cultural properties outdoors as part of Research on the Effects of Environmental Pollution on Cultural Properties and the Development of Restoration Techniques. This international research project has been conducted jointly with the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, South Korea. As part of the project, seminars are held annually by both institutions so that researchers from both countries can interact more closely with their counterparts.
This year, a seminar was held on May 21 (Tues.) in a basement meeting room at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo. Presentations were given by 4 personnel from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, South Korea: Sa Dug KIM, Sun Myung LEE, Tae Jong LEE, and Yu Gun CHUN. Presentations were also given by KUCHITSU Nobuaki, NAKAYAMA Shunsuke , and MORII Masayuki of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo. The conservation of cultural properties outdoors was discussed. The following day, a joint survey was conducted in Hokkaido. The status of the display and conservation of petroglyphs in the Fugoppe Cave (Town of Yoichi) and Temiya Cave (City of Otaru) was studied. Conservation of the Bangudae Petroglyphs in Ulsan is a current topic in South Korea. Korean researchers asked numerous questions about topics such as display lighting and facilities maintenance. The conservation of petroglyphs in Japan proved informative.
An explanation in the Biology Laboratory (April 15)
Eighteen Visitors from the Meiji University Museum Friendship Society “Meiji University Museum Naito family document study group”
On April 15, eighteen members of the Meiji University Museum Friendship Society “Meiji University Museum Naito family document study group” visited the Institute in order to observe the Institute’s facilities.
They toured the Library of the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems and the Conservation Laboratory and the Biology Laboratory of the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques.
The staff members in charge of each section explained the work they do.
KURODA Seiki in Formal Attire (Photo: OGAWA Kazumasa, July 1914, in the collection of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo [donated by KANEKO Mitsuo])
The Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems held its first seminar of 2013 on April 30. Research presentations were given on Hananokage (Illustrious Portraits), a Private Photography Magazine for Nobles, and Letters from OGAWA Kazumasa to KURODA Seiki. Presentations were made by SAITO Yoichi (Tojo Historical Museum, City of Matsudo) and OKATSUKA Akiko (Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo) along with TANAKA Atsushi.
Starting off, Mr. SAITO described results of his previous studies of Hananokage (published from 1903 to around 1908), a private photography magazine published by former daimyo (feudal lords) such as TOKUGAWA Yoshinobu and TOKUGAWA Akitake, i.e. Meiji-era nobles. Based on his studies, Mr. SAITO deduced that 4 volumes of Hananokage were published each year. Mr. SAITO focused on 5 editions published between March 1907 and March of the following year that featured Photography Critiques of submitted photographs authored by KURODA Seiki and photographer OGAWA Kazumasa (1860–1929). Based on these Photography Critiques, Mr. TANAKA appraised KURODA as an artist and OGAWA as a photographer, and Mr. TANAKA also described KURODA’s views on “photography.” Letters addressed to KURODA Seiki curated by the Institute include letters (7) from OGAWA Kazumasa. Ms. OKATSUKA is studying OGAWA based on these letters, and she described the relationship between KURODA and OGAWA. She also described the world of Meiji photography based on OGAWA’s relationship to nobles of the period. Plans are to publish the results of this research in vol. 411 of Bijutsu Kenkyu (The Journal of Art Studies) (scheduled for publication in Nov. 2013) and in subsequent volumes.
the Omoigawazakura workshop
This year marks the second year of Research Exchanges between Japan and South Korea in relation to the Safeguarding and Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage conducted exchanges with South Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. In April, researcher Ms. Gyeong Soon HWANG of South Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage visited Japan, where she studied Yuki-tsumugi in Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures. Since Yuki-tsumugi was inscribed on UNESCO’s 2010 Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Representative List), efforts have made to conserve the technique through culture, industry, and tourism. The study of Yuki-tsumugi included group interviews with conservators, administrators, and other personnel, and the study also enhanced discussion of the basis for preserving Yuki-tsumugi. Results of the research exchanges, which lasted 2 weeks, were presented at a seminar. The seminar highlighted differences in Japanese and Korean policies regarding and views of intangible cultural heritage.
Science for Conservation is a research bulletin published by the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques and the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation. Every article in Science for Conservation since its first volume has been converted into PDF format, and these articles are now available via the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques’ website (http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~ccr/pub/cosery_s/consery_s.html). All 4 papers and 22 reports featured in vol. 52, the bulletin’s latest edition, have now been uploaded. A pamphlet and 3 posters on biodeterioration and pest control are also available online, so feel free to have a look. (http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~ccr/pub/publication.html#002).
Copies of many publications are distributed to relevant institutions. In order to provide useful information a larger number of personnel working to conserve cultural properties, however, plans are to actively make those publications available online.
Director-General Kamei, receiving a certificate of appreciation from Commissioner for Cultural Affairs
Ceremonial Photograph with those honored (Director-General Kamei, back row left)
On March 25, 2013, an appreciation ceremony was held at the Institute’s Seminar Hall. The ceremony honored individuals and organizations that cooperated with or were involved in efforts to rescue and restore cultural properties damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. KONDO Seiichi, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, presented a certificate of appreciation to the Institute for its two years of service as Secretariat of the Committee for Salvaging Cultural Properties Affected by the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku and Related Disasters since April 2011.
An explanation in the Performing Arts Recording Studio (March 8)
Four Visitors, including HANZAWA Shigenobu, former Chief Senior Specialist for Cultural Properties of the Agency for Cultural Affairs On March 8, four visitors, including HANZAWA Shigenobu, former Chief Senior Specialist for Cultural Properties of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, visited the Institute in order to observe Institute’s facilities. They toured the Library of the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems, the Performing Arts Recording Studio of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Conservation Laboratory of the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques, and the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation. The staff members in charge of each section explained the work they do.
Front cover of “YOKOYAMA Taikan’s Yamaji”
Display boards on Research on YOKOYAMA Taikan's Yamaji in the Institute’s entrance lobby
This spring, the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems published volume 6 of the Archive of Art Studies, entitled “YOKOYAMA Taikan’s Yamaji.” The Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems started publishing the Archive of Art Studies in 2002. This volume summarizes the results of 3 years of research on YOKOYAMA Taikan’s Yamaji conducted jointly with Eisei Bunko. In the past, individual research reports were made available via the Institute’s website, but the full nature of that research has now been revealed to the public thanks to the cooperation of a number of individuals.
Vol. 6 of the Archive of Art Studies features Yamaji (painted in 1911) in Eisei Bunko’s collection and a variant of that piece, Yamaji (painted in 1912), in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. This volume assembles information on the individual pieces based on their restoration and analysis of the pigments used as well as textual information regarding the pieces, such as critiques when they were presented and a description of their provenance. Reliable articles based on surveys of the pieces and other materials have been authored by ARAI Kei (Tokyo University of the Arts), OGAWA Ayako (Tokyo National Museum), SATO Shino (Yokoyama Taikan Memorial Hall), TAIRA Yuichiro (Tokyo University of the Arts), TAKEGAMI Yukihiro (Association for Conservation of National Treasures), NOJI Koichiro (Nerima Art Museum), HAYASHIDA Ryuta (Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Arts), MIYAKE Hidekazu (Eisei Bunko), and SHIOYA Jun, who were involved in restoring and studying the pieces. Hopes are that this case study of research on a single work will, like previous volumes of the Archive of Art Studies, contribute to future studies of art history. Vol. 6 is available from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan. Please see the website below for details.
http://www.chukobi.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=635.
In conjunction with the publication of this volume, display boards describing Research on YOKOYAMA Taikan’s Yamaji were exhibited in the entrance lobby on the first floor of Institute starting on March 28. The display boards provide an overview of the research with a focus on images of Yamaji in Eisei Bunko’s collection (the same images are featured in Vol. 6). Thanks to high-resolution images taken by SHIRONO Seiji of the Institute, visitors to the Institute will be able to see for themselves the ingredients of the pigments used in Yamaji.
