| ■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 |
|
The Department of Research Programming is preparing for an international symposium entitled “Capturing the Original – Archives for Cultural Properties” that is to be held in December of this year. On May 9, a seminar was held to which Professor Kato Tetsuhiro of Kwansei Gakuin University was invited. Yamanashi Emiko of the Institute made a presentation entitled “The Art Research Institute and Sir Robert Witt Library” on the establishment of the Institute and the environment of art history materials in Western European societies during the 1920’s, and Professor Kato made his presentation entitled “Being ‘The Original’ – Its Significance in Art Studies” in which he spoke on the way the issue of “the original” has been dealt with in the field of Western aesthetics. These were followed by a discussion on the meaning of “the original”. Professor Kato pointed out that the longing for being “the original” existed only in and after the 19th century even in the West and that, even with such a background, Alois Riegl who was active as an art historian at the end of the 19th century did not necessarily find the value of cultural properties in their original figures, but also recognized their age-value, and that Erwin Panofsky distinguished cultural properties themselves (original) from their duplicates, noting that duplicates lacked authenticity (“aura”). This led to further discussions on such topics as the difference in quality between the record and memory of “the original” and matters that should be conveyed in preserving “the original”. We wish to make the symposium a well-developed one by considering the theme from various angles and holding enlightening discussions. We also wish to make the symposium an opportunity to contemplate on our daily work which includes investigation and research on cultural properties, as well as accumulation and publication of materials.
Mitsutani Kunishiro, Portrait. Collection of the Tokyo National Museum
Mitsutani Kunishiro (1874?1936) is known as a western-style painter many of whose works were exhibited at the Bunten (exhibition by the then Ministry of Education) and the Teiten (exhibition by the Imperial Academy of Fine Artｓ) in Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods. Sketches he left were donated in 1938 to the Art Research Institute, the predecessor of the Institute. Most of them were landscape sketches called “Doro sansui” (road landscape) in the Meiji period and drawings for his works created during the Taisho period and displayed at exhibitions. Among them, one portrait drawn in pencil stands out prominently. In this sketch, the technique of cross-hatching is used where thin lines are crossed to flesh out the motif, and the face staring at us with one eye half-closed is full of self-consciousness. Since this work was innovative not only among Mitsutani’s works but also in the history of western-style paintings in the Meiji period, it had not been introduced until now. However, Mr. Tsunoda Takuro of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History and Mr. Hirose Naruhisa of the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, in the process of their researches on Goseda Horyu/Yoshimatsu Studio that left a major mark on the western-style paintings in early part of the Meiji period, pointed out the possibility that this work may be positioned in that stream. They made a presentation on this topic at the seminar of the Department of Research Programming held on May 7. The date written on the bottom left corner of the drawing ? February 21 of the 25th year of Meiji (1892) – corresponds to the short period of only one year when Mitsutani learned as a pupil of Goseda school. This drawing may be positioned as a link between Goseda Studio and Mitsutani, and also as a work that may cause a stir in the art history of the Meiji period. This work, along with sketchbooks filled with similar portrayals using cross-hatching, will be exhibited in “All about the Goseda Studio -A Bridge to Modern Paintings in Japan” (August 9 – 31 and September 6 – 28, 2008 at the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History, and October 7 – November 9, 2008 at the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art).
The National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo has been cooperating in the conservation and restoration of Japanese art objects that are in the collections of museums overseas and conducting studies on the conservation and restoration of target works in collaboration with the museums that own these objects.
In the fiscal year 2008, conservation and restoration will be carried out in Japan for four paintings: “Matsu ni Kujaku zu Byobu” (Peacocks and Pine Trees; a 6-paneled folding screen; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada), “Hoshi Mandala zu” (Star Mandala; hanging scroll; Vancouver Museum, Canada), “Mushi Uta-awase Emaki” (Poetry Contest of Insects; hand scroll; Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale, Italy), and “Yujo Tachisugata zu” (Courtesan, by Miyagawa Choshun; Museo d’Arte Orientale “Edoardo Chiossone,” Italy), as well as for four craftworks: “Sumiyoshi Makie Bundai” (Writing table; Victoria and Albert Museum, England), “Kacho Monsho Makie Tate” (Leather shield; Ashmolean Museum, England), “Omi Hakkei Makie Kodana” (Pair of shelves for incense; Museum Velke Mezirici, Czech Republic), and “Rohkaku Sansui Makie-bako” (Cabinet with Mounting, European influenced shape; Museum fur Angewandte Wien, Austria; continued from the last fiscal year). Moreover, at the overseas restoration studio established in the Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst in Cologne, Germany, conservation and restoration of “Kajuchoju Makie Raden Yobitsu” (Ornamental Coffer with flower and bird design, makie and raden technique) is in progress (3rd year of 3 consecutive years). In addition, from this fiscal year, at the restoration studio for paper in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, conservation and restoration of “Darumazu” (Bodhidharma; a painting in the collection of Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst; to be continued for 2 years) will be carried out. In this overseas restoration studio, a workshop for overseas staff engaged in restoration is scheduled to be held in parallel with the actual restoration work.
A page from “Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Vietnam and the Community Involvement in the Recent Years” by Nguyen Kim Dung
The English version of the Proceedings of the 30th International Symposium “Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: International Cooperation and the Role of Japan” that was held from February 14 to 16, 2007 has been posted on our website. The symposium was held in response to the enactment of the “Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” in April, 2006. Those who wish can see this report at:
http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~geino/e/kokusai/06ICHsympo.html (link rot)
Japanese version can be found at:
http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~geino/kokusai/06ICHsympo.html (link rot)
The “Training for Museum Curators in Charge of Conservation” has been held in July of each year for the staff in charge of conservation of materials working in cultural heritage conservation facilities throughout the country so that they may learn the necessary and basic knowledge and techniques. This training is reaching a turning point this year, marking its 25th anniversary (scheduled for 2 weeks from July 14 this year). Usually, we distribute the handbook on the seminar across the country by the beginning of February. Since applications far exceeding the fixed number (25 persons) were sent this year, we selected the participants. In performing this selection, priority was given to those who have some practical experiences in conservation facilities and who would hold core positions in conservation not only in their own museums but also in their regions for a long time after attending the seminar.
Presently, we are preparing for the training by making the program, sending out requests for visiting lecturers, carefully examining the contents of the practical training, checking the equipments for the practical training, and so forth. The contents of the seminar are improved every year little by little by referring to the questionnaire returned from the participants. The participants have to be away from their work for as long as 2 weeks. As this may impose a heavy burden on both the participants and their museums, we are doing all we can in preparation for this seminar so that the participants can really feel that the seminar is truly meaningful in a practical manner.
Exhibition in the Thematic Exhibition Gallery of Heiseikan of the Tokyo National Museum
The Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques displayed two pairs of 6-panel folding screens, three hanging scrolls and two Japanese lacquer works, which were fully restored in the fiscal year 2007 under the Cooperative Program for the Conservation of Japanese Art Objects Overseas. The exhibition was held in the Thematic Exhibition Gallery of Heiseikan of the Tokyo National Museum from May 13 (Tuesday) to 25 (Sunday). In addition, panels introducing the restoration process for the paintings and Japanese lacquer works were exhibited in the exhibition room so that the restoration work could be seen. All these art objects have been restored to conditions appropriate for display in facilities when they are returned to their respective museums. This exhibition became a very good opportunity for visitors to the museum to gain an understanding of the international contribution and cooperation made by the Institute. We will continue to advance the Cooperative Program for further contribution to and cooperation with international conservation projects.
The “UNESCO Sub-Regional Workshop on Serial Nomination for Central Asian Petroglyph Sites” was held from May 26 to 31, 2008 at Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. Representatives of four countries in Central Asia except for Turkmenistan, namely, Kyrgyz, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as of UNESCO and ICOMOS participated in this workshop, and Yamauchi of the Institute attended as an observer. Although rock art (or rock painting) sites are found over a wide area not only in Central Asia but also in the entire Eurasian continent, the said workshop limits the area to Central Asia with the aim of collectively registering all the sites in that region as a World Heritage site. In this meeting, many case examples were introduced, and problems related to research, registration operations, management and conservation were discussed. Since this is a serial nomination of heritages beyond national borders, preparation of application forms for World Heritage site is likely to require more time due to differences in the progress of works in different countries. In the workshop, it was confirmed that similar workshops would continue to be held with the goal of World Heritage site registration in 2012. As a part of the Cooperative Projects for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in West Asia, the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation will participate in such workshops, keeping in mind future cooperative conservation projects, and endeavor to collect information while promoting cooperation with relevant parties and authorities in countries in Central Asia.
“ALC (Art Libraries’ Consortium),” a cross searching site on art libraries
“So (Imagine),” an associative searching site
On April 22, the Department of Research Programming invited Mizutani Takeshi (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) and Marukawa Yuzo (National Institute of Information) to speak at a seminar on the dissemination of information on cultural properties and collaboration. Mizutani and Marukawa have constructed and are engaged in the management of “ALC (Art Libraries’ Consortium),” a cross searching site on art libraries, and “So (Imagine),” an associative searching site, respectively. The Institute and the Department of Research Programming, in particular, that is in charge of disseminating high quality information on cultural properties, held discussions with the future in view. We plan to make conduct activities toward a more effective dissemination of the accumulated results of research.
The former research room on the first floor that has been newly opened
Until now, works of Kuroda Seiki were shown in the Memorial Room and the Exhibition Room on the second floor of the Kuroda Memorial Hall. From April 24, the former research rooms on the first and second floors have also been opened to the public. In the former research room on the second floor, a slide show entitled “The Life and Art of Kuroda Seiki” (12 mins.) is being shown so that visitors may better understand Kuroda’s art. In the 2 research rooms on the first floor, a wooden desk, cabinet and photographs from the days of The Institute of Art Research are exhibited. The most recent publications of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo can also be perused freely. These new additions enable the visitors not only to appreciate Kuroda’s works but also to learn about the history of the Institute and its present work.
Umemura Yutaka (June 15, 1923 – June 5, 2007) was a photographer who was in charge of the gravure pages of the magazine Engekikai. Last December, the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage received negatives and photographs left by the deceased from his widow. Currently we are engaged in sorting out these materials to see how many there are. We hope to complete procedures for their official donation to the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo.
Photographs by the deceased is said to have been first published in Engekikai in 1947, but the oldest negatives and photographs donated date to around 1962. More than 10 cartons of materials were transported to the Institute. They are valuable documents of a photographer who continued to take pictures of the kabuki world in the latter half of the 20th century.
Science for Conservation is a periodical on scientific research related to the conservation of cultural properties. Since the inaugural issue published in March 1964, of which the first article was “The outline of the scientific researches for the preservation of cultural properties in Japan” by the then director of the Department of Conservation Science, Sekino Masaru, researchers of the Department who are committed to the mission of passing down to future generations valuable cultural properties that their predecessors have left to them, have been engaged in research and have continued to make the results of their research open to the public. The latest edition of the periodical, volume 47, contains 25 reports and articles including those related to the conservation and investigation of the mural paintings of Takamatsuzuka Tumulus and .Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.
Science for Conservation, as a book, is not for sale and can be read only at related organizations and universities, but all the articles that have been published until now have been make into PDF files so that they may be downloaded via Internet (http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~hozon/hozon_pdf.html).
Inspecting the urushi-coated sample test pieces
Exposure test stand for urushi-coated surfaces at the Taiki Multipurpose Air Park (left)
As a part of its project, Investigation and Research of Traditional Restoration Materials and Synthetic Resins, the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques has been conducting basic test for the improvement of weather-resistance of urushi-coated surfaces used on buildings. A stand for outdoor exposure test was placed at Taikicho, Hokkaido because the percentage of days with good weather is highest there in Japan, because it is easy to obtain data concerning weather, and because the annual hot-cold difference is great. From April 17 to April 18, sample test pieces of vermilion urushi and black urushi placed on the stand at the Taiki Multipurpose Air Park were inspected to see the condition of their deterioration. In this on-site investigation, the 8th-month inspection, the differences in deterioration depending on types of urushi-coating has gradually become clear. The first phase of inspection of deterioration due to UV light through this outdoor exposure test will continue until September 2008.
The southeast wall facing the courtyard with a stupa that was found by investigation
Cooperative work with young Tajik experts
The Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation dispatched the 3rd mission of the UNESCO/Japan Trust Fund project, Preservation of the Buddhist Monastery of Ajina Tepa, Tajikistan from April 16 to May 9. The purpose of this project is the preservation of a Buddhist monastery made of mud bricks and/or pisé. The Center has been removing sand and weeds that have accumulated since past excavations and conducting archaeological cleaning and soundings since 2006 in order to clarify the position and structure of the walls of the monastery.
In this mission, we carefully studied the southeast wall facing the courtyard where a stupa is located, and confirmed the entrance that leads to the room where Parinirvana Buddha had been once placed. In addition, as a result of soundings at two points on the edge of the site, we were able to detect the outer wall of the Buddhist monastery and to confirm its original size. Such results provide information valuable for the conservation of Ajina Tepa. All archaeological investigations made at the site were done with young Tajik archaeologists, whose cooperation was of great help. At the same time, we believe that it was meaningful from the point of view of capacity building of local experts.
Class by OKADA Fumio (Kyoto University of Art and Design)
Class by NAKAUCHI Yasuo (The Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments)
The program for capacity development along the Silk Road jointly conducted with China National Institute of Cultural Heritage（formerly the China National Institute of Cultural Property; restructured and renamed in February 2008）is now in its third year. This year the course on the protection of old buildings (first year of a two-year plan) will be held for three-and-a-half months in spring and that on the conservation of earthen structures (third year of a three-year plan) will be held for two months in autumn. This year, the spring course started a little earlier than usual, on April 3, to avoid the Beijing Olympics which will start on August 8. Twelve trainees from Xinjiang, Gansu, Qing Xiang, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Henan participate in the old buildings group. In the first year they will attend theoretical lectures and receive practical training in various types of investigations and the making of conservation plans in order to learn the basics necessary for the practical training in the work of conservation in which they will participate in the second year. The Palace Museum has provided a corner on the east side of Yihexuan within the Gugong Palace complex as a place for on-site training in the first year. During the three-and-a-half months, 10 Japanese lecturers will participate and work with Chinese lecturers.
75 Years of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo – Archives
75 Years of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo – Archives, a record of the 75 years of the Institute supported by materials dating from the founding of the Institute’s predecessor, The Institute of Art Research, in 1935 to the present (2005), was published at the end of March. In this publication are materials that provide information on the history of research in various disciplines dealt with at the Institute. They include: documents collected during the years of The Institute of Art Research, such as an inventory of pre-World War II investigation of art objects, inventory of images of Western art collected by Yashiro Yukio, the Director General of the Institute in its early years, and a list of photographs taken by Wada Arata, Odaka Sennosuke and other former members of the Institute in their study of the arts of India and West Asia; a list of research topics, seminars and lectures in the years following the time that the Institute became a comprehensive research organization in matters related to cultural properties, including fields of conservation science and intangible cultural properties; and a comprehensive list of articles in the periodicals published by various departments at the Institute – namely, The Bijutsu Kenkyu (The Journal of Art Studies), Science for Conservation and Geino no Kagaku (literally, science of performing arts). The Archives has been published for the general public from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan with the same title.
Panel exhibition at the lobby (Photograph by Torimitsu Mikako)
The Institute holds a panel exhibition regularly at the lobby on the first floor so that visitors to the Institute may better understand the results of our projects and research. Presently the exhibit is that related to Screens Illustrating Views of Kyoto and Its Environs (collection of the Royal Ontario Museum) that was restored under the Cooperative Program for the Conservation of Japanese Art Objects Overseas in fiscal year 2006. The various processes in its restoration and the results of art historical study on this pair of screens are introduced. Nijojo Castle and the Daibutsuden of Hokoji Temple are depicted on a grand scale on the left and right panels, respectively. Because of this construction, this particular pair of screens is believed to have been made in the mid-17th century. It is a very valuable work of art from the point of view of art historical study because of the detailed depiction of over 1,300 figures and the existence of 77 paper tags indicating the names of temples and scenic places. It is our hope that this exhibition may enable an understanding of the role Japan plays in international contribution and cooperation.
http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~joho/japanese/project/panel/rakutyurakugai.html
The Institute is now editing materials for the publication of the main volume in 2009 on the history of the Institute and its investigation and research, a sequel to 75 Years of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo – Archives. Since a brief history of former members of the Institute will be included in this volume, we are collecting information about their personal history and other related materials. In March we visited and interviewed the family of the deceased Toyooka Masuto who was engaged in editing the Toyo Bijutsu Bunken Mokuroku, a classified bibliography of journal articles on old Asian art, from the mid-30s to 1942 as a member of The Institute of Art Research, the predecessor of the present Institute. We were able to obtain information about his personal history and achievements outside the Institute and about former members of the Institute who were his colleagues. Such information shed light on the history of this Institute before World War II. Currently not enough investigation has been made on people who were engaged in the investigation and research of cultural properties. We hope to continue our efforts so that the main volume of the publication on the 75 years of the Institute may contribute to the study of the history of research on cultural properties.
Materials related to the art historian Tanaka Ichimatsu (1895-1983), who was the Director General of the Institute from 1952 to 1965, were donated by Mr. Tanaka Kazumi, the deceased’s family member, and the Idemitsu Museum of Art in March. Included among the materials are records of his research and photographs he collected. Even before World War II, Tanaka had investigated a great number of art objects and left carefully written reports with his own drawings attached. Among them are valuable reports on works of art that were lost during the War. Although these materials had been stored at the Idemitsu Museum of Art, with which Tanaka was closely related, they were donated to the Institute after his death in the hope that they may be made public and utilized more widely. We plan to make preparations for their utilization in the future. Since we have just begun to put them in order, anyone who wishes to see these materials are requested to contact the Department of Research Programming in advance.
Witt Library guest book, entry for January 18, 1924
At the office of Ms. Barbara Thompson, Witt Library
For six days from March 3, 2008 three members of the Department – Yamanashi Emiko, Emura Tomoko and Nakamura Setsukobv – visited libraries and research organizations in England to investigate the ways in which materials are collected and publicized. Visits were made, within this short period, to Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Witt Library of the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London, The British Museum, British Library, National Art Library of the Victoria & Albert Museum, and School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. In addition to investigating their facilities, we exchanged opinions with researchers at each organization. Of these organizations, Witt Library, in particular, is one that is of special significance to the Institute since the first Director General of the Institute, Yashiro Yukio, is said to have felt the need for a library on materials related to art and obtained the idea for the founding of the Institute when he visited the Library, an extremely profitable experience in his own study of art history. According to the guest book at the Library, it was learned that Yashiro visited the Library nine times between 1924 and 1928. Such information was meaningful in understanding the situation surrounding the founding of the Institute and the significance of collecting and publicizing information on cultural properties. We hope to continue exchange in research and to make use of such opportunities in the utilization of materials and the management of libraries.
The Hikone Screen, a report
A report on the study of The Hikone Screen that was held jointly with the Hikone Castle Museum from 2006 to 2007 has been published. The work, which had been mounted as a framed work, was restored on full scale and remounted as a folding screen. Included in the report are photographs of the screen before and after restoration, and many high-resolution digital images, infrared images and luminescence images. Persons involved in the publication of this report made great efforts to provide as much information concerning this work of art as possible. For example, infrared images showing directions for the use of colors, which can be seen only underneath the paint layers, are compared with actual color images; data analyzed by X-ray fluorescence are compared with high-resolution data of corresponding points. We hope that this report may be utilized as fundamental material for the study of the screen. The report has been published from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan for the general public.
http://www.chukobi.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=336
