| ■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 |
|
Presentation
Panel discussion
Exhibition
On January 23, 2024, the Center for Conservation Science of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) held an open seminar, titled Conservation and Utilization of Aerial Heritage, in cooperation with the Japan Aeronautic Association (JAA).
Aerial heritage, including materials related to aviation history such as drawings and photographs, are irreplaceable cultural properties in Japan’s modern and contemporary history. However, there are many differences from conventional cultural properties in terms of materials and scale, and new methods are often required for their conservation and utilization as cultural properties. The purpose of this open seminar was to rethink the current status and issues of aviation materials as cultural assets and cultural heritage.
The opening remarks were made by Mr. SAITO Takamasa, Director General of TOBUNKEN, and Mr. SHIMIZU Shinzo, Vice President of the JAA, followed by an explanation of the purpose of the seminar by Mr. NAKAYAMA Shunsuke, Senior Fellow of the Center for Conservation Science. Mr. NAKAYAMA, Mr. KANDA Shigeyoshi of JAA, and Ms. NAKAMURA Mai, Associate Fellow of the Center for Conservation Science, gave a presentation titled “Preservation of Aviation Historical Materials and Challenges” on the results and challenges of the joint research project, “Study on the Preservation of Aviation Heritage,” that the JAA and the TOBUNKEN have been carrying out since FY2004. Mr. NAGASHIMA Hiroyuki, a former member of the JAA, gave a detailed case study report on the repair of the fabric coverings of the Type 3 Fighter “Hien,” owned by the JAA and exhibited at the Gifu-Kakamigahara air and space museum. Mr. YAMAKI Satoshi of the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots in Minamikyushu City reported on the history of the Type 4 Fighter “Hayate (No. 1446),” owned by the museum, and the research activities being undertaken to preserve it. In addition, Mr. CHIBA Tsuyoshi, Researcher of the Center for Conservation Science, and Ms. HAGA Ayae Researcher of the Center for Conservation Science, gave a presentation on the status of the designation of aircraft as cultural properties in Japan and introduced the research that has been conducted as part of the “MoU for Research on Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Properties Designated by Minamikyushu City.” Following these lectures, a panel discussion was held with Mr. KANDA, Mr. NAGASHIMA, Mr. YAMAKI, and Mr. NAKAYAMA, with Mr. TATEISHI Toru, Director of the Center for Conservation Science, as a facilitator, in which participants actively exchanged opinions on the current status and issues surrounding aviation materials as cultural properties. The event ended on a high note with closing remarks by Mr. TATEISHI.
In the foyer of the venue, we exhibited materials related to the joint research between the JAA and TOBUNKEN, including a horizontal stabilizer of a Yamazaki Type 1 “Wakamoto” glider, the vertical stabilizer of an Ito Type A2 glider, an oil painting called “Asakaze” by YAMAJI Shingo, and a Siemens-Schuckert D.IV fuselage panel.
In all, 77 people participated in the seminar, and the post-event questions showed that there are high expectations for research and study on the preservation and utilization of modern cultural heritage, including aircraft. A report on this seminar will be published in the next fiscal year.
A historic building damaged, collapsed, and temporarily closed. (Hatay)
Restoration of the collapsed walls is underway at Gaziantep Castle.
Experts' seminar
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) participated in the Emergency International Contribution Project for Cultural Heritage in FY2023 commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, which was titled as “Project for supporting the Reconstruction of Damaged Cultural Heritage in Türkiye,” in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Management Center, Japan (CHDRMC).
The primary objective of this project was to provide relief support for museums and cultural heritage damaged in the 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023. In addition, by sharing Japan’s experience in rescuing damaged cultural heritage and our accumulated knowledge of cultural heritage disaster prevention with Türkiye, the project also aims to support the establishment and enhancement of a cultural heritage disaster prevention system in Türkiye.
From November 28 to December 7, 2023, a joint team of TOBUNKEN and CHDRMC visited Türkiye to investigate the affected areas, exchange information on cultural heritage disaster prevention in both countries, and exchange opinions with their Turkish counterparts for future collaboration.
The team visited museums and cultural heritage sites in Hatay, Gaziantep, and Şanlıurfa to ask museum staff about the response to the disaster, the current situation, and other issues, and to survey future support needs. At present, emergency measures are almost completed at the damaged museums, and full-scale work for recovery of the damaged collections and buildings is expected to be carried out in the near future. The museum in Şanlıurfa was flooded by heavy rains in early March, one month after the earthquake.
The experts’ meeting was held at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Türkiye, jointly with the Ministry. The Japanese side provided an overview of cultural property disaster prevention systems in Japan, and reported on activities to rescue cultural properties damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake and other recent disasters, as well as disaster prevention measurements at museums. The Turkish side reported on the damage to cultural properties caused by the earthquake, presented an overview of the response, and discussed disaster risk mitigation methods at museums. The parties from the two countries are continuing with further discussion regarding the direction of specific mutual collaboration and promotion of joint research on cultural property disaster prevention.
Investigation of " Hayate"
The air quality Investigation
Filming of the former Chiran Airport water tower
Investigation of the former Aoto Airfield pillbox
Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) worked with Minamikyushu City for “memorandum concerning the conservation and restoration of cultural properties designated by Minamiyusyu City”, and recently started joint research in July, 2022.
（https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/ekatudo/996061.html）
The following surveys and investigation were conducted in Minamikyushu City in February, 2023.
Investigation and advice on preservation and restoration of the former Japanese Army Type 4 fighter “Hayate”
The “Hayate” (designated cultural property of Minamikyushu City), which is stored and exhibited at the Chiran Peace Museum, was captured by the US military in the Philippines during the Asia-Pacific War and is the only surviving aircraft.
After a test flight by the US military, it was sold and passed through multiple owners before it was returned to Japan in 1973. When the town of Chiran (now Minamikyusyu City) was established in 1995, the aircraft was transported there and has been on display at the Chiran Peace Museum since 1997.
Since 2017, Minamikyushu City has been conducting a conservation survey, and TOBUNKEN has participated in the survey from 2018. Our findings suggest that overall, the fuselage is in good condition, but some parts have worn out or been replaced because of the post-war test and demonstration flights. We will continue to check the status of the remaining original parts and consider the restoration policies. In this investigation, we mainly targeted the engine, checked the original parts, and the condition inside the engine and oil tank, among other things. Some parts removed from the aircraft were entrusted to TOBUNKEN for cleaning and component analyses.
The research was conducted in the exhibition room. Since the exhibition room was not closed during the research period; visitors were able to observe it at that time. Additionally, a report on the state of preservation was published in March, 2022.
Air quality investigation of exhibition rooms and storage in the Chiran Peace Museum
In this study, we conducted an air quality investigation (inspection of organic acids, aldehydes, and volatile organic compounds [VOC]) in the exhibition room and storage room along with a survey of ” Hayate.” In the future, we plan to consider a more stable exhibition and storage environment based on the results of this investigation.
Records of the current state of concrete structures during the Asia-Pacific War in Minamikyushu City
Minamikyushu City has there are cultural assets related to numerous wars and the former Chiran Airfield. They have remained in the city since the Asia-Pacific War period. Many of them are concrete structures, but nearly 80 years have passed since the end of the war, and they are deteriorating and falling debris. In this study, we recorded the current situation by obtaining actual measurements and photogrammetry (three-dimensional models were created from multiple photographs) of the former Chiran Airfield water tower (a city-designated cultural property) and two pillboxes (defensive positions) of the former Aoto Airfield as concrete structures in the city during the relevant period. In the future, we will analyze the progress of deterioration based on regular records and consider measuring concrete strength.
Investigation at Kangetsu-do Hall of the Kotoku-in Temple
The Kotoku-in Temple, famous for its Great Buddha, has a hall called Kangestu-do Hall, transferred from Gyeongbokgung, a Korean royal palace. Kangetsu-do Hall faces various issues for its conservation and utilization, such as aging roofing tiles and outer walls as well as damage by wild animals. Dancheong were the original coloring pigments used in Kangetsu-do Hall at the time of its construction. This is very valuable because they exist in their original state. Their elements have not yet been elucidated; therefore, it is important to understand their status. Through these examinations and discussions, we decided to collect basic information related to the coloring pigments used in Kangetsu-do Hall.
Responding to the request by the Kotoku-in Temple (chief priest: Prof. SATO Takao), INUZUKA Masahide, HAYAKAWA Noriko, HAGA Ayae, and CHI Chih lien of the Center for Conservation Science of Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) conducted on-site investigation of coloring pigments on the building components of Kangetsu-do Hall using portable analytic equipment on July 6th and 7th, 2022.
As this investigation’s first step, reflectance spectrometry was conducted using a hyperspectral camera to investigate two-dimensional color information, focusing on the places where the original paintings from the construction time were presumed to remain. We then selected some places that were academically interesting based on the reflectance spectrometry data and performed further detailed analysis using X-ray fluorescence analysis. We plan to analyze in detail the data obtained by these two types of analysis methodologies, further investigate the unique coloring pigments used in the Joseon Dynasty, and use this information for future conservation and utilization.
SAITO Takamasa, Director General of TOBUNKEN and Mr. NURUKI Hiroyuki, Mayor of Minamikyushu City holding the signed MoU
Meteorological observing station now installed close to the water tower of the former Chiran Airfield site (cultural heritage designated by the city) – right hand side in the fence
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) and Minamikyushu City of Kagoshima Prefecture have jointly conducted research on conservation and restoration of individual cultural properties located in the city from around 2008. Now, we decided to conclude “MoU for Research on Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Properties Designated by Minamikyushu City” and explore further collaboration as joint research. Taking this opportunity, we conducted the conclusion ceremony of this MoU in the city office of Minamikyushu City on July 20th, 2022. At the ceremony, the project details were explained and SAITO Takamasa, Director General of TOBUNKEN and Mr. NURUKI Hiroyuki, mayor of Minamikyushu City signed them, after the explaining the project overview.
Minamikyushu City has total 191 designated cultural properties. Among them, modern cultural heritage, including the buildings at the former Chiran Airfield site of the Imperial Japanese Army, as nation registered cultural properties and The Army Type-4 Fighter Aircraft, “Hayate”, a cultural property designated by the city are well known as mandatory materials in Japanese modern history. However, the modern cultural heritage’s characteristics differ from those of traditional cultural properties in volume, materials, functions, and others. Therefore, it often requires new methodologies for conservation and restoration.
This joint research aims to solve technical issues related to conservation and utilization of these cultural properties, develop new conservation methodologies, vitalize research activities, and contribute toward promotion of public awareness of local cultural properties by collaboration of TOBUNKEN and Minamikyushu City. We will also provide information beneficial to other local governments who have the same or similar challenges by disseminating the research outcomes.
