| ■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 |
|
Displayed poster material
Panel set up at the venue
Mr. KATAKURA Shumpei had the opportunity to attend Digital Humanities 2024 (DH2024), held from August 6 to August 9, 2024, at George Mason University in the United States. DH2024 was the largest annual international conference in the field of Digital Humanities, a discipline that aims to achieve new discoveries by integrating computing and the humanities.
Since the 2022 fiscal year, Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been involved in “The Investigation of Tools and Materials Used for the Preservation and Restoration of Fine Arts and Crafts” as part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “TAKUMI Project,” and the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems is in charge of the “Archiving of Cultural Property Restoration Records” initiative. This project is of great importance, as it focuses on preserving crucial information about the restoration records of cultural properties in an appropriate form for future generations. Given the international significance of this endeavor, it is essential to communicate our presence and progress on a global stage.
In this context, Mr. KATAKURA, a guest researcher attended DH2024 and presented a poster titled “Constructing a Database of Cultural Property Restoration Records,” sharing the progress made in the archiving process up to the previous fiscal year. The content of his presentation was based on work by Mr. TARASHIMA Satoshi and Mr. KATAKURA Shumpei, “Creating a Database of Arts and Crafts Restoration Records” (Gekkan Bunkazai, Issue No. 722, 2023), which he encourages us to refer to for more details.
The audience was particularly interested in the types of records that have been kept during the restoration of cultural properties in Japan and how these records have been accumulated and preserved over time. Many expressed a strong desire to see the database currently under development. Although the database is not yet publicly available, Mr. KATAKURA assured them that it will be released in the future and encouraged them to stay tuned.
This project is entering a critical phase, and we will continue our efforts to disseminate information internationally. Mr. KATAKURA hopes you will continue to follow our progress with interest.
Installing displays in an exhibition room
Research meeting at TOBUNKEN
The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of KURODA Seiki (1866-1924), a painter who bequeathed funds for the establishment of the Art Institute, the predecessor of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN). To commemorate this, we held a special exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum. The exhibition consisted of KURODA’s works and modern paintings from the Tokyo National Museum’s collection, and introduced the process of “YŌGA: Western-style painting” gaining the status of “art” as “adventure.”
First of all, with KURODA Seiki’s masterpiece “Wisdom, Feeling, Emotion” (1899, Meiji 32), we introduced an attempt that originated from Western allegorical painting to depict abstract ideas using the human nude. In Japan, where the human nude was not depicted or viewed as an aesthetic object, nude painting was criticized as immoral, but KURODA questioned these concepts about nude paintings using human Japanese models in this painting. “Wisdom, Feeling, and Feeling” was introduced at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900 (Meiji 33) as “Etude de Femme” (Study of a Woman). It can be seen as an attempt to have a dual nature: to show the Japanese audience a method of expressing ideals through nudity, and to Western audiences the existence of nude paintings depicting Japanese people.
In this exhibition, we also exhibited works that show the boundaries of “art” at the time of their creation. ODA/OTA Tōu’s “The Village of Koropokkur” (1907, Meiji 40) was based on the theory of anthropologist TSUBOI Shōgorō that the “Koropokkur,” which appears in Ainu folklore as “people who live under the butterbur leaves,” are the indigenous people of Japan’s Stone Age. ODA/OTA wanted to exhibit this work as an artwork at the Tokyo Industrial Exposition in 1907 (Meiji 40). On the contrary, the judges of the art department were puzzled by the unprecedented expression and refused to judge the work, and in the end the work was exhibited as material for “education and curatorship.” At that time, the concept of “art” was still in its infancy, and it can be said that the treatment of “The Village of Koropokkur” revealed the differences in perception between the creator and the judges. Regarding this work, an interdisciplinary study meeting was held at TOBUNKEN on September 6, which included consideration from a cultural-historical perspective and an examination from the perspectives of archaeology and cultural anthropology.
At the end, the materials from the collection of TOBUNKEN were exhibited. Bijutsu Kenkyujo, the predecessor of TOBUNKEN, was founded in 1930 (Showa 5) by the legacy of KURODA Seiki. KURODA left a will in which a portion of his inheritance was to be used to promote art projects, but it was the art historian YASHIRO Yukio who embodied the contents. YASHIRO, who studied Renaissance art while studying in England and Italy, published the book “Sandro Botticelli” (Medici Society) in 1925 (Taisho 14), which was highly acclaimed as a presentation of fresh perspective. In particular, the viewpoint of recognizing the unique aesthetics of partial drawings brought a new perspective to the history of Western art at that time. The policy of collecting art photographs, which was emphasized by YASHIRO, has been continued in the current collection of materials of TOBUNKEN. In this exhibition, some materials, including “Sandro Botticelli” and a diary by KURODA Seiki, were exhibited from TOBUNKEN, and the significance of the institute as a base for art research was introduced.
A demonstration at the Symposium
Exhibitions
On August 9, 2024, a symposium entitled “‘Wisdom and Techniques’ Nurtured with Forests: For the Future of Intangible Cultural Heritage” was held at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN).
The recent difficulty in obtaining raw materials to support intangible arts and techniques for repairing tangible cultural properties has become a major problem. There are various reasons for this: the mountains are no longer cared for and thus suitable timber is no longer available, timber producers have withdrawn due to decreased demand, the distribution system has collapsed, etc. All of these factors are due to the fact that the relationship between people and Nature has changed.
The purpose of this symposium was to make the current situation widely known and to build a network for thinking together about how to solve these problems. In the first part of the symposium, five people were invited to demonstrate various techniques using natural materials. Ms. ARAI Eriko demonstrated making a “Ohara basket” from Itaya maple and Mountain maple, Ms. NOBUHARA Yuki wove a “Omogishi-mi (winnowing basket)” from the bark of Bakkoyanagi (Salix caprea) and the core of Sarunashi (Actinidia arguta), Ms. NAKAMURA Hitomi made “Hichiriki reeds” from Yoshi (reed), Mr. KOJIMA Shusuke made a “Kiri box” of Paulownia, and Mr. SEKITA Tetsuya carved a “Kezurikake,” a ritual tool, from wood from the Satoyama landscape; and all of these presenters freely interacted with the participants while providing information and explanations. The second part of the event was followed by a lecture by Dr. MAKITA Akifumi, Vice President of Akita Prefectural University, on “Nature as a Foundation of Culture,” and reports provided by three staff members of TOBUNKEN.
As mentioned earlier, a major factor behind the shortage of raw materials is the changing relationship between people and Nature. This is directly linked to changes in society as a whole, and it is not a problem that can be solved overnight. However, this is precisely why it is important to make society at large aware of this current situation, and to encourage people from various regions and standpoints to think about this issue and take action. The Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage will continue to conduct related research and networking activities to contribute to the resolution of this issue.
A full report on the symposium will be published soon, and a PDF version will be available on the website of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
West entrance of the Central Tower before and after restoration (3D model created by Photogrammetry)
Stone conservation
Located in the northeastern area of the Angkor Monuments, one of the World Heritage Sites in Cambodia, Ta Nei is a Buddhist temple thought to have been built in the late 12th to early 13th century. Its Central Tower, about 15 meters high, is partly collapsed, but still has pediments with carved Buddhist motifs on all sides and a pedestal inside on which the main Buddha image is thought to have been placed.
The entrance frames on each side are made of sandstone, but the upper frames on both the east and west sides are broken and deformed, and they had been supported by wooden supports. During this visit, we carried out partial restoration work on the entrance components to structurally stabilize the east-west entrance of the Central Tower and to remove the wooden supports so that visitors can safely walk along the central axis of the temple while viewing the temple as its original appearance.
Prior to the restoration work, the restoration plan was proposed and approved at the international meeting of ICC-Angkor/Sambor Prei Kuk in March 2024 (see previous article here). Subsequently, the work began in June under the leadership of the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA). As part of its technical cooperation for this restoration project, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) dispatched two staff members (XVI field survey) from June 15 to July 2, 2024, and one staff member (XVII field survey) from August 7 to 11, 2024, for collaborative work with the APSARA staff. Specifically, the following procedures were followed: (1) dismantling and recording the sand stones composing the entrance and scattered stones in the surrounding area, (2) partial dismantling of the doorframes, (3) stone restoration, (4) reassembling, and (5) recording after restoration, which was successfully completed when the staff was dispatched in August.
Examination of structural members by master carpenters and staff from both Japan and Bhutan
The Lham Pelzom house
Since 2012, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been continuously engaged in research on vernacular houses in Bhutan, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (DCDD), Ministry of Home Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan. The DCDD promotes a policy of preserving and utilizing vernacular houses by integrating them into the legal protecting framework of cultural heritage, while TOBUNKEN supports the initiative from academic and technical aspects.
The Lham Pelzom house, located in Kabesa near the capital of Thimphu, is considered the oldest among about eighty vernacular houses that we have surveyed across Bhutan. This house is enclosed with rammed-earth outer walls that have few openings. Because it has very different characteristics from the current ordinary houses in Bhutan, we assume that it was built at the latest in the 18th century or earlier.
At the time of our initial survey in 2013, this house was already dilapidated. In 2017, the wooden parts, including the roof and floor of the upstairs, completely collapsed. Coping with this situation, the structural members scattered in the house were collected and stored, and a temporary roof was constructed to preserve the remaining structure of the outer walls. During the COVID-19 pandemic we could not conduct on-site activities, and the Bhutan side continued with the procedures to obtain cultural heritage status designation of this building. As a result of those efforts this house was successfully designated as a cultural heritage site in 2023, the first time for a vernacular house.
We dispatched four people, including two TOBUNKEN staff and two external experts from Japan, from August 12 to 23, 2024. The team surveyed the structural members as part of the restoration planning for this vernacular house with local staff, including DCDD officials. Dr. Alejandro Martinez, Associate Professor of Kyoto Institute of Technology, who had previously taken part in storing the members, worked to identify where each member was originally used. Mr. TOBASE Koji, master carpenter and Chairperson of the Japanese Association for the Conservation of Techniques for Traditional Architecture who experienced many restorations of traditional Japanese wooden buildings, examined each member for its reusability and discussed its restoration methodology. Nine Bhutanese master carpenters who are engaged in restoring historical buildings joined the activities. During the surveys, we were visited by H.E Mr. Tshering, Home Minister of Bhutan, and interviewed by the national TV station and a newspaper. This project attracts strong interest in Bhutan. We are continuing to carefully work on the overall restoration plan, considering the maximum conservation of its authenticity, and to support the tasks including the restoration cost calculation for securing the production budget on the DCDD side.
The surveys were conducted with the support of a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) “Vernacular Stone Masonry Houses of Bhutan: A Study on the Architectural Characteristics and the Suitable Approach for Protection as Cultural Heritage” (Principal Researcher: TOMODA Masahiko).
