Symposium “KURODA Seiki, the Current Status of Research and Evaluation: On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of His Death”

A scene from the symposium: Presentation (by Ms. TAKAYAMA Yuri)

Discussion at the symposium

　The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) was founded in 1930 as a result of the legacy of KURODA Seiki (1866-1924), a painter known as the “father of modern Western-style painting in Japan.” The Kuroda Memorial Hall, where KURODA’s works are now displayed and exhibited as a facility of the Tokyo National Museum, was originally built as the Art Research Institute, the predecessor of TOBUNKEN. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of KURODA’s death in 2024, TOBUNKEN hosted a symposium, “KURODA Seiki, His Research and Evaluation Today: On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of His Death,” on January 10 in the seminar room of the Kuroda Memorial Hall where the Art Research Institute was founded.

The symposium presentation titles and respective presenters were as follows:

Keynote Speech: On the Painting Works of KURODA Seiki: From the Perspective of a Kozu Kojin (Mr. SHIOYA Jun, Special Researcher Chair, TOBUNKEN)

Presentation 1: KURODA Seiki and Raphael Collin: Some Perspectives (Ms. MITANI Rika, Joshibi University of Art and Design)

Presentation 2: After KURODA Seiki: Aspects of “Government Exhibition Academism” in the Showa Period (Ms. TAKAYAMA Yuri, Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art)

Presentation 3: Learning from KURODA Seiki and his Influence to Local areas: The Case of a Native of Tottori Prefecture (Ms. TOMOOKA Maho, Tottori Prefectural Museum)

　The symposium was held simultaneously in-person and online and attended by 63 people. Ms. TOMOOKA was unable to come to the symposium due to heavy snowfall in the San’in region, so she had to give her presentation online at short notice, but the symposium went without a hitch, including the discussion that followed his presentation. We hope that this symposium, which reassessed KURODA Seiki’s artwork from the viewpoints of his relationship with French modern art, his influence on the Japanese modern Western-style painting scene, and the spread of his style to the provinces, based on the latest research results, will serve as a catalyst for rethinking the study of Japanese modern art. The contents of this symposium will be published in our research journal “Bijutsu Kenkyu” No. 447 (scheduled for publication in November 2025).

The Image of Mount Geumgan in Modern Korea – The 9th Seminar Held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems

　The Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems actively promotes academic exchange by inviting international researchers to present their research findings. At the 9th research meeting, held on January 21, Prof. Kim So-yeon from Ewha Womans University in South Korea, who was a visiting researcher at Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) from December 2024 to February 2025, delivered a presentation titled “Depicting Mount Geumgang: Changes in the Perception and Visualization of Mount Geumgang in Modern Korea.”

　Mount Geumgang, renowned as one of the most famous mountains on the Korean Peninsula, has long been a subject of literature and painting. However, significant changes occurred in the modern era with the development of railway infrastructure and tourism. These transformations influenced the ways in which the mountain was represented. Prof. Kim analyzed various media that depicted Mount Geumgang and highlighted two key points: (1) Unlike in the Joseon period, when only the inland “Inner Geumgang” was depicted, the coastal “Outer Geumgang” also came to be represented; and (2) a gendered distinction emerged in these representations, with “Inner Geumgang” being associated with femininity and “Outer Geumgang” with masculinity.

　Prof. Kim’s study, which incorporated materials such as photographic postcards and illustrations from travel guides, underscored the potential for constructing art history through diverse media. It also reaffirmed the relevance of art history in relation to broader issues such as tourism and gender studies.

　The research meeting attracted a large number of students and scholars from both within and outside the institute. The question-and-answer session was particularly lively, fostering an active exchange of ideas.

　Presentations by international researchers offer valuable opportunities to engage with different academic perspectives and methodologies, distinct from those prevalent in Japan. By serving as a “hub” for academic exchange between Japan and the international research community, TOBUNKEN aims to contribute to Japanese scholarship from a more multifaceted perspective.

Participation in the 10th Anniversary International Symposium of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites

Venue: Gunma Music Center, designed by architect Antonin Raymond (1961)

Keynote Speech by Dr. Patricia O’Donnell (Proposal of key issues on “heritage ecosystems”)

Group discussions among different four groups (Group C)

　The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) dispatched three staff members to attend the 10th Anniversary International Symposium of the Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites, held at the Gunma Music Center in Takasaki from January 10 to 11, 2025. Organized by the Gunma Prefectural Government and ICOMOS Japan, the theme of the symposium was on revisiting the concept of heritage authenticity in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of “the Nara Document,” with a focus on the need to adapt it to the increasingly complex social challenges of the 21st century. JCIC-Heritage, managed by TOBUNKEN, also organized a seminar and symposium in November last year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of “the Nara Document.” (For more details, please refer to the web link at the end of this report.)

　The symposium program reflected the vision of the principal organizer, Emeritus Prof. KONO Toshiyuki at Kyushu University and former president of ICOMOS. Unlike a conventional symposium format, the program consisted of four group discussions with keynote speeches from guest experts and academics, introducing “heritage ecosystems” as a key concept for discussion. The symposium welcomed approximately 120 participants, including 14 guest experts and academics from 8 countries, and around 80 voluntary experts and academics from 19 countries. The diverse attendance contributed to a distinctly international atmosphere.

　Although the concept of “heritage ecosystems” is not yet widely recognized, the symposium interpreted it as encompassing “the cyclical and organic relationships among various elements that constitute the rich cultural and natural environment of the region.” Each keynote speech aimed to reframe the significance of “Tomioka” by connecting it to the living silk industry and sericulture, such as “Preparing the Next Generation for the Silk Industry” by Mr. TSUCHIYA Masashi, Executive Director of Usui Silk Mills Ltd., and “Sericulture in Modern Japan: Silkworm as a Recombinant Protein Factory” by Prof. KUSAKABE Takahiro at Kyushu University, presenting a perspective entirely different from the conventional heritage conservation approach. Every participant actively engaged in open-ended discussions within their respective groups, with the following four key issues on “heritage ecosystems” as presented in the keynote speech by Dr. Patricia O’Donnell, former president of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes in mind:

1. How does the work you are presenting relate to the heritage ecosystem approach?
2. What opportunities do you see that emerge from working with a system of heritage assets?
3. What benefits to communities and heritage can a heritage ecosystem approach advance?
4. How does the heritage ecosystem approach advance understanding of heritage authenticity?

As a culmination of the keynote speeches and group discussions, the “Gunma Declaration on Heritage Ecosystems” was formally adopted at the conclusion of the symposium.

　Together with JCIC-Heritage, TOBUNKEN will continue its efforts to strengthen international cooperation in heritage conservation and gather information on global cultural heritage affairs through active participation in international conferences.

References

The JCIC-Heritage 35th Seminar: 30 years of the Nara Document in the Global Context of Heritage Conservation
https://www.jcic-heritage.jp/news/35seminar_report/

The JCIC-Heritage F.Y.2024 Symposium: Restoration of Notre Dame de Paris and Philosophy of Monuments Conservation
https://www.jcic-heritage.jp/news/2024syoposium_report/

A Research Survey into Stucco Decorations and Clay Statues (Part 6)

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Statues kept inside the cupola

　Since 2021, The Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation has been involved in a research survey on stucco decoration and clay statues under the research project “Technology for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage” program.

　From January 13 to January 18, 2025, we visited Florence to conduct preliminary research on a group of sculptures created by Pietro Francavilla and Giovanni Battista Caccini, Mannerist sculptors of the late Renaissance, and to discuss future research plans with the Opera del Duomo Museum, which holds the collection. These sculptures represent the principal saints of Florence and were created in 1589 to celebrate the wedding of Grand Duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici of Tuscany and Christine of Lorraine. The purpose was to decorate a temporary façade, which was installed on the front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore for the one-day celebration. For this reason, the technique of sculpture in plaster was chosen, rather than the marble that was commonly used at the time.

　Currently, these sculptures are stored in a room inside the cathedral cupola, but they have deteriorated over time, and research on their structure and the materials used has not progressed sufficiently. In cooperation with the local National Restoration Institute and the Fine Arts Superintendence, we are working to deepen the investigation and promote research that will contribute to future conservation and restoration efforts.