| ■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 |
|
Discussion by presenters
The watercolor painting Koropokkuru no Mura (“The Village of Koropokkur”) (1907, Tokyo National Museum) by OTA Tōu was created based on the latest findings of anthropology at the time. On September 6, a study session was held at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) on this work, which was on display in a thematic exhibition, “A Centennial Memorial: Kuroda Seiki and the Pioneers of Modern Japanese Painting” (August 20 – October 20) at Tokyo National Museum. The panelists were Ms. YOSHIDA Akiko (a researcher of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, in charge of the exhibition), KURATA Aiko (University of Tokyo), Mr. SHINAGAWA Yoshiya (Tokyo National Museum), and Ms. SASAKURA Irumi (Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples), who discussed the work in turn from the perspectives of art history, cultural resources studies, archaeology, and cultural anthropology.
Koropokkuru no Mura was painted as a depiction of the living conditions of “prehistoric people” set in Japan 3,000 years ago, as stated on the reverse side of the painting. It is known that OTA relied on the theories of anthropologist TSUBOI Shogoro, referred to archaeological artifacts and other materials available at the time, and carefully sketched the area around Omori Kaizuka (a shell mound) to prepare the painting. OTA intended to exhibit this work in the “Fine Arts” category of the Tokyo Industrial Exposition in 1907, but was denied entry in that category, and the work was exhibited as “Educational and Academic” material in the end.
In a respective presentation, Ms. YOSHIDA first introduced an overview of this work, and after analyzing the trend of award-winning paintings in the art category at the Tokyo Industrial Exposition, she inferred why Koropokkuru no Mura was not recognized as a work of art at the time. Next, Ms. KURATA, who discussed Koropokkuru no Mura in her recent book Gako no Kindai (“Professional Painters in the Modern Era”) (University of Tokyo Press, 2024), in Chapter 8, “‘Japanese Antiquity’ in the 40’s of the Meiji Era (1907-1912)” (pp. 309-331) discussed relationships between this painting and theories of TSUBOI Shogoro, and the position of the painting at the Tokyo Industrial Exposition. Next, Mr. SHINAGAWA analyzed the scene in the painting from an archaeological perspective, as a reproduction of an actual ancient site. He also introduced how the work was collected by the Tokyo National Museum. Next, Ms. SASAKURA pointed out that the tools, clothes, and dwellings depicted in the work have elements in common with those of the northern peoples, and pointed out possible sites and materials that OTA may have referred to through the work of TSUBOI. Finally, a discussion ensued with questions and comments from the audience.
This session was a new attempt to examine this painting, which has been marginalized between artworks and academic materials, from cross-disciplinary perspectives that received a great response from the audience. reports on the results by each presenter will be published in “The Bijutsu Kenkyu (The Journal of Art Studies)” in a future edition.
Examples of Gallery Yamaguchi Papers: Gallery Guide (山304), Print works by NOMIYAMA Gyoji (山185), OKAMOTO Atsuo / Jan van Munster (山043) Note) The figures in parentheses are call numbers.
Examples of Gallery Yamaguchi Papers: Architectural Sculpture Monument by TATEHATA Kakuzo (山147), Photographs of works by Hotel New Otani, Tama Art University, Riccar Building, and National Institute of Technology, Oita
As part of the research project “Research and Compilation of Materials on Modern and Contemporary Art,” we are pleased to announce that a catalog of “Gallery Yamaguchi Papers” is now available on our website.
The Gallery Yamaguchi, a gallery specializing in contemporary art, was established in March 1980 on the third floor of the Yamato Building in Ginza 3-chome, between Matsuya Department Store and Showa Street, and was managed by YAMAGUCHI Mitsuyko (1943-2010). In an era known as the “rush to open art museums,” the gallery mainly presented solo exhibitions of young Japanese artists in their 30s and 40s who would lead the next generation of artists, mainly featuring large-scale abstract paintings and sculptures. It is also known as a gallery that has produced outdoor sculptures and environmental sculptures for plazas and parks on commission. In response to the growing scale of contemporary art works, in April 1991, the gallery moved into the SOKO Gallery premises, which opened in Shinkiba, Tokyo, as the “Gallery Yamaguchi SOKO.” In August 1995, these two galleries were consolidated and moved to the Kyobashi 3-chome Keiei Building. This became one of the most important galleries in this period, contributing greatly to the spread of contemporary art in Japan by holding exchange exhibitions with overseas galleries as part of its international exchange activities.
The Gallery Yamaguchi Papers cataloged here were donated to the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties through the intermediary SASAKI Shigeo (1931-2024) when the gallery closed in 2010 following the passing of the gallery’s manager, and consists of some 570 files, with a total length of approximately 9 meters. Among them are files on artists containing documentation such as photographs and press releases, as well as gallery management documents, which may provide important facts that were not previously available to the media such as newspapers and magazines of the time.
The research project “Research and Compilation of Materials on Modern and Contemporary Art” is intended to facilitate the conduction of research on modern and contemporary Japanese art works and materials, to promote research exchange based on this research, and to establish an efficient collection and publication framework for materials related to contemporary art. We hope that you will make use of these documents, which are now available in the library, as evidence for solving problems encountered in research on cultural properties, including contemporary art, and as an opportunity to conduct new research in various fields.
• Library Visitor’s Guide
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/english/library/library_e.html
Archives (documents) information can be found at the bottom of this page. the Gallery Yamaguchi Papers are accessible in our library.
• Gallery Yamaguchi Papers
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/pdf/archives_GalleryYamaguchi.pdf
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.
The period between the 1920s and 1930s was pivotal for art exchanges between Japan and China. During this time, the study of Chinese art history began to take shape in Japan, led by figures such as OMURA Seigai (1868–1927) and NAKAMURA Fusetsu (1866–1943). Recently, historical documents such as the “China Travel Diary” by OMURA Seigai, who was a professor at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (Tokyo University of the Arts, today), have shed light on various aspects of the art exchanges between Japan and China. However, there is still a need for research that considers the social sentiments and artistic trends in both countries during that time.
At the 4th Seminar of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) held on July 23, 2024, Ms. GOTO Ryoko, a visiting researcher of TOBUNKEN, gave a presentation titled “Yu Shaosong (余紹宋) and the History of Calligraphy and Painting in Modern China.” Ms. GOTO has long been involved in the study of OMURA’s “China Travel Diary.” Through this research, she has highlighted the significance of this period in the development of Chinese art history. Her presentation focused on Yu Shaosong (1883–1949), who studied in Japan and authored the “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting” (published in 1931). Ms. GOTO explored Yu Shaosong’s connection with Japan and his role in shaping the history of calligraphy and painting in modern China.
Yu Shaosong was a scholar active during the 1920s and 1930s. His book, “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting,” is still highly regarded today as the first specialized reference book on Chinese calligraphy and painting literature. However, for many years, little was known about Yu Shaosong himself. Recently, with the publication of “The Diary of Yu Shaosong” and other materials, his role in China’s modernization has begun to attract scholarly attention. Yu Shaosong came to Japan in 1905, where he studied law at university. After returning to China, he became a government official, eventually serving as Vice Minister of Justice in 1921. Meanwhile, he studied painting under the grandson of Tang Yifen (1778–1853) and thoroughly researched art history and biographies of painters, gradually making his mark in the art world. In 1927, he retired from government service to pursue a career as a scholar, calligrapher, and artist.
Ms. GOTO traced Yu Shaosong’s life, his research on painting, and his practice of calligraphy and painting. She analyzed not only his “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting,” but also other works such as “Essentials of Painting Methods” (published in 1926) and the art journal “Epigraphy, Calligraphy, and Painting” (published from 1934 to 1937) to assess his place in the history of Chinese art studies. Ms. GOTO argued that Yu Shaosong, who gained Western insights through his time in Japan, critically examined traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting culture using a revivalist approach known as the Movement for Systematic Organization and Re-evaluation of National Cultural Heritage, which became one of the foundations of modern Chinese art research. External experts attended the seminar, engaging in meaningful exchanges of opinions on the development of Chinese and Oriental art history in modern China and Japan.
Examples of the Striped House Museum of Art / Striped House Gallery Papers: Documents about the Apartheid Non! International Art Festival (1990), University of the End of the Century, Tokyo (1993-2000) (Call Number [In Japanese] : ス162, ス261 )
The Striped House Building
As part of the research project “Research and Compilation of Materials on Modern and Contemporary Art,” we are pleased to announce that a catalog of “Striped House Museum of Art / Striped House Gallery Papers” is now available on our website.
The Striped House Museum of Art was established by the photographer Mr. TSUKAHARA Takuya (born 1937) in May 1981 in Roppongi 5-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, as a private art museum that held many retrospectives of deceased artists, mainly of contemporary art, as well as solo exhibitions of young artists. The museum also had a reputation for discovering artists, and was known not only for its art exhibitions, but also for regularly organizing mini live performances, one-man shows, Rakugo events, and recitation readings. Although the museum closed in 2000, a gallery has been operating on the third floor of the Striped House Building since December 2001. The Striped House Gallery Papers were donated by the gallery through an arrangement by SASAKI Shigeo (1931-2024) around 2010, and were organized in about 300 envelopes containing materials related to individual events and artists. These envelopes also included documentary photographs, press releases, and other materials, which may provide important facts that were not available in the media such as newspapers and magazines of the time.
The research project “Research and Compilation of Materials on Modern and Contemporary Art” is intended to enable the conduction of research on modern and contemporary Japanese art works and materials, to promote research exchange based on this research, and to establish an efficient collection and publication framework for materials related to contemporary art. We hope that you will make use of these documents, which are now available in the library, as evidence for solving problems encountered in research on cultural properties, including contemporary art, and as an opportunity to conduct new research in various fields.
• Library Visitor’s Guide
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/english/library/library_e.html
Archives (documents) information can be found at the bottom of this page. The Striped House Gallery Papers are accessible in our library.
• Striped House Museum of Art / Striped House Gallery Papers
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/pdf/archives_StripedHouseMuseumofArt.pdf
Students and professors, observing a rubbing
On May 11, 2024, a group from the Asian History Department of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Waseda University, visited the TOBUNKEN Library of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. The students, led by Mr. YANAGISAWA Akira (Professor, specialist in the history of the Qing Dynasty), Mr. KAKINUMA Yōhei (Professor, specialist in the history of ancient China), Mr. UEDA Kihei-narichika (Lecturer, specialist in the history of ancient Korea) took a tour, guided by Mr. TASHIRO Yūichirō, of the Institute’s collection of books and rubbings, which have been collected since 1930.
One of the missions of the Archives Section of the TOBUNKEN Library* is to provide information on cultural properties to experts and students, as well as to create an environment for the effective use of such materials. We hope that the valuable materials of our institute, which are of high value even by international standards, will be widely utilized not only in art history research, but also in Asian history research and historical research in general, and contribute to the development of research on cultural properties that are the common heritage of all humankind.
*The Archives Section provides usage guidance for undergraduate students, graduate students, museum staff, etc. If you are interested, please apply after reading the guidance
(https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/guidance.html (Japanese only)).
The presentation
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., USA, is the nation’s record keeper, preserving and managing historically valuable government records. Established in 1934, NARA holds the “Charters of Freedom” – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights – as well as diplomatic documents, war-related documents, immigration records, veteran’s service records, and others that form the nation’s “memory.” The holdings are vast and diverse, including 13.5 billion pieces of paper, more than 137 million meters (450 million feet) of film, 41 million photographs, 40 million aerial images, 10 million maps, charts, and architectural drawings, and 837 terabytes of electronic records (as of October 2023).
NARA has been accepting transfers of audiovisual records (such as films and videos) along with related materials documenting their production process over many years. At the 2nd seminar held on May 14, 2024, Ms. YAMANAGA Naomi, an Associate Fellow of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, presented a report titled “Audiovisual Records and Related Materials Created by Government Agencies.” The report detailed the findings of an on-site survey of these related materials conducted in August 2022.
According to information from the Textual Records Series Register (1990) provided by the archivists, their new building (Archives II) handling special media holds approximately 300 series of related materials, and digitization has been progressing in recent years. This presentation described the wide-ranging contents of related materials, including production files, scripts, correspondence, index cards, and interview transcripts, accompanied by photographs. In the subsequent question-and-answer session, various opinions were exchanged regarding the necessity of preserving and managing records that are created in the course of production activities and ensure their context. Based on this discussion, the presenter will continue to explore ways to contribute to the preservation of such related materials.
SHIMAZAKI Kiyomi teaching how to make silkscreens. (2011)
A portion of the materials related to SHIMAZAKI Kiyomi. (2024)
We have made a list of the ‘Materials Related to SHIMAZAKI Kiyomi’ held in the library collection of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) available on our website, and the original materials are now available for viewing in the TOBUNKEN Library*. The materials related to the Sōzō Biiku Kyōkai (SŌBI: ‘Society for Creative Art Education’), which were kept by art educator SHIMAZAKI (1923-2015), were donated to TOBUNKEN in March 2023 at the bereavement of his family.
SŌBI is a civilian art education organization founded in 1952. SHIMAZAKI was the head office secretary of SŌBI from 1957 to 1972. Even after retiring, he continued to monitor the activities of the association and worked hard to preserve it for future generations, preserving archives from the early days of SŌBI to the 2000s. As a reference to this, SHIMAZAKI’s personal document (SHIMAZAKI Kiyomi Papers A-531), a booklet containing the words of several early SŌBI members, including Mr. ASABE Hiroshi, states: ‘Fewer and fewer people know about the founding of SŌBI, and if we do not record it now, we will not be able to pass it on to future generations’ and the booklet was handed out to those who were interested in it. More than anyone else, SHIMAZAKI hoped that the activities of SŌBI will be passed on to future generations.
After receiving the donation, preparations were made to open the materials to the public with the advice of Mr. KIKKAWA Hideki, Head, Modern/Contemporary Art Section of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems and Ms. TAMURA Ayako (former Research Assistant staff of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems), with Ms. KAMADA Karin and Ms. KAMIO Hinaki (Assistants of the same department), Ms. TAGUCHI Kotono (former Assistant of the same department) working to organize the materials. The materials are categorized into A, ‘Sōzō Biiku Kyōkai-related materials,’ B, ‘Letters,’ and C, ‘SHIMAZAKI’s schedule books and Diaries,’ and are stored in a total of 19 archival document cases.
We would like to thank his bereaved family and all those involved for their efforts in this way. It is our sincere hope that the materials preserved with SHIMAZAKI’s passion will be seen by as many people as possible, and that research on art education and other subjects will flourish both in Japan and abroad.
*Application for advance reservation is required.
◆TOBUNKEN Library Visitor’s Guide
(https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/english/library/library_e.html)
◆‘SHIMAZAKI Kiyomi Papers’
(https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/pdf/archives_Shimazaki_Kiyomi.pdf）
The Seminar
Witt Library, the Coutauld Institute
Ms. MAIZAWA Rei, Head, Archives Section of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN), stayed as a visiting researcher at SISJAC, located in Norwich, East of England, from October 2023 to February this year, as detailed in the link below.
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/ekatudo/2059896.html
During her stay, she conducted lectures and a gallery talk at the Sainsbury Centre of the University of East Anglia（UEA）and the University of London The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She also conducted research on the British Museum’s collection of Japanese art and visited museums, galleries, libraries, and other facilities with archival institutions in the UK.
At the 1st seminar of the Department of Art, Research, Archives and Information Systems, held at TOBUNKEN on April 30, 2024, Ms. MAIZAWA reported on the research and inspections she had conducted in the UK. She presented explanation regarding an image digitization project currently ongoing at the Witt Library of the Courtauld Institute of Art, and about an inspection she had conducted of a conservation workshop at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, with photographs. YASHIRO Yukio (1890-1975) had visited the Witt Library as a reference for the creation of Bijutsu-Kenkyūjo (a predecessor of TOBUNKEN). The library holds about 2.2 million photographs, reproductions, and cuttings of paintings, drawings, and engravings. A team of 200 volunteers is working on digitization of the large amount of material, and stands as an example that provides clues for future management of TOBUNKEN, which also holds a wide range of materials. She also looked into how some museum programs are being managed in the UK, highlighting some of the projects for older people run by the National Liverpool Museums and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. She visited 28 of museums and galleries, 10 of which have libraries and archive facilities. Many important issues were presented that serve as reference for us, such as digitization and ensuring the accessibility of materials and the role of cultural institutions in an ageing society, which led to a lively exchange of views in a question-and-answer session after she presented her report.
The presentation
YAMAGUCHI Hōshun (1893-1971) was a representative Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) painter during the Showa period (1926-1989) in Japan. He actively worked and exhibited his paintings at Teiten (exhibitions held by the Imperial Academy of Fine Art) before WWII and Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibitions) after WWII. He learned painting from MATSUOKA Eikyū at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (Tokyo University of the Arts, today), and worked as a member of Shinko Yamato-e-kai, an association of the painters who learned from MATSUOKA. His artworks, deeply colored landscape paintings based on traditional Yamato-e techniques, such as Nachi Mountain, One of the Three Main Shrines of Kumano, prized by the Imperial Fine Arts Academy in 1926 and now owned by the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, attracted much attention. However, around 1930, his style began to shift to Kachōga, paintings of birds and flowers with light and refreshing colors. Mr. SHIOYA Jun, Special Research Chair of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, discussed this change of his style that took place in the early Showa period before WWII at a Seminar held on March 7, 2024, titled YAMAGUCHI Hōshun and Yamato-e – from the Viewpoint of Neoclassicism.
Through the words of YAMAGUCHI Hōshun, we can understand that he grasped Yamato-e painting as an expression based on very objective viewpoints. At the same time, he highly recognized artworks by painters of the so-called neoclassicism style (members of the Nihon Bijutsuin) such as YASUDA Yukihiko and KOBAYASHI Kokei. His early Kachōga paintings were done in similar styles as seen in their artworks. We believe that, at that time, YAMAGHCHI pursued reality based on his classic style skills and knowledge, while he also learned from Eastern-style paintings beyond Yamato-e as did YASUDA and KOBAYASHI.
Ms. RYU Risa, Vice President and Senior Curator of Hoshun Yamaguchi Memorial Hall joined this seminar as a commentator and talked about YAMAGUCHI’s activities. After her talk, a discussion among participants was conducted, including those who came from outside of TOBUNKEN. I was especially impressed with one point: YAMAGUCHI’s principle was to paint whatever he saw and felt as it is, and this did not change even after WWII. This principle was continued by his pupils and remains even now.
The 11th seminar (A)
The 11th seminar (B)
HARA Rokuro (1842-1933) was a collector who exemplified the Meiji period. HARA was born in Tajima Province (present-day Hyogo Prefecture), became the retainer of the Tottori clan because of his achievements in Meiji Restoration activities, studied abroad in the United States with assistance from the Meiji government, and studied banking in England. After returning home, he became famous as a banker and devoted himself to public work. On the side, he protected and collected old and valuable works of art. The Hara family maintains the greater part of that outstanding collection, and the Foundation Arc-en-Ciel, a public interest incorporated foundation, was established in 1977, and exists under that status today.
Today, the Hara family’s collection, donated to the foundation, is on display at Hara Museum ARC (Gunma Prefecture) whose main focus is on contemporary art. The unveiling of contemporary art begun at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Shinagawa, Tokyo), for which the Hara family residence was renovated and opened as a museum in 1979. The Hara Museum in Shinagawa was regrettably closed in 2021, and because of the closing, the cultural properties left behind at the site were re-examined. Works newly discovered at this time totaled more than 100 items, and these works that appeared for the first time were donated to the foundation.
Among the newly discovered works, we had the opportunity to examine two wild horse paintings, which were related to the wall and panel paintings that originally adorned the Nikko-in Guest Hall at Mi′idera temple. At the 11th seminar held on March 26, 2024, Ms. ONO Mika, an associate fellow of the Tokyo National Museum, took on the subject of “New developments in the Hara Rokuro collection: using research on the wall and panel paintings that originally adorned the Nikko-in Guest Hall at Mi′idera temple as an opportunity,” and presented an overview of the Hara Rokuro collection and reported on its present and future prospects. Next, Ms. ONO Mayumi, Head of Japanese and the East Asian Art History Section of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, took on the subject of “The wild horse paintings appearing for the first time: beginning with their relation to the wall and panel at the former reception hall of the Nikko-in Temple,” and reported on the formative features of those paintings. During a question-and-answer session, the placement of the wall and panel paintings and the attribution of their artists were discussed, and the Hara Rokuro collection also attracted a high level of interest.
Using the above as an opportunity, we hope to have a bird’s-eye view of the entire Hara Rokuro collection and move toward new academic research based on Hara Rokuro and the significance of his preservation of old works of art.
Removed fixed shelves.
Newly installed electrically operated bookcases
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) maintains materials, including books and photographs collected by TOBUNKEN’s departments and centers, mainly in the TOBUNKEN Library. The library itself consists of a reading room and stack rooms; however, the aforementioned materials can be accessed by external researchers at the Library, which is open three days a week.
Almost 24 years have passed since TOBUNKEN moved to its current building in 2000. During these years, TOBUNKEN has continuously been collecting materials through its research activities, including books and photographs,. Furthermore, it has recently had more opportunities to receive donations of archives from the collections of ex-employees and related researchers. Through these activities, the Library has been able to accumulate many more materials and enhance the quality of those materials. At the same time, we foresaw that the bookshelves would be overflowing in the near future. Therefore, we reconstructed the bookshelves as part of a framework entitled “Projects to expand archive stacks and optimize the storage environment.”
In 2022, the fixed bookcases in over a quarter of the floor space of the second-floor stack room were replaced with the electrically operated bookcases. During this recent reconstruction, which was started on January 11, 2024, the fixed bookshelves in the remaining three-fourths were so replaced. After removing the materials from the fixed bookshelves, removing the bookshelves, laying rails for new bookshelves, setting-up the new electrically operated bookshelves, and placing the materials onto the new shelves, the renovation was completed on March 27. The space that was previously home to 16 fixed bookshelves (1,900 shelves; 1,615 m in total) now accommodates 29 new electrically operated bookshelves (3,500 shelves; 2,975 m in total), with almost double capacity.
We apologize for any inconvenience that resulted from the Library’s temporary closure during the reform. We continue our work to collect, pass down, and utilize materials valuable for research and conservation of cultural properties. We hope that the TOBUNKEN archives can serve your research activities well.
Photography is an effective tool for investigating cultural properties, because it can record objects in an instant. However, before photography became widespread, the only way to record subjects was through handwritten notes and sketches. Notes and sketches, which take more time than photographs, are often records of only some elements or characteristics of the subject. It may be said that they are incomplete records. However, records in which only selected elements are characterized are useful for understanding what characteristics of a cultural property the recorder found to be of value, or in other words, why that cultural property has been preserved to this day. Such records can be said to be valuable resources.
We have already reported the details of IMAIZUMI Yusaku’s (1850-1931) “Kijishu,” which is one of such handwritten research records (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/ekatudo/216397.html), and the first volume has been published on the website of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (今泉雄作『記事珠』 :: 東文研アーカイブデータベース (tobunken.go.jp)). For publication, the full text was transcribed as text data for search functionality. In addition, since things that were obvious to IMAIZUMI are not described, we have added annotations to the extent possible and have also provided links to related information published on the Internet.
The transcribed text has been set to be displayed vertically on the user’s browser so that it can be easily compared with the original text. We have made every effort to ensure that the image and vertically written text can be viewed at the same time, but some line breaks may be misaligned. We will continue to conduct layout and technical verification in preparation for the release of vertically displayed documents.
Cross-search using ColBase
Since its establishment in 1930, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has continuously investigated and collected materials on many cultural properties. In recent years, we have been digitizing images taken during surveys and materials collected, and making them available on our website. For example, the images taken at the time of the establishment of TOBUNKEN were in black and white, making it impossible to convey the colors of the cultural properties. However, the images that retain their former appearance are valuable and interesting and can inform us as to how the cultural properties were preserved and how they were restored by comparing them with their current appearance.
TOBUNKEN has started collaboration with Japan Search, a national platform for aggregating metadata of digital resources of various fields, and ColBase, a service that enables multi-database searches of the collections in the four national museums, The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan , and two research institutes, to make this information more readily available. TOBUNKEN will continue to work on adding collaborated databases and registering data from time to time, so we hope that you will compare our data with the various data held by other institutions while conducting your research.
A tour, guided by Mr. KIKKAWA Hideki
On March 21, 2024, a group from the National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea (Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do) visited the TOBUNKEN Library of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
The museum, an institution under the Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea, opened in November 2023 and mainly holds historical materials, including 75 volumes of the Odaesan Edition of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (UNESCO’s Memory of the World) and 82 volumes of the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty.
The group, including Mr. Daehyun Kim (administrative officer), took a tour, guided by Mr. KIKKAWA Hideki, Head, Archives Section of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems and Mr. TASHIRO Yūichirō, Researcher of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems of the Institute’s collection of books, which have been collected since 1930. Furthermore, both institutions exchanged opinions on the current situation and issues surrounding material preservation and archive projects based on common ground regarding the preservation and utilization of materials.
One of the missions of the Archives Section is to provide information on cultural properties to experts and students, as well as to create an environment for the effective use of such materials. This is no exception for overseas experts and students. We hope that the materials of our institute, which are highly valued even by international standards, will be widely utilized and contribute to the development of research on cultural properties that are the common heritage of all humankind.
Note: The Archives Section provides usage guidance for undergraduate students, graduate students, museum staff, etc. If you are interested, please apply after reading the guidance (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/guidance.html (Japanese only)).
Still Life in Early Spring by SEIMIYA Naobumi, 1977, owned by the Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki
Some of SEIMIYA’s materials donated to TOBUNKEN
SEIMIYA Nobumi (1917 – 1991) was a renowned artist who expressed his world of calm and poetic imagery into woodblock prints and reverse glass paintings. Many viewers might be enchaned by his lyrical artworks.
Recently, materials left by SEIMIYA including his notes, diaries, and photos, were donated to the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) by his bereaved family. Among them, handmade notebooks titled “Notebook,” “Thought Records,” and “Subjects of Paintings” are included. These notebooks were created and written as a break between his artworks. They reveal his skillful and meticulous qualities. Furthermore, they are important primary source materials for tracing the journey of his thoughts hidden behind his artworks. They will be available for public view after we finish organizing them. We believe that the donated materials will greatly contribute to the progress of research on SEIMIYA Nobumi.
In 2014, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) developed a database of cultural property information using WordPress（https://ja.wordpress.org/）, a web content management system, which is still in operation（https://www.tobunken.go.jp/archives/）. WordPress was developed as a blog management system, but at TOBUNKEN it is used as a system for publishing databases, because of its flexibility in development and operation.
WordCamp（https://central.wordcamp.org/）, which was started in 2006 as a conference for WordPress developers and users to get together, has since been held more than 1,200 times in 65 countries. In this conference, WordCamp Kansai 2024（https://kansai.wordcamp.org/2024/）, held in Kobe on February 24, 2024, Mr. OYAMADA Tomohiro, Senior Researcher of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, gave a presentation titled “Renewal of WordPress Contents and Selection of Adoption System,” about the challenges that have arisen during the 10 years of WordPress operation at TOBUNKEN and the requirements for its renewal. After the presentation, the following questions and impressions were raised, leading to a lively exchange of opinions:
- Outsourcing to a development company is difficult.
- What kind of organizational structure does WordPress operate under?
- Do any problems occur when WordPress is upgraded?
Now that it is commonplace to disclose information on the Internet, we believe that issues and operational know-how regarding information systems can be shared widely across disciplines. We will continue to create opportunities to share knowledge gained through the dissemination of such information.
Presentation by Dr. Kim Soyeon
Discussion with Dr. Kim Soyeon
In the Art World, it is widely known that fewer female artists actively worked in the male-dominated society in the past, while female artists work very actively today. Recently, however, research has been gradually revealing previously little-known activities of female artists in the modern period of Japan. However, how female artists worked in the modern Korean art world remained unknown to us.
On January 17, 2024, Dr. Kim Soyeon of Ewha Womans University conducted a presentation titled, Female Arts in Modern Korean Art History – Why were there no Female Artists in Modern Korea?” at the 8th Seminar held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems. This presentation showed the latest outcomes of research on female artists in Modern Korean Art history.
Dr. Kim explained that Kisaeng (Korean Geisha) occupied outstanding positions as the first receivers of the benefits of the art education available for females in Korea in the first half of the 20th century. However, the arts that kisaeng created did not go beyond the traditional art categories such as Korean traditional calligraphy and Sagunja (the four gentlemen paintings or the Four Gracious Plants: Korean traditional paintings depicting bamboo, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and orchids, as metaphors of noble gentlemen). On the other hand, female artists such as Jeong Chanyeong, who adapted the way of modern Japanese-style painting, appeared in that period. Dr. Kim also talked about Japanese female painters in Korea who worked as art teachers or trained disciples in their own private painting schools in colonial Korea. Based on these outcomes, she stressed the necessity of research collaboration between Japan and South Korea.
After her presentation, Mr. TADOKORO Tai of Kosetsu Memorial Museum, Jissen Women’s Educational Institute, talked about the current research on modern female artists in Japan, especially Japanese-style painting artists. After his talk, discussions were held that included the audience.
This seminar focused on areas in which further research is needed both in Japan and Korea. We believe that it was a precious opportunity for research exchange to further historical investigation.
This seminar was held in both Japanese and Korean, and Dr. TASHIRO Yuichiro of the department interpreted the seminar.
Research scene at TOBUNKEN
Presentation at the seminar
Observation of the lecterns by the attendees
On January 23, 2024, Mr. KOBAYASHI Koji, Senior Fellow of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, and Dr. Ulrike Körber, Researcher of the IHA-NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST, Lisbon, Portugal, conducted research and made a presentation titled as above at the 9th seminar held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems.
Two portable lecterns that had been used by Christian missionaries and served to uphold the mass books were reported as new materials discovered in Portugal in recent years. One lectern, with a Luso-Asian style, has been referred to as having a strong relationship with the Ryukyu Islands or with Macau, the latter having been a Portuguese base in China at the time, and many Chinese characters are written in black ink on the wooden substrate underneath the decorative lacquer coating. The other lectern is of Nanban lacquer, made in Kyoto in the 1630s, and had been exported to Europe. Curiously, the center area, with the IHS insignia of the Jesuits on almost all such lecterns, is thickly recoated with a black lacquer pine tree pattern on it on this lectern. It was considered that these lecterns with the above characteristics must be important, previously unknown historical materials, and thus we have been preparing to conduct various research studies at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in Tokyo and Nara or other facilities and to have this presentation.
Based on the research of the two presenters and that conducted at this time, we could obtain the tentative results that the lectern having the Luso-Asian style was made around 1600, and that the Nanban lectern produced in Japan during the same period had a close relationship with Macau, because we can see characters that can possibly be read as ‘difficult to leave from Macau’ in a Chinese poem on the lectern. Also, on the other lectern, we could discover the IHS insignia trace underneath the pine tree lacquer recoating layer by X-ray CT conducted at Nara National Museum. We can infer that the involved party at that time stripped the original shell pattern (raden) off completely and recoated the area to totally hide the Christian symbol under the imminent pressure of the strict Christian ban imposed by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
We reported on the above ongoing very new findings quickly based on in this presentation, and it became an opportunity for the attendants to observe these two lecterns. We intend to deepen our research further and to make an official report of this research as soon as possible.
(NHK news report web link in Japanese:https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240218/k10014362331000.html)
