| ■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 |
|
Scene from the seminar
The front cover of the leaflet
In 2024, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) signed a memorandum of understanding for collaborative research with the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art, Izumi, and is conducting research on artworks in the museum’s collection.
The painting “Yamazaki Bridge” depicts the extraordinary story of how the principal deity of Hōshōji Temple, the Eleven-Faced Kannon Bodhisattva, transformed into an old man and built the bridge, located between present-day Ōyamazaki Town, Otokuni District, and Yawata City, where the Katsura River, Uji River, and Kizu River converge to form the Yodo River in Kyoto Prefecture. The work blends the dramatic miraculous tale of the bridge’s construction with depictions of the common people involved in its construction against the landscapes of Mt. Tennōzan and Mt. Otokoyama, and Hōshōji Temple.
This painting has garnered attention not only in art history study, but also in history and Japanese literature. Although the subtle details and auspicious inscriptions on the painting have become difficult to read due to aging, we have conducted two optical surveys to maximize the information available on the painting. At this seminar, Ms. EMURA Tomoko gave a presentation titled “Optical Survey of the Yamazaki Bridge Painting,” and Mr. KAWADA Masayuki, director of the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art, Izumi, spoke as a commentator about the research history and issues of the Yamazaki Bridge Painting.
A leaflet on the Yamazaki Bridge Painting, published in March 2025, will soon be made available in the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties repository. Furthermore, we plan to create digital content and publish it online to enable more researchers to view the high-resolution images. We hope that the results of this collaborative research will be widely utilized and deepen understanding of the work.
Scene from the seminar
Scene from the seminar
On September 16, 2025, the fifth seminar of the Department of Art Research, Archives, and Information Systems was held. Two presentations were given, deepening discussion on the canon and transmission of the Kano school from multiple perspectives.
Dr. MIZUNO Yuji (Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba) gave a presentation titled “Images of Confucius in the Tan’yū Style: On the Canon of Iconography,” in which he examined the significance of the pictorial style established by Kanō Tan’yū, which became widely accepted as a canonical model in early modern Japanese painting. While the Tan’yū style exerted strong influence across many genres, its role in Daoist and Buddhist figure painting—especially depictions of Confucius—has received relatively little scholarly attention.
Tan’yū formalized and refined the established medieval image of Confucius, reconstructing it into a new canonical prototype. His imagery spread widely to Confucian temples and domain schools throughout Japan, becoming a canonical image suited to ritual and educational contexts. Drawing on entries from the Kōyō Nikki (Official Diary, 1844), Dr. MIZUNO showed that the Tan’yū-style Confucius image was regarded as an institutional canon. He also noted that local versions often incorporated individual interpretations or decorative variations, showing that the canon was not rigidly fixed but dynamically transformed through both inheritance and adaptation. Furthermore, in the late Edo period, references to Wu Daozi’s style and medieval prototypes re-emerged, indicating a diversification within the canon beyond the Tan’yū model.
Next, Ms. ONO Mayumi (Head, Japanese and East Asian Art History Section) presented “A Study of Kanō Tsunenobu’s Waka Compositions.” Kanō Tsunenobu (1636–1713), patriarch of the Kobikichō branch of the Kano family, was an accomplished painter and an active waka poet. Records of poetry gatherings and existing anthologies reveal that his waka practice expanded his network among daimyō and cultured elites, contributing to the social standing of the Kano family. By exploring the relationship between his poetry and painting, Ms. ONO re-evaluated Tsunenobu as both painter and poet, highlighting his multifaceted creativity.
Through these presentations, the dynamic transformation of the Kano-school canon across time and region was underscored. The seminar provided a valuable opportunity to advance Kano-school studies through the dual perspectives of canon and individuality.
Some of the donated books
Our library has recently received a donation of books formerly owned by the late KIRA Fumio (1941–2022), a distinguished researcher in the field of ceramic history.
KIRA began his career as an editor after joining Zayuho Kankōkai, a publishing house specializing in art publications, where he worked under Saitō Kikutaro. While participating in the editing of major series such as The Complete Works of World Ceramics (1975–, 22 vols.) and The Complete Works of World Art: Oriental Art (1997–, 18 vols.), he conducted extensive field research around the world, advancing both editorial production and ceramic-historical research in parallel.
Among his wide-ranging achievements, he left particularly notable contributions to research on Southeast Asian and Korean ceramics. In 1984, he was among the first to report to Japan on the ceramic wares excavated in Mae Sot, Tak Province, in northwestern Thailand—finds that would later be recognized as highly significant in the study of Southeast Asian ceramic history. He served for many years as an executive committee member of the Oriental Ceramics Society of Japan and received the 20th Koyama Fujio Memorial Prize in 1999.
With the cooperation of his bereaved family, and as part of the project “Bibliographical Research on Japanese Oriental Art History [シ02],” in January 2025, researcher TASHIRO Yuichiro conducted a survey of the books remaining in KIRA’s home in Kagawa. The institute has received a selected portion of these materials, consisting primarily of foreign-language publications concerning Southeast Asian and Korean ceramics. Some of these volumes are not held by any other library in Japan, making this institute the sole holding institution.
Taken together, these resources are expected not only to support research in ceramic history, but also—when viewed in a broader perspective—to serve as Japan’s only available scholarly sources for deepening the understanding of this aspect of Asian culture. As a core institution for cultural heritage research in Japan, it is our hope that, rather than pursuing short-term results alone, we may preserve and pass down the scholarly legacy accumulated by our predecessors from a long-term viewpoint, thereby contributing meaningfully to Japan’s foundation of knowledge.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to the KIRA family for donating these academically invaluable materials.
Scene of the seminar (photo by Mr. YAMASHITA Yoshihiko)
Newly created dance performance “Dance of Mother-of-Pearl Doors, Pleasure of Japan and Thailand”
Explanation by an expert of FAD about the tools and materials using real objects
On September 10, 2025, the Fine Arts Department (FAD) of the Ministry of Culture of Thailand held an academic seminar titled “Ratchapradit Fine Arts: Connecting the Two Countries Through Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Art” at Wat Ratchapradit. Ms. FUTAGAMI Yoko, head of the Cultural Properties Information Section in the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, participated in the seminar.
Wat Ratchapradit is a first-grade royal temple established by King Rama IV. The doors and windows of its ordination hall feature lacquered panels crafted in Japan during the period of the temple’s establishment. The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) provided technical support for the restoration of the panels and conducted research on them. The temple has also provided financial support for a study by the institute, with the objective of on-site preservation of the panels following their restoration.
The seminar began with opening remarks by Mr. Phnombootra Chandrajoti, the Director General of FAD. In the morning, Part One, titled “Preserving and Creating Art: A Heritage of Two Lands,” was held. During this section, monks from the temple and FAD experts presented on the restoration project for the door panels at Wat Ratchapradit. From the Japanese side, Ms. FUTAGAMI presented the concept of the panels’ restoration and study project. In the afternoon, Part Two, titled “From Integration to Creative Inspiration: Expanding for the Future,” was held. During this session, FAD experts presented outlines of an investigation conducted in June 2025 on the on-site preservation of the door panels after restoration and an investigation from November 2024 in northern Thailand on lacquering materials. TOBUNKEN experts participated in both investigations. From the Japanese side, Mr. YAMASHITA Yoshihiko, a lacquering expert and researcher, presented on the unique mother-of-pearl inlay with underpainting technique used for the door panels. Ms. FUTAGAMI presented the results of an investigation conducted in Japan in June 2024 regarding traditional materials, in collaboration with FAD.
On the same day, several events related to Japanese lacquered door panels were held at Wat Ratchapradit. The event featured an exhibition of real objects and informative panels detailing the techniques and materials used, a newly created dance performance titled “Dance of Mother-of-Pearl Doors, Pleasure of Japan and Thailand” performed by dancers from FAD, and Japanese food offered in food booths. Participants enjoyed all of these events. For the author, the seminar was also a good opportunity to share information about our activities with various Thai stakeholders.
The consultation meeting at TOBUNKEN
On August5, 2025, Dr. Simon Kaner, Head of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), and Dr. Eugenia Bogdanova, a researcher at SISJAC, visited the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN), and we held a consultation on our joint project, “Shaping the Fundamentals of Research on Japanese Art.” This project began in 2013. As part of the project, SISJAC staff provide information on literature produced and exhibitions held that are related to Japanese art and culture outside Japan, primarily in the UK, to TOBUNKEN for inclusion in the archives database (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/archives/). Also, researchers of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems have been visiting the UK annually to conduct lectures, workshops, and research on such works.
At this consultation, we presented a report on our database project and discussed our researchers’ planned visit to the UK to take place in December. In the latter part of the consultation, Mr. Matthew James, a SISJAC staff member responsible for database operations, participated online from the UK. We specifically examined the methods and standards employed for gathering information outside Japan, and also the data entry procedures.
During the three years of the pandemic, when travel was restricted, trips to the UK and Japan were not possible, and research discussions were conducted primarily online. We have since resumed in-person research exchanges among staff members. However, we will continue to priorities convenience when arranging exchanges, for example by conducting discussions with overseas partner institutions using a combination of online and in-person methods.
Some of the donated materials of MATSUSHIMA Ken
A handwritten notebook of MATSUSHIMA Ken
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been engaging in collecting and publishing materials left by researchers who were once affiliated with TOBUNKEN. The materials left by Mr. MATSUSHIMA Ken, donated by his family in 2023, are among such materials.
Mr. MATSUSHIMA was a researcher of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, and served as Chief of Cultural Administration at the Agency for Cultural Affairs and as Head of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems of TOBUNKEN. He passed away in 1998 due to illness.
Since our receipt of the materials from his family, we have been gradually organizing them, and we are now pleased to announce that all the materials have been made available to the public (松島健旧蔵資料 :: 東文研アーカイブデータベース).
The contents include materials related to cultural property designations, restoration records, research materials, paper prints, survey records of Buddhist sculptures, and handwritten research notes that Mr. MATSUSHIMA handled while working at the Agency for Cultural Affairs. These demonstrate his activities as both a cultural property administrator and a Buddhist sculptural historian. The donated materials were largely classified from the outset or organized chronologically into files. Handwritten notes, such as those compiling Buddhist sculptures with known production dates into a chronological table, revealed his meticulous and earnest character as a researcher. These collections of materials, which were left behind by researchers, contain valuable and unique information. However, some of the materials lacked suitable management and public access venues, and, in the worst cases, some have been discarded.
Since its foundation, TOBUNKEN’s mission has been to create an archive of materials for art research. Although our staff and budget are limited, we will continue to work hard to collect and publish research materials.
Some of the donated materials on Enkū
Organizing the donated materials
Mr. HASEGAWA Masashige (1933~2023) devoted his life to researching Enkū, a Buddhist sculptor of the Edo period, as an independent researcher. Enkū had travelled around Japan as a Shugendô monk. He created many Buddhist statues wherever he went, and his works are estimated to number in the thousands throughout Japan. Mr. HASEGAWA served as Chairman of the Enkū Academic Society for many years.
Following the death of Mr. HASEGAWA, his family expressed to us that they would like to donate his materials, particularly those relating to research, to The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN). Thereafter, Ms. MAIZAWA Rei from the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, regularly visited his house in Aichi with Dr. MITA Kakuyuki from Nara National Museum to organize the materials. These materials were officially donated in October 2024, and we have finally received them all.
Mr. HASEGAWA travelled all over Japan searching for works by Enkū. He took a number of photographs and made records of every work he saw, and his house was filled with these materials. These materials are extremely important, not only because they contain hard-to-obtain reference materials and photos of Enkū’s works from across Japan, but also because they include photos of works that have been lost due to theft.
Ms. EMURA Tomoko, Mr. TASHIRO Yūichirō, and Ms. KUROSAKI Kao from TOBUNKEN, and Mr. ŌSAKI Rui from Kuwansei Gakuin University, participated in the work of organizing the materials. Mr. FUNAHASHI Masayasu, Mr. KATŌ Susumu, and Mr. OCHIAI Katsuyoshi, who were engaged in research with Mr. HASEGAWA, also helped immensely. We will be organizing the donated materials over the next few years, so that they can be accessed and used by many people as the “Enkū Archive.”
Study group, presentation by Dr. Chinghsin Wu
From a sketch by SAMIZU Kōhei. The upper right corner reads “October, in Yogyakarta,” indicating that it was drawn in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in October 1942.
From April to August of this year, Associate Teaching Professor Chinghsin Wu of Rutgers University in the United States visited our institute as a visiting researcher. Specializing in modern art, Dr. Wu had previously visited Japan as a visiting researcher at our institute in 2007, conducting research on Japanese surrealism centered on the work of KOGA Harue. During this recent stay, she focused her research on the portrayal of imagery in Taiwan in modern Japanese art.
On July 17, we held a hybrid seminar, featuring presentations by Professor Wu and Ms. MORIKAWA Monami, a curator at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art. Dr. Wu gave a presentation titled “The Activities and Development of Modern Japanese Painters in Taiwan: Focusing on the Works of KINOSHITA Seigai and Other Japanese Painters of the Same Era Before and After Their Move to Taiwan,” in which she discussed the changes in the themes and styles of paintings by Japanese painters who were active in Taiwan during the colonial era, such as KINOSHITA Seigai (1887-1988) and GOHARA Kotoh (1887-1965), after their move to Taiwan. Ms. MORIKAWA’s presentation, “SAMIZU Kōhei’s Southern Military Sketches: Records of Japan’s Occupied Territories and Colonies during Wartime,” introduced the wartime military sketches of oil painter SAMIZU Kōhei (1904–1997) and pointed out the historical value of sketches he created in Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Manchuria, and other locations as visual records of Japan’s occupied territories. In the discussion following the presentation, the presenters exchanged opinions on the image of the “South” as depicted by Japanese painters before the war. Researchers from inside and outside the Institute also joined in the discussion, which focused on the painting styles seen in the flower-and-bird paintings of Seigai and Kotoh, as well as the significance of SAMIZU’s sketches of the occupied territories during the war.
A prototype database of Bibliograhic Records from Yearbook of Japanese Art (Nihon bijutsu nenkan)
Nihon bijutsu nenkan (Year Book of Japanese Art, hereinafter called “NENKAN” https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/publication/nenkan/nenkan.html) is a data book that compiles trends in the art world in Japan over the course of a year. It was first published in 1936, and been published annually since, by the Art Research Institute of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, the predecessor of Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN). Starting with the 2022 edition, published in January 2025, a major revision was made by removing a “References Published in Periodicals” section that had long been included in the NENKAN, and instead making them available only on the database.
As an associate fellow of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, I conducted a presentation titled “Current Status and Issues of Nihon bijutsu nenkan” on June 5, 2025. I reported on the recent revision of NENKAN and also discussed future issues for NENKAN. The exhibition information published in the NENKAN, which is based on media available in Tokyo, is naturally biased toward the Kanto region. As one solution to this problem, I proposed a new means of information gathering through collaboration with other institutions. In the discussion following the presentation, opinions were exchanged on the significance of the institute continuing to publish NENKAN and compiling a chronological historical record, as well as anticipated issues in collaboration with other institutions.
In the future, we aim to further improve the “References in Exhibition Catalogues” section, a unique section of NENKAN, and to build a database that reflects the classification system we have developed to date for describing and understanding the art world, and to introduce a system for instantly publishing “References in Periodicals” information entered within the institute. Not only will we continue the publication of NENKAN, which has a long history, but we will also strive to provide information that is more accessible to many people, based on modern methods of providing information.
On Wednesday, June 11, 2025. a delegation of researchers from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH), Korea, visited our Institute. The NRICH is an agency under the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, dedicated to the research and investigation of various aspects of Korean cultural heritage. The institution traces its origins to the Cultural Heritage Research Office of the Cultural Heritage Management Bureau, established in 1969. Currently, it operates with an organizational structure comprising two divisions, six departments, and one team—namely, the Division of Administrative Operations, the Division of Research Planning, the Department of Archaeological Research, the Department of Art and Cultural Heritage Research, the Department of Architectural Cultural Heritage Research, the Department of Conservation Science Research, the Department of Restoration Technology Research, the Department of Safety and Disaster Prevention Research, and the Digital Cultural Heritage Research Information Team, respectively. In addition, the NRICH maintains seven regional research centers (located in Gyeongju, Buyeo, Gaya, Naju, Jungwon, Seoul, and Wanju), as well as a Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center.
Since 2023, the NRICH has been contributing information on Korean artists to the Union List of Artist Names (ULAN, https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/ulan/), a database managed by the Getty Research Institute (GRI) in the United States. Prior to this, our Institute had already begun collaborating with the Getty Research Institute in 2016, supplying digital data and bibliographic information on our library holdings to the Getty Research Portal (GRP, https://portal.getty.edu/)—a digital collection of art-related literature from institutions around the world. This prior collaboration served as a model case and facilitated the current exchange.
The delegation, consisting of five researchers led by Ms. Kim Eun-young, Director of the Department of Art and Cultural Heritage Research, was welcomed by Mr. KIKKAWA Hideki (Head, Modern and Contemporary Art Section, Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems) and Mr. TASHIRO Yuichiro (Researcher, The Archives Section, Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems). After a presentation on our Institute’s initiatives, both parties engaged in a productive discussion. Although based in different countries, both institutions share commonalities in the cultural context of East Asia. The discussion addressed ways to effectively disseminate information on East Asian art and culture to Western audiences, and explored avenues for future collaboration.
Our Institute is currently the only institution in Japan engaged in joint projects with the Getty Research Institute. Building on this priority status, we hope to further expand our international network and fulfill our role as a central “hub” for scholarly exchange between Japan and the world, thereby contributing more comprehensively to academic research in Japan.
(Materials from Our Institute’s Collection Registered in the GRP)
・Japanese Art Exhibition Catalogs（951 records）
・Complete series of Japanese Art of Meiji period（64 records）
・Compilation of Artist’s Seals（85 records）
・Ranking List of Japanese Artist（61 records）
・Oda Kazuma Collection （135 records）
・Maeda Seison Collection（269 records）
・Rare Books （335 records）
・Japanese Wood Print Books（210 records）
etc.
Director Kim Daljin (Kim Daljin Art Research & Consulting) introducing a digital terminal for viewing archival materials
Researcher Ms. Im Jeong-eun (Leeum Museum of Art) explaining the preservation status of the Lee Gu-yeol Collection
Researcher Ms. Lee Ji-hee (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea) outlining the current state of art archive
As part of a research initiative of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, “Comprehensive Research on the Sharing of Research Findings and Scholarly Information on Cultural Properties” (Project Code: SH01), we have been conducting collaborative research with domestic and international institutions to organize and disseminate the outcomes and data of investigations on cultural properties conducted by our Institute in alignment with international standards.
In fiscal year 2025, to examine the current state of art archives in the Republic of Korea—where recent developments in both IT infrastructure and cultural initiatives have attracted growing attention—Mr. KIKKAWA Hideki (Head, Modern and Contemporary Art Section) and Mr. TASHIRO Yuichiro (Researcher, The Archives Section) conducted a field study in South Korea from Monday, June 23 to Thursday, June 26.
Their visit began at Kim Daljin Art Research & Consulting, one of South Korea’s pioneering institutions in the field of art archives. There, they met with Director Kim Daljin and Chief Archivist An Hyo-re. Although a privately operated archive, Kim Daljin Art Research & Consulting shares many points in common with our Institute, particularly in the collection of archival materials related to contemporary artists, such as through the acquisition of materials donated by Mr. SASAKI Shigeo. This visit allowed for a fruitful exchange of views concerning the preservation and utilization of archival resources.
They then visited the Leeum Museum of Art, one of Korea’s foremost private art museums. Guided by researcher Ms. Im Jeong-eun, they toured the document consultation room and viewed archival materials—including those related to the renowned modern art critic Lee Gu-yeol (1932–2020)—which had been collected in conjunction with oral history projects.
Their next destination was the Seoul Museum of Art Archives, newly established in 2023 by the Seoul Museum of Art. There, they met with curator Mr. Yu Ye-dong and records researcher Mr. Cho Eun-seong, and were introduced to cutting-edge archival preservation technologies, a comprehensive management system, and an AI-assisted art thesaurus—a systematically structured vocabulary system for art-related knowledge.
They also visited the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), South Korea’s representative institution for modern and contemporary art. Researcher Ms. Lee Ji-hee led a tour of the museum’s archival holdings. Unlike the Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan, the MMCA encompasses both contemporary and modern art dating back to the late 19th century. After visiting each of the MMCA’s branches—Gwacheon, Deoksugung, and Seoul—they held a discussion with Mr. Kim In-hye, Director of Curatorial Affairs, on the development of art archives tailored to the characteristics of the museum’s respective collections.
Since the early 2000s, the development of art archives in South Korea has advanced rapidly. Noteworthy is the active engagement of professionally trained archivists—many of whom have studied archival science at the graduate level—in overseeing and operating archival institutions. In addition, South Korea’s emphasis on the use of advanced digital technologies such as AI in both the preservation and utilization of records is particularly remarkable.
This research trip yielded significant insights into the future of art archives in Japan. It also provided an opportunity to reflect anew on the value of our Institute’s soft-content assets. At the time of the visit, the MMCA was hosting the exhibition “Surrealism and Modern Korean Painting” (April 17–July 6, Deoksugung Branch), curated by Mr. Park Hye-seong, a researcher who had previously conducted investigations at our Institute in November of the prior year into materials related to Korean students who had studied in Japan before 1945. The visit not only allowed for a meaningful reunion, but also offered a valuable opportunity to view an exhibition that had directly benefited from research conducted at our Institute.
The materials accumulated by our Institute since the 1930s include many items of great value for considering the modern history of East Asia. The long-term compilation of modern art resources, as well as the ongoing efforts to make archival holdings publicly accessible, have begun to attract the attention of researchers across East Asia. As such, it is our hope that by continuing to collaborate with various institutions, and by actively disseminating our collections, we can enhance international recognition and promote their use in research, thereby contributing to the advancement of East Asian art historical studies.
Visual investigation of damage made by termites that intruded through cracks in the floor and observation of living termites
Observation of lacquered door panels with pest damage and confirmation of sampling points
Visual investigation of decorations made by colored lacquer maki-e technique
Wat Ratchapradit, located in Bangkok, Thailand, is a first-grade Royal temple founded by King Rama IV in 1864. Since the temple’s foundation, the double-door openings of the windows and entrances of the ordination hall have been adorned with many lacquered panels made in Japan. Mother-of-pearl inlay with underpainting and colored lacquer maki-e were used to apply motifs such as flowers and birds, as well as Chinese legends, on these panels, which are highly decorative. Over time, deterioration has been detected on the panels, and therefore the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture of Thailand has been restoring them. TOBUNKEN has provided technical assistance for the restoration and conducted studies on the panels.
To maintain the solemn atmosphere of the ordination hall as a place of worship, the lacquered door panels will be returned to their original positions. However, some panels were damaged, presumably by insects. The same problems may recur if the panels are returned to their original positions without protective measures. For that reason, a research project for on-site conservation of the lacquered door panels was launched as a funded study by Wat Ratchapradit, and we conducted an on-site investigation on June 9-11, 2025.
We observed the general condition of the ordination hall, as well as the presence of wood-boring pests such as termites. We also visually inspected the lacquered door panels that were damaged by insects. Initially, we thought the panels had not been damaged recently and that insect activity had ceased. However, through our investigation, we discovered that termites currently enter the ordination hall through small cracks in the floor and that the panels may still be further damaged by termites. We will propose protective measures to the Thai side to maintain the condition of the lacquered door panels in their original positions.
In addition, we examined the lacquered door panels. Some uncertainties remain regarding the materials and techniques used for the panels, and therefore we are conducting visual investigations and scientific analyses of the fragmented materials. Based on the results of the study, we will make suggestions for the restoration and replication of the lacquered door panels.
“Biography of HISHIDA Shunso, Part I” from “Documents from the Meiji and Taisho Art History Compilation Project” Mr. ODAKANE Taro, a researcher at the Institute of Art Research, compiled a critical biography of the Japanese painter HISHIDA Shunso in 1938. The results were made public in 1940 as the 9th series of “Bijutsu Kenkyu Shiryo” (Art Research Materials).
On May 1, information on “Documents from the Meiji and Taisho Art History Compilation Project” was released on the Institute’s website “Material Archives.”
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/
joho/japanese/library/pdf/
archives_TOBUNKEN_MEIJITAISHO02.pdf
The Meiji and Taisho Art History Compilation Project was a prewar compilation project conducted by the Institute of Art Research, the predecessor of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN), which focused on the collection of materials related to art of the Meiji and Taisho periods and the creation of critical biographies of artists. The “Meiji and Taisho Masterpieces Exhibition” held at the Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum (now the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum) in 1927 under the auspices of the Asahi Shimbun was so well received that a committee was set up to compile a history of Meiji and Taisho art. In 1932, the Institute of Art Research began a compilation project funded with the profits from the exhibition donated by the Asahi Shimbun Company. Many of the art books and magazines from the Meiji and Taisho periods in the Institute’s collection were collected through this project.
The materials that have been made available to the public at this time are review biographies of artists and manuscripts of original materials written by researchers who were involved in the project. Some of the materials, such as “Historical Materials of Oil Paintings by TAKAHASHI Yuichi” (owned by Tokyo University of the Arts), have already been published, but others are valuable because they are transcriptions of materials whose existence is unknown. Advance reservations are required to view the collection.
We hope you will make use of these materials, which convey the spirit of research on Japanese modern art during the period of the Institute of Art Research.
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/special_collection/index.html
Dedicated terminal for viewing high-resolution optical survey images in the Library
Thumbnail overview of all six volumes
Enlarged view of the calligraphic text section
We have been conducting collaborative research with domestic and international scholars on the Shuten-dōji Handscrolls by Sumiyoshi Hiroyuki, discovered in Leipzig, Germany, in 2019 (hereafter referred to as the “Leipzig Scrolls”). As of May 22, 2025, we had made the entire six-volume Leipzig Scrolls available to the public as digital content in the Library of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
Handscrolls (emaki) are a horizontal narrative painting format. When printed in books, viewing the entire work at once requires significant reduction of the size of the image, making it difficult to observe details. With the digital content, however, users can freely scroll, zoom in and out on any section, and view transcribed text alongside the text image.
Volumes 1 and 6 of the Leipzig Scrolls returned to Japan for the first time and displayed to the public at the Suntory Museum of Art as part of the Shuten Dōji Begins exhibition, which ran until June 15, 2025. The exhibition concluded successfully with positive reception.
In the digital content format, users can also view every scene from Volumes 2 through 5, which were not included in the exhibition.
Please refer to the Tobunken Library Visitor’s Guide before accessing the content.
https://www.tobunken.go.jp/joho/japanese/library/library.html
Scene from the seminar
The Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems regularly invites distinguished scholars from abroad to deliver presentations as part of its research seminar series. This year, on May 21, we hosted Mr. Tim T. Zhang from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for a presentation titled “On the Grape Paintings by Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai).”
Motsurin Jōtō (d. 1492), a Zen monk also known by the name Bokusai, was a devoted disciple of Ikkyū Sōjun (1394–1481). Following Ikkyū’s death, Motsurin dedicated himself to preserving and transmitting his teacher’s legacy. For Motsurin, the brush served as a crucial means for inheriting and embodying Ikkyū’s teachings as well as maintaining his monastic order after the master’s passing, as evidenced by his numerous calligraphic works, inscriptions on portraits, and inscribed paintings. The grape painting, in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies this body of work.
In his seminar presentation, Mr. Zhang offered a close comparative analysis of the grape painting held by the Metropolitan Museum and the version housed in the Tokyo National Museum, meticulously examining the differences in artistic expression and historical context. He analyzed the five-character quatrain inscribed on the Met’s painting, which features the term rishu (lízhū in Chinese)—a precious pearl said to lie beneath a black dragon’s jaw. Mr. Zhang demonstrated how the term functions as a poetic metaphor for grapes. He argued that, within the context of Motsurin’s inscription, the grapes come to symbolize the wisdom attained through sudden enlightenment.
Mr. Zhang further observed that Motsurin appears to have touched the painted grapes with his inked fingers, leaving visible fingerprints. This physical act, he suggested, evidences his grasping of wisdom while also represents a deliberate, performative gesture grounded in the calligraphy and painting tradition of suiboku (zuìmò in Chinese, literally, “intoxicated ink”). By integrating this embodied act with the inscription’s emphasis on intoxication, Mr. Zhang revealed the work’s underlying intent to celebrate the enlightenment that Motsurin attained under his teacher’s guidance.
Mr. Zhang’s presentation illuminated the interplay between poetic symbolism and visual representation, and the immediacy of bodily traces embedded within the calculated composition. Through Motsurin’s brushwork and fingerprints, the seminar revealed how Buddhist wisdom and reverence for Ikkyū find tangible form in an interwoven practice of painting, calligraphy, and verse, known as the “Three Perfections,” leaving a deep impression on all participants.
This research seminar provided a valuable opportunity to broaden our international perspectives on the study of Zen monastic art in East Asia and opened new avenues for future collaboration and research.
We remain committed to actively inviting leading scholars from abroad and to fostering meaningful scholarly exchange on a global scale.
Database table relationships
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. As reported, on March 31, 2025, a prototype of the “Database of Restoration Records for Cultural Properties (Fine Arts and Crafts)” was made publicly available online. A study meeting on this database and Restoration Records for Cultural Properties was held on April 17, 2025.
The structure and operation of this database, its status as official documentation of the restoration records regarding nationally designated cultural properties, the current situation of the source materials, and future developments were reported by Mr. OYAMADA Tomohiro, Ms. YAMANAGA Naomi, and Mr. TARASHIMA Satoshi. In a discussion that took place after the meeting, in addition to questions about the presentation, various issues were raised, such as the relationship between databases of collections at museums and art galleries and repair records, and the scope of information to be collected.
It is true that there is an impression that restorations of cultural properties are unavoidable actions taken in response to deterioration due to aging or damage by other causes. For this reason, restoration records that convey the state of the property before repair have not attracted much public attention. However, in recent years, there has been a growing awareness that cultural properties cannot be preserved unless they are repaired at appropriate intervals, and that past repair records are a great help for their future repairs and preservation. We hope that the publication of this database will encourage further discussion and organization of cultural property repair records.
Digital Content of “Dōshoku sai-e”
Research Report on “Kasuga Gongen Genki-e”
Research Report on “Map of the World”
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties uses cutting-edge science and technology to investigate and record the precious cultural properties that our ancestors have protected and passed down, and makes the results open to the public. We have now published Ito Jakuchu’s “Dōshoku Sai-e” (30 scrolls in total) online as part of the digital content of the optical survey conducted by the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and the works stored in The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan. (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/doshokusaie/) This website publishes high-resolution photographs of Ito Jakuchu’s “Dōshoku Sai-e” taken during an optical survey conducted as a joint research project between 2001 and 2008 by the Imperial Household Agency’s Sannomaru Shozokan Museum of the Imperial Palace (as it was then) and the data of coloring material analysis using fluorescent X-rays. In addition, we have been publishing reports on “Kasuga Gongen Genki-e” (20 volumes in total), known as a representative picture scroll work from the Kamakura period, two volumes at a time, since 2017, and this is the 10th report, the final volume in the series. We have also published a comprehensive report on the “Map of the World,” including images of related works such as the “Map of the World and Four Capitals Screen” (Kobe City Museum), the “Battle of Tunis and World Map Screen” (Kōsetsu Museum of Art), “Western Kings and Princes on Horseback Screen” (Suntory Museum of Art, Kobe City Museum), and “Western Kings and Princes” (Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture). We hope that this report will be useful in future research.
Cover of the publication
Figures in the publication (items in the maki-e toolbox formerly owned by Mr. Miki Sakae)
Japan-made Lacquered door panels of Wat Ratchapradit
At the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, we have been conducting research on cultural properties located in Thailand in cooperation with the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Thailand since 1992. Since 2011, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties has been involved in the research of the Japan-made lacquered door panels of Wat Ratchapradit, a first-grade royal temple in Bangkok, providing technical support for a full-scale restoration project of the panels that the Fine Arts Department is currently organizing.
Apart from the lacquered door panels, in Thailand other examples of Japan-made lacquerware can be seen at libraries, museums, temples, palaces and other locations. The exchange between Japan and Thailand in the field of lacquering was not limited to the trade of goods. King Rama V’s profound fascination with Japanese maki-e art prompted him to dispatch Thai students to Japan to master the intricacies of this technique. He also invited Mr. TSURUHARA Zenzaburo to Thailand to gild the principal Buddha statue of Wat Benchamabophit, a first-grade royal temple, with gold leaf. In another example of cultural exchange, Mr. MIKI Sakae had been involved in production and restoration of lacquerwork for over 30 years in Thailand, from 1911, as an expert of the present Fine Arts Department.
Our book titled “Japanese Lacquerwork and Crafrtspersons in Thailand – Study of the Japan-made Lacquerwork Found in Thailand (2) –”, published in March 2025, summarizes the research results on Japanese lacquerware found in Thailand, photographs taken in Thailand documenting such lacquerware, as well as the above-mentioned Japanese craftspersons who worked in Thailand, conducted to date by Japanese and Thai researchers involved in the joint study. These findings provide new insights into the exchange between the two countries in the field of lacquering; and are also useful for understanding the significance of the door panels of Wat Ratchapradit in the history of lacquering, as well as in the history of exchange between Japan and Thailand.
This book is available in public libraries in Japan and some overseas libraries that handle work on Japanese art. As this book presents only a small portion of the Japanese lacquerwork in Thailand, more and more documentary materials on Japanese lacquer craftspersons are being discovered, and therefore experts will continue to study these topics and publish the results.
The seminar
SEIMIYA Naobumi (1917-1991) is known as an artist who expressed his tranquil and poetic world of the mind through woodblock prints and glass paintings. Last year, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) received a donation of materials left by SEIMIYA, including his memoirs, diary, and photographs, from his bereaved family (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/ekatudo/2065846.html), and on March 6, Mr. SUMITA Tsuneo (Chief Curator, Takasaki Museum of Art), who has studied SEIMIYA for many years and acted as an intermediary in donating the materials, gave a presentation titled “The SEIMIYA Materials” at the seminar held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems.
SEIMIYA left many words deeply related to the creation of his works in his journal titled “Zakkan-roku” or “Zakki-cho.” SUMITA’s presentation showed how pictures and words were inseparably linked for SEIMIYA, who himself wrote that he was “a poet who uses ‘pictures’ as a form of expression” (“Zakki-cho,” 1971-72), and made us realize anew the importance of the materials the Institute received.
Mr. INO Koichi (Chief of the Art Division, The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki), who worked with Mr. SUMITA to organize the SEIMIYA materials, participated as a commentator in the discussion that followed the presentation. Although the Institute received only paper materials such as memoirs, diaries, and photographs, other materials left behind include woodblocks, and Mr. INO reported on the issues involved in their preservation and utilization. During the discussion, staff members of the Institute exchanged opinions on the ideal way to preserve the unique materials of the printmakers, including woodblocks.
Examples of the materials in the KUNO collection
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) houses a vast amount of materials, including photographs and research records related to cultural properties, some of which were created and collected by the researchers themselves. The valuable collection of materials left by Mr. KUNO Takeshi (1920-2007), a leading authority on the history of Buddhist sculpture and a member of TOBUKEN, which was donated to the Institute by his bereaved family after his death, is among such materials (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/ekatudo/217654.html).
Some examples of this collection, mainly photographs, are already available in the TOBUNKEN library, and now a list of his handwritten notebooks (312 volumes, 13422 entries), which were KUNO’s favorite item throughout his life, has been sorted and the works are now available to the public. These notebooks contain records of his research on Buddhist sculpture in Japan and abroad, notes on the exhibitions he saw, and the research lectures he attended, and are truly a record of KUNO’s trajectory as a researcher. We have published a list of the contents of the notebooks on our website (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/kuno_note), and the actual notebooks are available in the TOBUNKEN library. We hope that these notebooks will be useful for your research.
