| ■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 |
|
The former research room on the first floor that has been newly opened
Until now, works of Kuroda Seiki were shown in the Memorial Room and the Exhibition Room on the second floor of the Kuroda Memorial Hall. From April 24, the former research rooms on the first and second floors have also been opened to the public. In the former research room on the second floor, a slide show entitled “The Life and Art of Kuroda Seiki” (12 mins.) is being shown so that visitors may better understand Kuroda’s art. In the 2 research rooms on the first floor, a wooden desk, cabinet and photographs from the days of The Institute of Art Research are exhibited. The most recent publications of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo can also be perused freely. These new additions enable the visitors not only to appreciate Kuroda’s works but also to learn about the history of the Institute and its present work.
Panel exhibition at the lobby (Photograph by Torimitsu Mikako)
The Institute holds a panel exhibition regularly at the lobby on the first floor so that visitors to the Institute may better understand the results of our projects and research. Presently the exhibit is that related to Screens Illustrating Views of Kyoto and Its Environs (collection of the Royal Ontario Museum) that was restored under the Cooperative Program for the Conservation of Japanese Art Objects Overseas in fiscal year 2006. The various processes in its restoration and the results of art historical study on this pair of screens are introduced. Nijojo Castle and the Daibutsuden of Hokoji Temple are depicted on a grand scale on the left and right panels, respectively. Because of this construction, this particular pair of screens is believed to have been made in the mid-17th century. It is a very valuable work of art from the point of view of art historical study because of the detailed depiction of over 1,300 figures and the existence of 77 paper tags indicating the names of temples and scenic places. It is our hope that this exhibition may enable an understanding of the role Japan plays in international contribution and cooperation.
http://www.tobunken.go.jp/~joho/japanese/project/panel/rakutyurakugai.html
The Institute is now editing materials for the publication of the main volume in 2009 on the history of the Institute and its investigation and research, a sequel to 75 Years of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo – Archives. Since a brief history of former members of the Institute will be included in this volume, we are collecting information about their personal history and other related materials. In March we visited and interviewed the family of the deceased Toyooka Masuto who was engaged in editing the Toyo Bijutsu Bunken Mokuroku, a classified bibliography of journal articles on old Asian art, from the mid-30s to 1942 as a member of The Institute of Art Research, the predecessor of the present Institute. We were able to obtain information about his personal history and achievements outside the Institute and about former members of the Institute who were his colleagues. Such information shed light on the history of this Institute before World War II. Currently not enough investigation has been made on people who were engaged in the investigation and research of cultural properties. We hope to continue our efforts so that the main volume of the publication on the 75 years of the Institute may contribute to the study of the history of research on cultural properties.
Materials related to the art historian Tanaka Ichimatsu (1895-1983), who was the Director General of the Institute from 1952 to 1965, were donated by Mr. Tanaka Kazumi, the deceased’s family member, and the Idemitsu Museum of Art in March. Included among the materials are records of his research and photographs he collected. Even before World War II, Tanaka had investigated a great number of art objects and left carefully written reports with his own drawings attached. Among them are valuable reports on works of art that were lost during the War. Although these materials had been stored at the Idemitsu Museum of Art, with which Tanaka was closely related, they were donated to the Institute after his death in the hope that they may be made public and utilized more widely. We plan to make preparations for their utilization in the future. Since we have just begun to put them in order, anyone who wishes to see these materials are requested to contact the Department of Research Programming in advance.
Witt Library guest book, entry for January 18, 1924
At the office of Ms. Barbara Thompson, Witt Library
For six days from March 3, 2008 three members of the Department – Yamanashi Emiko, Emura Tomoko and Nakamura Setsukobv – visited libraries and research organizations in England to investigate the ways in which materials are collected and publicized. Visits were made, within this short period, to Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Witt Library of the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London, The British Museum, British Library, National Art Library of the Victoria & Albert Museum, and School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. In addition to investigating their facilities, we exchanged opinions with researchers at each organization. Of these organizations, Witt Library, in particular, is one that is of special significance to the Institute since the first Director General of the Institute, Yashiro Yukio, is said to have felt the need for a library on materials related to art and obtained the idea for the founding of the Institute when he visited the Library, an extremely profitable experience in his own study of art history. According to the guest book at the Library, it was learned that Yashiro visited the Library nine times between 1924 and 1928. Such information was meaningful in understanding the situation surrounding the founding of the Institute and the significance of collecting and publicizing information on cultural properties. We hope to continue exchange in research and to make use of such opportunities in the utilization of materials and the management of libraries.
The Hikone Screen, a report
A report on the study of The Hikone Screen that was held jointly with the Hikone Castle Museum from 2006 to 2007 has been published. The work, which had been mounted as a framed work, was restored on full scale and remounted as a folding screen. Included in the report are photographs of the screen before and after restoration, and many high-resolution digital images, infrared images and luminescence images. Persons involved in the publication of this report made great efforts to provide as much information concerning this work of art as possible. For example, infrared images showing directions for the use of colors, which can be seen only underneath the paint layers, are compared with actual color images; data analyzed by X-ray fluorescence are compared with high-resolution data of corresponding points. We hope that this report may be utilized as fundamental material for the study of the screen. The report has been published from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan for the general public.
http://www.chukobi.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=336
X-ray image of the head of Indra (The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco)
Tsuda and Sarai of the Department of Research Programming studied two Buddhist statues (Brahma and Indra), which were made in Japan during the Nara period, and collected relevant materials at The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from March 10 to 12, 2008 as part of the Department’s project on the study of art materials and techniques. These statues had originally been at Kohfukuji in Nara, but were bought by an American collector after they passed into private hands.
The two statues were made by a special technique that was used in the Nara period, hollow dry lacquer technique. The outer frame is composed of hemp cloth and urushi (lacquer) and the inside is left hollow except for an inserted wood that functions as support. Since a great amount of lacquer, which is very expensive, was needed and since such statues are not structurally strong, there are not many examples of hollow dry lacquer statues remaining today. In that sense, it may be said that these statues are extremely valuable.
A photograph taken at Kohfukuji some time around 1905 shows, among many damaged Buddhist statues, these two statues, also greatly damaged. Among the documents at The Asian Art Museum related to these statues are X-ray images that provide some information concerning the restoration of the statues. For example, while the head of Indra is missing in the Kohfukuji photograph taken in the Meiji period, X-ray image of the statue unexpectedly shows the possibility that the head is that of the original. Knowledge obtained in this investigation needs to be further studied from many angles. We hope to continue the study of the technique and style of hollow dry lacquer statues with the cooperation of The Asian Art Museum.
Life-size detail, Kuroda Seiki‘s Lakeside, Artwork Archive for Art Studies, Volume 5
A page from “Texts and Images Associated with Lakeside” section at the end of the book
Lakeside (1897), Kuroda Seiki’s oil painting of a woman wearing yukata (summer cotton kimono) by a lakeside, may be said to be one of the most popular works of Japanese art. The Department of Research Programming has published Kuroda Seiki‘s Lakeside, Artwork Archive for Art Studies, Volume 5, which studies this representative work by Kuroda from many aspects. Images of Lakeside at the beginning of the book photographed by Shirono Seiji and Torimitsu Mikako (National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo) include life-size images of the details of the painting and an image of the reverse side of the painting, which cannot be seen ordinarily, thus giving a fresh impression to a familiar work of art. Papers by Arayashiki Toru (Pola Museum of Art, Pola Art Foundation), Ueno Kenzo (Ishibashi Museum of Art, Ishibashi Art Foundation), Kaneko Kazuo (Ibaraki University), Suzuki Yasuhiro (Board of Education Secretariat, Hakone Town), Watanabe Ichiro (Art Restoration Studio 21), Tanaka Atsushi and Yamanashi Emiko (both of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo) cover various topics related to the work, from the identity of the model and the place where the painting was created to the position the work occupies in the world of Japanese and Western art, the changes in its evaluation until today and the condition of the work. At the end of the book is a collection of texts and images associated with Lakeside, an image of a sheet of memorial stamps issued in 1967 and a poem on the painting. This is a publication that presents the “life” of Lakeside from its birth until today. The book is published from Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan and is available at bookstores.
http://www.chukobi.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=121
Chinghsin Wu at the Institute
Chinghsin Wu (Taipei, PhD student at UCLA), a visiting researcher at the Department of Research Programming for a year from September 2007, presented the results of her study at the Department’s research seminar on March 26. She has been studying how the world of modern Japanese art, especially of the 1920s, accepted European art. In her presentation entitled “Classic or Avant-garde, Christianity or Buddhism – Religious Paintings of Koga Harue Dating to the 1920s,” Wu discussed how paintings by Koga with religious themes or motifs correlate with European art, from those of El Greco and other classics to the modern age, that was introduced to Japan in the 1920s. The presentation was followed by active exchange of opinion with researchers of the Department whose fields of discipline include modern art as well as Buddhist art. We hope that Wu will continue to pursue her research.
The Department of Research Programming holds a seminar every month. On February 27 (Wednesday) Watada made a presentation entitled “Considering the ‘Juko-in’ Issue.” Traditionally, the main hall of Daitoku-ji Juko-in (Important Cultural Property) is said to have been built in 1566 or 1538 based on the period of the creation of its wall paintings (National Treasures) by Kano Shoei and Eitoku. In his presentation, Watada proposed 1571 as the year of its construction based on pieces of historical records remaining and taking into consideration the constantly changing political situation of the time. This proposal was followed by a comment by Watanabe Yuji of the Fukuoka Art Museum, who had been invited to the workshop as a commentator. Watanabe suggested that, when the wall paintings of Juko-in are considered in the context of wall paintings in sub-temples as a whole, the arrangement of these paintings in the rooms follow the traditional manner. There was active discussion on this matter among the participants at the seminar.
Dr. Chen Fang-mei
View of Yinshan Temple at Danshuei (before 1991)
As part of the research project “Research on Materials for the Study of East Asian Art,” the Department of Research Programming has been studying the relationship between man and objects under the theme of “Dynamics of Interaction between Objects and People.” The aim of the study is to see how the connection among people plays a role in the value formation of objects such as works of art and cultural properties. On Tuesday, January 15, we invited Dr. Chen Fang-mei of the Graduate Institute of Art History of the National Taiwan University, who contributed to our Department’s periodical, Bijutsu Kenkyu (The Journal of Art Studies) volume 391, a paper on how ancient bronzes were appreciated in Sung dynasty China.
In her presentation entitled “The Issue of the Sacred Space Constructed at: Yinshan Temple at Danshuei and Ethnological Awareness: A Study of Art in the Social Context,” Dr. Chen spoke about how the thoughts of the Han people who immigrated to Taiwan from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th centuries, especially that of the Hakka people from Tingzhou in western Fujian province, were given form. Although a minority group, these people erected Yinshan Temple at Danshuei in northern Taiwan. Dr. Chen confirmed that the arrangement and decorations of the temple complex are reminiscent of what existed in their place of origin, Tingzhou. The subject of the presentation was concerned with the history of pre-modern Taiwan, with which we are not so familiar, but the assertion of identity associated with migrating people was in line with the theme of our study and discussions on the question of self-expression of minority groups followed the presentation.
X-ray radiography of the upper torso of the Standing Figure of a Bodhisattva
As part of the research project of the Department of Research Programming, “Trans-Disciplinary Study of Art Materials and Techniques,” X-ray radiography was taken of a hollow dry lacquer Standing Figure of a Bodhisattva (height 77.1 cm; private collection in Tokyo) at the Institute on January 29 (Tuesday). As mentioned in the Monthly Report for September, this figure is believed to have been created at the beginning of the 9th century according to its style. Since the investigation carried out in June was limited to visual inspection of the surface, we were not able to clarify the structure or the method of manufacture employed for the figure. Thus X-ray radiography was executed this time to examine whether there is any structural member inside the statue that would be used to support it, how many layers of hemp cloth were used, and how much later additions and restorations had been made. As a result of this examination it was confirmed that there is no structural member inside to support the figure, that restoration had been limited to the surface and that there was not much damage extending to the inside of the figure. Furthermore, it was found that the clay had been removed by separating the figure into the front and back halves by cutting on a line that passes through the ears, while the normal method for making a hollow dry lacquer statue was to apply layers of hemp cloth to a clay mold and to remove the mold from rectangular windows cut at the back of the head and on the back of the torso so as to create the hollow space. It was also found that on this figure the arms had been made separately and attached at the shoulders after the front and back halves had been rejoined. Such method suggests that there was a new development in structure and technique of hollow dry lacquer toward the end of the manufacture of hollow dry lacquer statues. Further technical clarification in this aspect is expected.
The Department of Research Programming holds workshops on the theme of “the original” in preparation for the International Symposium on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property which it will host next fiscal year. In December discussion was held with Director General Suzuki Norio who has been engaged in the restoration of cultural properties for many years.
Today, the fundamental principle for the restoration of cultural properties in Japan is to conduct the minimum necessary treatment without hindering the scientific, historical and aesthetic value of cultural properties and keeping in mind the maintenance of the present condition. However, the question as to where the focus should be placed with regard to the material or the form of cultural properties or on which point in the history of a given cultural property the appearance of that cultural property should be maintained is a matter that is closely related to the fundamental question of where the essential value of cultural properties lies. It is a matter for which a standard rule cannot be laid and which requires many important decisions to be made during restoration.
What was of interest was the comment that in Japan people have a unique sensitivity and sense of value that find beauty in the changes that passage of time brings to cultural properties – what is often referred to as “ageing” – and hope to transmit it. There was much active discussion since such a way of looking at cultural properties, not merely looking at them in their original but also placing focus on the value brought about by history, has something in common with the idea of “the original” that we wish to propose in the Symposium.
A poster for the Proletarian Art Institute (around 1930)
As a part of the research project “Comprehensive Research on Modern and Contemporary Art,” the Department of Research Programming is working toward the publication in fiscal year 2008 of A Study of Exhibits from Art Exhibitions of the Showa Era (Pre-World War II Volume), a collection of articles on art of pre-World War II Showa period. A workshop was held on December 27 in relation to this publication. Following is a list of presenters and the titles of their presentations.
Kita Takaomi (Aizu Museum, Waseda University): “Yabe Tomoe and the Proletarian Art Movement – Focusing on the Proletarian Art Institute”
Adachi Gen (Graduate School, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts): “’Akujo’ and War – The World of Comics by Ono Saseo”
Shikida Hiroko (The University Art Museum, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts): “A Study of Minimal Residences in Japan during the First Half of the Showa Period – Designing Activities of the Keiji-kobo and Its Associates”
As the presentations were made by young researchers, their contents that covered such challenging, not-yet well studied fields like proletarian art, comics and design were fresh innovative and stimulating. Although most of the presenters and participants were contributors to A Study of Exhibits from Art Exhibitions of the Showa Era (Pre-World War II Volume), close to 30 researchers participated and held heated discussions based on the presentations. There is no question that this workshop served as a good impetus for the publication.
The Department of Research Programming holds workshops every month to give interim reports on or to present a part of the results of its research projects. On Wednesday, December 26 (from 3 pm) Tsuda Tetsuei made a presentation entitled “On the Local Production of Buddhist Statues in the 12th Century” which is a part of the research project “Cross-Disciplinary Study of Art Materials and Techniques.”
Until now the fact that there are not many differences in expression or techniques between Jocho-style Buddhist statues, the standard sitting style of Amitabha Tathagata, made in the cities and in local areas was attributed to skills of the Buddhist sculptors who made these statues. Instead, Tsuda attributed the lack of difference to the way in which theses statues were produced. He noted the existence of local officials who had bases of their activities in both cities and local areas and who moved between the two. By so doing, and by giving directions as to how statues were to be made, they acted as key persons in the production of Buddhist statues and raised the cultural level of the local areas to that of the cities. Based on such hypothesis, Tsuda examined the statue of Amitabha Tathagata at Jogon’in temple in Shiga prefecture whose original canopy, nimbus and pedestal remain and other similar statues in nearby temples. The presentation was followed by active exchange of opinion among the participants, including indication of places where further study seems appropriate.
The family of the deceased Kuno Takeshi, researcher emeritus of the Institute who passed away in July 2007 at the age of 87, expressed their wish to contribute photographic materials and field notes from his research. These were transported to the Institute on November 7. Kuno studied the history of Japanese sculpture and conducted active field studies. The results of his studies have been published in numerous books such as the Collection of Buddhist Statues（Gakuseisha）, which is a collection of photographs of Buddhist statues throughout Japan and the Study of the History of Japanese Buddhist Sculpture (Yoshikawa Kobunkan Inc.). Photographs connected with these publications amount to 6 filing cabinets with 4 drawers of B-4 size. Reports on his investigation exceed 300. These materials will be listed so that they may be made public.
Kuroda Memorial Hall - Works of Kuroda Seiki II
The exhibit
To commemorate the re-establishment of the Independent Administrative Institution, National Institute for Cultural Heritage in April 2007, the second special exhibit of works in the collection of the Kuroda Memorial Hall was held at the Heisei-kan of the Tokyo National Museum from Tuesday, November 6 to Sunday, December 2. In this exhibit 22 works were exhibited, including those that Kuroda painted during his stay at Grez-sur-Loing, a farming village near Paris that he liked to visit when he was studying in France and 4 original illustrations, “Japanese Genre Scenes,” that were used for the essay “Femmes japonaises” written by Pierre Loti (1850 – 1923) in the October 1891 issue of Figaro Illustré. This is the first time for the October 1891 issue of Figaro Illustré and the “Japanese Genre Scenes” to be exhibited at the same time. It was a good opportunity to see concretely the image of Japan that Kuroda gave to the French society.
November 2, Emura making a presentation entitled “Eyes and Hands of Korin”
November 3, Yamanashi making a presentation entitled “Yashiro Yukio and The Institute of Art Research”
Yamanashi also spoke about Kuroda Seiki, who was honored as the father of western paintings in modern Japan, and his works.
Kuroda Seiki, the father of western paintings in modern Japan, was also a central figure in the establishment of The Institute of Art Research
November 3, Arayashiki Toru making a presentation entitled “Kuroda Seiki’s French Experience: From the Artists’ Village Grez-sur-Loing to Kuroda Memorial Hall”
As a part of the activity to disseminate the results of art historical study, the Institute holds a public lecture once a year for two days in autumn. Until last year, this lecture was hosted by the Department of Fine Arts, but with the change in the structure of the institution, the Department of Research Programming is in charge from this year. The 41st of the series of lectures was held on November 2 and 3.
On Friday, November 2, Emura Tomoko and Nakabe Yoshitaka gave lectures on paintings of the pre-modern period, particularly on those of Rimpa School which are highly evaluated internationally. Emura in her “The Eyes and Hands of Korin” spoke about the expressions of Ogata Korin, focusing on his Flowering Plants of the Four Seasons (formerly in the Tsugaru Family collection, now in a private collection). Nakabe of The Museum Yamatobunkakan in his “Yashiro Yukio’s View on Rimpa School” spoke on the way works by artists of the Rimpa School were received and evaluated in the modern period by looking at this matter from the eyes of Yashiro Yukio, a researcher in the initial period of the study of art history in Japan.
On Saturday, November 3, Yamanashi Emiko and Arayashiki Toru reported on the studies related to modern art and modern art history. Yamanashi in her “Yashiro Yukio and The Institute of Art Research” studied the ideal image, with concrete details, for The Institute of Art Research, the forerunner of the present Institute as conceived by Yashiro Yukio, who also became its first director when it was established in 1930. Arayashiki of Pola Museum of Art in his “Kuroda Seiki’s French Experience: From the Artists’ Village Grez-sur-Loing to Kuroda Memorial Hall” spoke in concrete terms about what Kuroda Seiki, the person who played an important role in the formation of the system of art in Japan and who was also a central figure in the establishment of The Institute of Art Research, gained through his experience during his study in France and particularly in his stay at Grez-sur-Loing outside Paris.
It appears that interest in cultural properties is increasing year by year. We hope to continue to develop the study of fine arts and to communicate to people the abundant world of art.
Portrait of Kuroda Seiki.,
Date unknown. 20.5 x 15.3cm
A special exhibit entitled “Kuroda Seiki in Photographs” is being held at the exhibition room on the second floor of Kuroda Memorial Hall from November 15. At this exhibit a part of the 208 items, including photographs, donated to the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo by Mr. Kaneko Mitsuo, a family member of the deceased Kuroda Teruko, the widow of Kuroda Seiki, is exhibited to the public. Although most of the materials donated are photographs that give information about the life of Kuroda Seiki, there are those that have not been made public until now. In that sense, they are valuable in providing information for a deeper understanding of the artist Kudora Seiki. Among them, 23 comparatively large photographs have been chosen. Since the original negatives of the donated photographs are already lost, prints of the original were used. The images have been reproduced to the original size while maintaining the texture of the original. This is a part of the results of a study in the development of techniques for the formation of digital images that is being executed for the purpose of the conservation and utilization of photographic materials. (Duration of the exhibit: November 15, 2007 to May 17, 2008)
Hondo of the Shin’yakushiji temple in Nara (built in the Nara period)
(top) before the Meiji restoration (1897)
(bottom) today
During the restoration in 1897, the building in front of the Hondo was dismantled, causing debate about reproduction
The Department of Research Programming holds workshops on “the original” in preparation for the International Symposium on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property which it will host next fiscal year. In the November workshop emphasis was placed on architecture. Inaba Nobuko and Shimizu Shin’ichi of the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation joined the discussions, the former on the 14th and the latter on the 21st. Unlike paintings and sculptures which are carefully conserved indoors, buildings are exposed to the elements or are necessarily subjected to repeated repairs and renovations because they are used as residences and facilities. In addition to such characteristic of buildings, that they are subject to change, the differences in the materials employed, be it wood or stone, call for different maintenance methods. This in turn creates differences in the concept for their conservation among different cultures in which different materials are prevalent. The question as to which form of a building in which period of its history and using what type of materials is to be handed down – in other words, the question of authenticity, is a topic for endless discussion.
