Committee for the Conservation of the Kondō Murals at Hōryūji Established

The Committee for the Conservation of the Kondō Murals at Horyūji (Committee Chair: ARIGA Yoshitaka) was established with the cooperation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Asahi Shimbun Company. Its first meeting was held on December 5. The latest scientific research project into the mural paintings of the Kondō Murals, which were severely damaged by a fire in 1949, will examine the potential for permanent conservation and use of the murals, including opening them to the public. An interim report on the survey is expected to be compiled in 2019, the 70^th anniversary of the fire. (Japanese)