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The Arhat (Jpn: Rakan) Painting at Kômyôji (Tokyo): Towards a Multilayered Understanding of its Content and History
Get PDFToday Kômyôji (Tokyo) owns an Arhat painting (Jpn: rakan-zu, referred to here as the Kômyôji rakan-zu) that we discovered had been published with illustrations and explication in 1895 (Meiji 28) in Kokka No. 74. While Kokka introduced the work as a Chinese painting, conversely, Hashimoto Gahô’s accompanying note [添状] for the painting dated that same year stated, “Kose no Ômi hitsu” [巨勢相覧筆 Painted by Kose no Ômi]. In other words, it had been painted by the Heian period painter Kose no Ômi [巨勢相見]. While we know that Katano Shirô (片野四郎, 1867-1909) owned the painting at the time of the Kokka No. 74 article, it is unclear how it was acquired by Kômyôji, and given no further introduction of the work in the intervening years, there has been no real opportunity for a discussion of the work within the history of painting. In this article we have used various approaches, including examining its painting style and modern era provenance, to advance discussion of the Kômyôji rakan-zu and thus position it within a multilayered context, namely the history of painting, and also the history of how it was produced and received.
In Chapter 1, Maizawa discusses its painting style and doctrinal background, and introduces the results of the optical survey of the work. First, judging from its painting style, the work shares aspects with 14th century Yuan dynasty examples, and Maizawa indicates that it was produced within that general time period. The Kômyôji rakan-zu displays idiosyncratic iconography not found in other examples, such as the Arhats with hands clasped in prayer, attendants, Tenbu, Kalavinka (Karyôbinga) and Jivamjivaka (Gumyôchô), while the Mani Jewel in the center of the composition has been conflated with a Buddhist relic, and thus it is thought the painting subject is Arhats making offerings to a Buddhist relic. The painting theme of Arhats worshiping a reliquary can be found in Northern Song dynasty Arhat paintings, and thus the Kômyôji rakan-zu can be positioned within that lineage. Supplemental painting silk and brushwork was discerned in the infrared, macro and fluorescent images taken in the optical survey of the work, and thus we know that the Kômyôji rakan-zu was repaired on numerous occasions. Maizawa further indicated that judging from the photographs of the work published in the 1895 Kokka article and Taishô era records, major conservation work was carried out on the painting after Katano’s death.
In Chapter 2, Yasunaga investigated Katano Shirô’s career and the modern reception of the Kômyôji rakan-zu. Katano was an antique art appraiser active in the Meiji period, and like his father Yûhei (邑平), was an art collector. In addition to involvement in the compilation of the expanded and annotated version of the Koga bikô biographical dictionary of painters Zôtei: Koga bikô (増訂古画備考), through such activities as introducing works he and his father owned in art magazines of the day, he was a person who left major traces in the nascent period of the study of Japanese art history, and built a diverse human network of painters and scholars. Auction catalogues and various other records indicate that after Katano Shirô’s death the Kômyôji rakan-zu was sold at auction as a Kose no Ômi Arhat painting and acquired by Inoue Kaoru (井上馨, 1836-1915). Inoue’s conservation work on the scroll included having it remounted in 1912 (Taishô 1). Yasunaga further indicates that historical documents show that Arhat paintings by Kose Kanaoka (巨勢金岡) were handed down and copied by Kanô school painters. The attribution of the Kômyôji rakan-zu to Kanaoka’s son Ômi was based on painting connoisseurship knowledge continued from the pre-modern era. Hashimoto Gahô’s accompanying statement shows that this understanding of the work had been handed on, while conversely, the fact that the painting was introduced in Kokka as a Chinese painting that same year can be seen as evidence that new value systems and appreciation of works had appeared in the modern era. Given this, we can position the Kômyôji rakan-zu within the history of painting as a Yuan dynasty Arhat painting that had inherited and handed on Northern Song dynasty painting subjects. And, through investigations of its modern provenance, it also stands as a fascinating example of the history of how artworks were received within the study of Japanese art history.journal articl
In-situ Conservation of Natural History Materials as Cultural Property
Get PDFIn Japan, natural history materials are categorized in cultural properties and can be designated as natural monuments by the central, prefectural, and municipal governments. The concept of in-situ conservation can also be defined for natural history materials, but whether they are preserved in situ or removed and stored in a building, they are all designated under the same category of “natural monuments.” There is no distinction between movable and immovable cultural properties in the designated natural monuments. In contrast, archaeological materials are often treated as part of a historic site if preserved on site, whereas as tangible cultural property if removed and preserved in a building. For this reason, in some cases, the concept of in-situ conservation of natural history materials seems to be regarded as less important than in the case of archaeological materials. Conversely, archaeological objects tend to be designated as tangible cultural property not on site in situ but only after they are removed and conserved in a building. It is hoped that this kind of comparative study will help to clarify the value of both natural history and humanistic materials, and that their respective values will be effectively and appropriately conserved with regard to the concept of in-situ conservation.journal articl
Investigation of theWall Paintings of Kitora Tumulus by X-ray Fluorescence Analysis
Get PDFAmong the twelve zodiac signs in the wall paintings of Kitora Tumulus, the signs of
dragon, snake and monkey have not been discovered because they are covered with mud. In order to decide the treatments for restoration, it is important to identify the existence of those signs. Therefore, the authors conducted investigations by X-ray fluorescence analysis.
Analyses were conducted on the part of the walls where dragon, snake and monkey were expected to be drawn. The detection of mercury indicated the existence of those paintings beneath the mud.journal articl
Report on the Investigation Based on a Questionnaire of Intangible Cultural Heritage Concerning the Influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake
Get PDFThe research team of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage conducted an investigation based on a questionnaire in order to examine the trend of influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake on intangible cultural heritages. Questionnaires were sent out to Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures concerning intangible cultural heritages designated by the nation, prefecture, city, town and villages of each prefecture. The questionnaire was made in two periods, February 2020 and January to February 2021. Of the 1153 groups concerned with designated intangible cultural heritages, 633 groups responded. Upon confirmation of the condition of damage caused by the Earthquake, questions were asked on “the frequency of performance,” “place of execution” and “funds for activities.” These 4 points were asked from the point of view of time – “before the disaster,” “immediately after the disaster,” and “ now that 10 years have passed.” In other words, the aim was to clarify through this research the changes that occurred from before the disaster to the present. As a result the following points were found. 1) In many aspects, changes were seen immediately after the disaster but after 10 years there is much movement to return to the condition before the disaster. 2) The influence of the Earthquake extended to the inland regions where Tsunami did not strike and exposed issues connected with declining birth rate and depopulation. Although these points have already been revealed by various investigations and previous studies, the fact that they have been supported objectively by numerical numbers shows the significance of the present study.departmental bulletin pape
Research Note: Letters from Ko Yu-seop found in the Ueno Naoteru Materials: Focusing on the Manuscripts for the Keijô Archaeology Colloquium
Get PDFThe Ueno Naoteru (1882-1973) materials preserved in the Geidai Archives Center of Modern Art include four letters from Ko Yu-seop (1905-1944), Ueno’s student who is now a renowned art historian in South Korea. These letters are especially noteworthy as they reveal how Ko, the “father of [Korean] art history,” developed his theories via his relationships with Ueno and fellow scholars. Based on these newly-discovered materials, this article introduces each letter in detail and analyzes the significance of the manuscripts for the Keijô Archaeology Colloquium, a group that is critically important to Korean art historiography.
Ko Yu-seop wrote these four letters respectively in 1928 (Shôwa 3), when he was a sophomore in the division of law and literature at the Keijô Imperial University; 1930 (Shôwa 5), when he was an assistant in the office of aesthetics and art history and 1939 (Shôwa 14) and 1943 (Shôwa 18), whenhe was the director of the Gaeseong Prefectural Museum. The last letter was sent not to Ueno but to Kumagai Nobuo (1900-1972), then-official of the Government-General of Joseon in charge of museums in Korea. Enclosed in an envelope titled “Keijô kôko danwakai genkô (Manuscripts for the Keijô Archaeology Colloquium),” this letter contained two manuscripts for the Colloquium: “Chôsen no sekitô ni tsuite (A Survey of Korean Stone Stupas)” and “Kaijô yûkanki (Gaeseong Ruins Report).” On the basis of the manuscript contents and stamp cancellation marks on the envelopes, Ko would have written these texts sometime between April 1942 and January 1943.
The Keijô Archaeology Colloquium, established at the beginning of 1941, is historiographically noteworthy since it consisted of the pioneers of Korean art history and archaeology of the day. Unfortunately, there are almost no records left to account for its scholarly activities. As one of the four such resources extant, Ko Yu-seop’s newly-discovered letters are of great significance in Korean art historiography.
Furthermore, in the manuscript “Chôsen no sekitô ni tsuite,” Ko examined his theory on the origin of the Korean multi-story stupa, the most outstanding achievement in his stone stupa research. According to this theory, the multistory stupa of the Mireuk-sa Temple Site, the oldest stone stupa in Korea, precedes the five-story stupa at Jeonglimsa Temple. Ko had already published this theory in 1939, under the title “Joseon tappa ui yeongu II (Research on Korean Pagodas II)” in the journal Jindan hakbo. However, Sugiyama Nobuzô (1906-1997), a Japanese architectural historian, recalled that Japanese researchers were unaware of this paper as it was written in Korean. It was at the Keijô Archaeology Colloquium held in 1942 that Ko’s theory was first published in Japanese and gained its reputation. In other words, the “Chôsen no sekitô ni tsuite” discovered in the Ueno Naoteru Materials is historiographically important because it reveals the moment when Ko presented his stone stupa theory to Japanese researchers for the first time.
In conclusion, this article underscores the importance of Ko’s letters discovered in the Ueno Naoteru Materials, particularly the manuscripts for the Keijô Archaeology Colloquium, in terms of both Korean art historiography and Ko’s stone stupa research development.journal articl
The 15th Public Lecture of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Research Institute for Culturlal Properties Culture of Using Woods – Using Cherry Woods, Playing with Cherry Woods
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Light-induced Fading on Kimono Silk Fabrics Dyed with Early Synthetic Dyes: Evaluation of a Color Image Analysis Method
Get PDFOn kimono silk fabrics used in the Meiji era are found bright colors created by the use of new dyeing methods such as stencil printing, which was enabled by the invention of synthetic dyes. For a long-term conservation of such kimono fabrics, we need to evaluate discoloration and fading in response to external factors such as light. However, conventional evaluation methods using colorimeters are often unsuitable for evaluating color changes in the multicolored patterns that are among the characteristics of kimono fabrics of the Meiji era. Therefore, in this study, we used a new color image analysis to evaluate these changes. Light exposure tests were conducted on Meiji-era kimono silks, whose dye classes had been identified for each color beforehand, and the discoloration and fading induced by light were evaluated.
Discoloration and fading in the violet section (basic dyes) of the kimono silk fabrics were found to be significantly greater than those in the red section (acid dyes). Basic dyes are said to have poor light fastness when applied to silk, and this was confirmed on the kimono fabrics used in this study. In addition, in the color image analysis we were able to freely change the analytical range by cropping the scanned image to include either the entire sample or sections of each color. In an evaluation of discoloration and fading of kimono fabrics with multi-colored patterns, we need to capture the changes comprehensively, not only in specific parts of the sample. This method, in which both types of samples can be selected according to the purpose, was effective for evaluating the discoloration and fading of kimono fabrics.journal articl