Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties - Publications
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Organic Acid and Ammonia Emissions from Adhesives for Wood Materials
Get PDFOrganic acid emission from wood materials,such as plywood,poses a major challenge in museums because it may cause adverse effects on artifacts. It has been observed that emissions of acetic acid, formic acid and ammonia from plywood vary according to adhesives used.This suggests that they may be emitted from the adhesives.To investigate their emissions from adhesives used on wood materials,emission test was conducted by the chamber method. Major adhesives for wood materials, urea resin (UF), meramine-urea resin (MUF), phenol resin (PF1,PF2)and aqueous polymer-isocyanate (API)were used as test samples.
It was found that formic acid and ammonia emissions from MUF and UF were greater than from PF1,PF2and API.Acetic acid emission from API was greater than from other adhesives. These emissions were caused by components of each adhesive and curing reaction but had little influence after curing. However, choosing adhesives with smaller emission is preferable because wood materials using adhesives that emit a large amount of chemicals on curing have the risk of chemicals remaining and leading to further gradual emission.journal articl
Methodology of Salvaging Cultural Properties after Inland Earthquakes Based on the Result of Analyzing Activity Reports on the 2016Kumamoto Earthquake
Get PDFThe Kumamoto Earthquake, which was a direct inland earthquake, has been known to have had a peak in the cycle of1to 2seconds from the acceleration response spectrum, and the results are confirmed such that most damage has been found in low-level wooden buildings. A salvaging committee was established in order to salvage objects from damaged buildings. In the present study the flow of activities of the committee were confirmed from the daily reports submitted. Based on the result of the econometric analysis of the daily reports at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Kumamoto daily reports were used for the purpose of simplifying the analysis and reducing the burden of the reporters.
Analysis of the daily reports revealed that major objects salvaged were those found in historically old houses, temples and shrines. It also revealed that some activities were started toward the end of the fiscal year, making it not possible to complete the activities within the timespan of one year. In these ways, the daily reports are also important for grasping the characteristics of salvage activities, and the results of the arrangement will be useful in making activity plans for future disasters.journal articl
Topics of the Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Issues Raised through Discussions
Get PDFThe Twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held from 4 to 9 December, 2017 in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.
During the session, 33 elements of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Representative List). In addition, the Committee decided to transfer a Vietnamese musical tradition named “Xoan Singing of Phú Thọ Province, Viet Nam” from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (Urgent Safeguarding List) to the Representative List.
The Evaluation Body allowed the submitting States Parties to provide additional information at the plenary in case the missing information is related to inventories (criterion R.5/U.5), because a revised format for R.5/U.5 of the nomination forms will be used from 2018 cycle. But, in fact, information not about inventories was also provided. As for the Representative List, while the Evaluation Body recommended 12 files to be referred back to the States Parties asking for more precise information at the following cycle, among these 10 were inscribed on the list. Some Committee Members expressed concern on the decision making process without paying respect to the professionalism of the Evaluation Body. Regarding the transfer of an element from one list to the other, this time the transfer was welcomed by the submitting State Party. But, an element may also be removed from the Representative List and inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List, if the protection measures of the element become insufficient to continue its practice. The Evaluation Body as well as the Committee were concerned that the inscription of an element on the Urgent Safeguarding List is perceived as punishment or shame by some States Parties concerned, like the List of World Heritage in Danger, unless some incentives such as international assistance are offered upon inscription.
It was expected that concrete and fruitful discussion would be made at the Committee on the subjects of protection of ICH. However, many of the Committee Members seemed to make greatest efforts to inscribe the elements on the Representative List or the Urgent Safeguarding List by all means. The Committee Members also made long debates on minute issues like the number of staff to be added to the Secretariat, whether it should be "2" or "3". It was particularly a problem that the expertise of comments was not necessarily high for some Committee Members which made a large number of remarks.
In these circumstances, if Japan is able to play the role of a Committee Member, the author hopes it to lead the discussion at the Committee through highly professionalized comments. The author would also like to point out the importance of disseminating information on the achievements on the protection and study of ICH on the web in UNESCO's official languages, English and French. Budgetary issue is always an obstacle for multilingualization, but it is necessary to enhance information dissemination including enrichment of contents through cooperation between public and private sectors, and research agencies, to contribute better implementation of the 2003 Convention.departmental bulletin pape
Report on SP Records Made by Pathé in the Collection of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties: With Focus on the Nagauta “Tsuna Yakata”
Get PDFIn previous volumes of Research and Reports on Intangible Cultural Heritage the present author has reported on two recordings on SP record made by Pathé in the collection of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties: on a nagauta “Yoshiwara Suzume” (vol. 9, March 2015) and on “Shin Urashima” (vol. 11, March 2017). The present report is on the recording of “Tsuna Yakata,” another nagauta (manufacture number 34648 - 34653, Institute’s inventory number 17-221A - 17-223B).
In this recording, Yoshimura Ijuro VI sings the song to the accompaniment of several musical instruments including the shamisen by the brothers Kineya Rokuzaemon XIII and Kineya Kangoro V. Since the piece was composed around 1869 by Kineya Kangoro III, grandfather-in-law of Rokuzaemon and Kangoro, it is a historically valuable work performed by those close in kinship to the composer.
In the lyrics of the piece, the aunt of Watanabe no Tsuna who raised him as a child visits the house of Tsuna who had subdued a demon by cutting off its arm at Rashomon. The two speak, fondly remembering the past. But the aunt is the demon in disguise and at the end he takes back the arm that Tsuna had cut off.
The piece uses ohzatsumabushi , a different type of narrative phrase from that of nagauta and one which was absorbed into nagauta in the middle of the 19th century. The piece is characterized by its wild, soul-stirring melody. The report also touches on the ohzatsumabushi “Tsuwamono Azumaya-zukuri” which is said to be one of the sources of “Tsuna Yakata.”
There are several versions of the recording of “Tsuna Yakata” by Yoshimura Ijuro. Since this Pathé recording is assumed to have been made around October 1911, it would be an old one for Ijuro’s recording. Ijuro, who was a transmitter of ohzatsumabushi under the name of Ohzatsuma Bundayu IV, sings the roles of Tsuna, the aunt and demon skillfully with his characteristic strong narration and wide range of voice.
The shamisen performance by the brothers Rokuzaemon and Kangoro is a perfect match combining different melodies like the melody of ohzatsuma at the beginning, that of makusanju, or melody of shamisen which is used at change of scenes, and that of ohzatsuma again when Tsuna and the demon fight. Although according to the label on the record Kineya Kangoro is said to have been in charge of the high notes (uwajoshi ) of shamisen , it was not possible to confirm such high notes on the recording.departmental bulletin pape
Mother-of-Pearl and Royal Prerogative: Connotations in Pre-Modern and Modern Thai Decorative Arts
Get PDFThailand experienced a period in which mother-of-pearl decorative arts flourished as they were used for offerings to Buddhist temples and as utensils in the royal household. The production dates of some of these mother-of-pearl decorative works are known, with the oldest dated examples produced around the middle of the 18th century. These early works are large in scale, namely temple doors adorned with mother-ofpearl. We can surmise that earlier works of this type existed, given the massive scale and expertise shown in known works, but those earlier works have yet to be identified. There has previously been no detailed explanation of how these mother-of-pearl decorative arts changed from the time of their inception.
This article clarifies one part of the art historical and technical changes that occurred in Thai mother-of-pearl decorative arts, a subject that has previously been almost completely unexamined. In this process I have established
a group of benchmark works whose production dates areknown, discussed the mother-of-pearl doors thought to have been made in the royal workshops, and considered a chronological ordering and division based on the details and changes seen in the motif and design style and in the expressive methods used. Further considering that these doors closely linked to the royal court may reflect on the historical context of the courtly art being produced during each respective period, I would like to clarify the historical meaning of these changes in mother-of-pearl doors.
An examination of the motifs, expressive methods and techniques used clarified that changes in Thai mother-of-pearl doors can be largely divided into three periods, and the characteristics of each period. The motifs change from
imagery in the Traibhumikatha showing the Buddhist worldview to those based on the Ramakien epic tale which states the religious basis for royal authority, and finally to Western style methods of showing “symbols” and “emblems”
of royal authority.
Stylistically, during the first period there was a right/left symmetrical, planar, quiet expression. The second period shows a bold introduction of painterly expression, and some energetic expression. The third period returns to a stiff
composition and a revival of the symmetrical forms seen in the first period.
Technically, thick shell, lacquer ground mother-of-pearl was used across the three periods, with designs made up of small shell fragments. During the second period several new expressive techniques were introduced, such as sprinkled tiny shell flakes, large shell fragments and fine line carving. These methods allowed the creation of painterly expression that we can surmise occurred thanks to contact with non-Thai mother-of-pearl work.
The royal family dedicated the majority of these mother-of-pearl of decorative arts, such as the mother-of-pearl temple doors discussed above, to temples, and thus we can see how these works were greatly influenced by the court’s contact with foreign culture over time and the political needs of the day.
This study focused on the mother-of-pearl doors that were an aspect of court culture, as it examined the changes in those doors over time and their meaning. My hope is that this report will form the basis for future studies on Thai mother-of-pearl decorative arts and their beginnings, techniques and will also advance research on other forms of mother-of-pearl works.journal articl
Kanô Sansetsu and “Japanese (Wa)” Painting Themes – Regarding the Buke sumô emaki (Samurai Sumô Handscroll)
Get PDFThe Sumô Museum in Tokyo has a single handscroll by Kanô Sansetsu (1590-1651), titled Buke sumô emaki (Samurai Sumô handscroll). Until this work was introduced in the Special Exhibition Kanô Sanraku and Sansetsu that I organized and was held in the spring of 2013 at the Kyoto National Museum, it was largely unknown by art historians and had not been considered in the study of Sansetsu. The more than 12 meter-long painting surface presents 12 pictures of members of the samurai military class grappling in sumô bouts that appear in a Japanese medieval period tale. The depiction is vivid and the narrative contents of the tale are written above the pictures. At the end of the scroll there is a colophon by Sansetsu’s son and heir Kanô Einô, stating that it is a genuine work by Sansetsu. This colophon also includes such important information as the title of the work, the name of its commissioner and the reason for its creation.
In the spring of 2016 I learned that a replica scroll existed with exactly the same iconography and imagery as found in the Sumô Museum scroll. This copy, found among the massive number of Kanô school copy works owned by the Tokyo National Museum, was made in Kyoto in 1840 (Tenpô 11) by the studio of Kanô Seisen’in Osanobu. This article first considers the Samurai Sumô handscroll within the context of art history, and within Sansetsu’s oeuvre, while also introducing the copy work.
In detail, first the article organizes the objective data about the Samurai Sumô handscroll, and examines the scroll’s provenance based on information from the copy scroll. Continuing on, the texts written above the pictures are transcribed, and while confirming the depicted content, each of the pictorial scenes is considered. A detailed comparison with other Sansetsu works indicates that it is an authentic work by Sansetsu, and the article continues with a discussion of Sansetsu’s figural and group expression. An examination of the colophon also touches on the issue of Sansetsu’s patronage class.
Kanô Sansetsu painted the Samurai Sumô handscroll, which was commissioned by Sen’nyo, the 13th abbot of Higashi-honganji, and was intended as a gift to the Tokugawa shogunal family. This work indicates the close connection between Sansetsu and Higashi-honganji, but it also can be said that Sansetsu, known for his scholarly character, was the most suitable painter for a work of this theme, which required a variety of evidence and information for the content depicted. The subject of this work is a purely Japanese topic, and thus completely overturns our image of Sansetsu who has been introduced solely as a painter of Chinese theme subjects. The superb figural and adroit group expression makes this one of Sansetsu’s major works, and it must be seriously considered in future studies of Sansetsu.journal articl
Materials for Art Research: Dô no Onkura Okakemono Outasho Kiwame Daitsuke no Chô: A Reprint and Explication
Get PDFThe Dô no onkura okakemono outasho kiwame daitsukeno chô（銅御蔵御掛物御歌書極代付之帳）is one of the rare documents in the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties collection, and is part of the Nakagawa Bunko library of Nakagawa Tadayori (1873-1928) that this institute purchased in 1929, the year before its opening. The overleaf of the inner cover and the back cover bear the bookplates of Suzaka daimyô Hori Naotada (1806- 1880), indicating that it was formerly part of Naotada’s Hananoya Bunko library. Naotada is renowned for his Fusô meiga den（扶桑名画伝）biographies of Japanese painters.
The Dô no onkura okakemono outasho kiwame daitsukeno chô is a copy of the original record of kiwame (connoisseurship statements) and daitsuke (appraised values) made in 1691 (Genroku 4) of the Tokugawa shogunal collection, known as the Ryûei Gomotsu, by Kanô Masunobu (Tôun, 1625-1694), Kanô Tsunenobu (Yôboku, 1636-1713), Kohitsu Ryômin (1645-1701), Kohitsu Ryôchû (1656-1736) and others. The Dô no onkura okakemono outasho kiwame daitsukeno chô thus shows that the shogunate had its officially appointed Kohitsu and Kanô family members evaluate and price the calligraphy and paintings in its collection as of 1691.
The earliest Ryûei gomotsushû volumes are said to have been compiled in 1644 (Kan’ei 21) by Matsudaira Nobutsuna (1596-1662), who was then the shogunate’s osukiya shihai, officer in charge of the management of shogunal collection. Later the Ryûei Gomotsu items held by the shogunate were caught in the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 with the majority destroyed. The collection was then rebuilt through gifts presented by various daimyô to the shogunate. This Dô no onkura okakemono outasho kiwame daitsukeno chô confirms that the collection had been fully rebuilt in terms of both quality and quantity by 1691. While there are some additional notations inherent to a copy of an original document, this Dô no onkura okakemono outasho kiwame daitsukeno chô is a rare extant document that faithfully conveys the original’s connoisseurship content. We thus present in this article both a reprint of the entire document and a discussion of some of its most noteworthy appraisal cases.journal articl
