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Study of the Historical Decorative Paints Used on the Karamon Gate and Sukihei Walls at Nikko Toshogu Shrine
Get PDFNikko Toshogu Shrine was constructed in 1617 and rebuilt in 1636, 20 years after the death of Tokugawa Iyeyasu, following the traditional custom of shikinen sengu by which shrines are rebuilt at regular intervals. Several such reconstructions with paints have resulted in what we see today at Nikko. Now the Heisei period restoration work is underway at Nikko Toshogu Shrine. From 2007 to 2013, the karamon gate (central gate) and sukibei walls (walls around the main buildings honden and haiden)were redecorated. At that time, several old decorative painting layer samples were discovered.
Elemental analyses including those using a microscope,Py-GC/MS and X-ray diffraction as well as cross-section analysis by observation were conducted on 11 small pieces of decorative painting layers and coating layers.
As a result, it was found that the coating materials from an area under the metal fittings of karamon gate pillars are dried oil paint. Traces of 17 past restorations were found on the decorative painting layers of the sukibei walls and classified into three groups
according to the materials used:in the first group (rebuilt in 1636 and restored in 1654), black urushi coating and gold leaf;in the second group (restored in 1664 and 1679),chu-dei foundation,black urushi coating,and decorative paint containing gold leaf and animal glue; in the third group (from restoration in 1712 to today)bengala urushi coating,and decorative paint containing gold leaf and dried oil.journal articl
Cellulase Activity of Larvae of a Deathwatch Beetle Priobium cylindricum which Severely Damage Wooden Historic Buildings
Get PDFA rare anobiid species in Japan, Priobium cylindricum, was found by chance in the restoration work of the Sambutsu-do of Rinnohji temple in 2008.Severe damage was found in some structural wooden pieces of the temple. The damage was very severe in hard (heart)wood, showing a powdery state and many holes of various sizes.
Such severe damage of heart wood is commonly observed in timbers infested by termites, which are known to digest cellulose and hemicellulose effectively with enzymes such as cellulases. From observations of significant damage of heart wood of wooden
historic buildings by Priobium cylindricum,we suspected that the anobiid might also utilize enzymes to damage cellulose of wood.Larvae of Priobium cylindricum were collected from infested wooden parts of the Sambutsu-do, and enzymatic activity of crude extract of the insect larvae was measured in comparison with that of a termite species, Hodotermopsis sjostedti, and other common insect species that affect cultural objects,such as Lasioderma serricorne, Attagenus japonicas and Anthrenus verbasci.
As a result, crude extracts of the active larvae of Priobium cylindricum showed enzymatic activity of CMCase,xylanase and cellobiosidase.Comparative activity values of CMCase and xylanase were lower than those of a termite of Hodotermopsis sjostedti, but that of cellobiosidase which represents cellulase activity of crystalline cellulose was almost the same as that of Hodotermopsis sjostedti. However,larvae of Priobium cylindricum just before pupation did not show significant activity of such enzymes. This suggests that at least the active larvae of Priobium cylindricum that are infesting wood have detectable enzymatic activity. Larvae and adults of Lasioderma serricorne, larvae of Attagenus japonicas and adults of Anthrenus verbasci did not show significant cellulase activity.
Crystalline cellulose content of the powdery parts infested by Priobium cylindricum was measured and compared with the healthy parts of the same timber.The result showed a decrease of crystalline cellulose content in the infested powdery parts, and this seemed to be consistent with the detection of cellulase activities from the active larvae of Priobium cylindricum.journal articl
Material for Art Research, Letters by Fujishima Takeji Addressed to Kuroda Seiki and Kume Keiichirô: Facsimiles, Transcriptions and Explanatory Note (II) - The Early Days of the Western Painting Department at Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô
Get PDFContinuing on from Part I of this article published in Bijutsu Kenkyu no. 415, this Part II introduces 15 letters and postcards written by Fujishima Takeji to Kuroda Seiki and Kume Keiichirô, ranging in date from the letter to Kume dated January 28, 1896 (Meiji 29) to the letter to Kuroda dated April 25, 1898 (Meiji 31).
Kume Keiichirô married in December 1895, and Fujishima sent him a letter of congratulations. Kume’s mother died on May 1, 1896, and as is well known, the Hakubakai was formed from the gathering of painters who attended her funeral.
A Diet meeting held on March 11, 1896 approved the bill to establish a Western painting department at the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô, and Kuroda was appointed visiting professor in charge of that department on May 15th of that year. On July 2nd, Kuroda sent a letter to Fujishima asking him if he would become the Assistant in the Western painting department at the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô, and Fujishima wrote his positive reply on July 4th. However, the middle school in Tsu where Fujishima was then employed objected to the move, and it took a while for efforts by Okakura Tenshin, then president of the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô, to convince the prefectural governor to release Fujishima from his contract in Tsu. Fujishima arrived in Tokyo on August 18th, and became assistant professor on August 21st.
Most of the letters that Fujishima sent to Kuroda after assuming his position at Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô were related to administrative matters of the school. From these letters we know that Fujishima was involved in various duties at the school, from preparing entrance exams to such accounting duties as paying model fees.
The letter from Fujishima to Kuroda dated February 3, 1898 is an important document directly conveying how the classes in the Nihonga department were divided into three Japanese historical periods. Each class consisted of the students learning from the respective period’s art works. And yet, soon after, on March 29th, Okakura became embroiled in a scandal and was forced to resign. The Okakurafaction teachers clamored to offer their resignations, but in the end, most of them were fired and left the school. Fujishima’s letters convey the tenor and mood of this period of disturbance at the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô.journal articl
Report on Kabuki Photographs Taken by Umemura Yutaka (6)
Get PDFThe Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage has continued to catalogue black and white negative films taken by Umemura Yutaka (June 15, 1923 to June 5, 2007), which were endowed to the Department in fiscal year 2007. An outline of the entire collection and Umemura’s achievements can be found in the initial report by Tsuchida Makiko, in Research and Reports on Intangible Cultural Heritage, No. 3 . By the previous fiscal year, the Department has completed sorting out of 6,479 negatives taken between 1956 and 1975.
Umemura was a photographer who worked for Engeki Shuppansha, a theatrical publisher dealing especially with kabuki. His photographs appeared mainly in the monthly publication “Engekikai” for as long as 57 years, from the November 1950 issue, the first of the publication after World War II, until the May 2007 issue immediately before his death. He covered a wide range of photographing and the collections also include a significant number of non-kabuki negatives, such as stage photos of modern drama, snapshots of actors at interview, and even those featuring stage sets and properties. The Department has prioritized the task of cataloging kabuki stage negatives mainly because of their immense amount, however the dates and theaters of non-kabuki negatives has been also checked since the previous fiscal year.
This is the sixth annual report and provides a list of 2,498 negatives dating between November 1975 and November 1976, which were taken by Umemura as photographs for Engeki-kai released in 1976.departmental bulletin pape
Microbial Flora Analysis of Neolithic Tree Remains from the Yenikapi Excavation Site in Istanbul, Turkey, Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis
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Fungal Deterioration of Tsunami-Affected Plant Specimens in the Great East Japan Earthquake
Get PDFA large number of important cultural objects in museums were seriously damaged by the tsunami that accompanied the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11,2011.Many plant specimens were also affected by the tsunami and were left wet for several months. When they were salvaged, different degrees of fungal damage were observed in the specimens though they remained under the same conditions.In this study,34 mount papers were examined after plant specimens had bee removed.As a result of identification of the fungi responsible for their discoloration, Penicillium commune, P. expansum and P. polonicum were dominantly isolated from light yellow, normal yellow and deep yellow spotted mount papers, respectively. Some correlation was shown between color pigments and fungal species. The relationship was further assessed between the level of seawater exposure and the degree of fungal damage with regard to the plant specimens in plastic bags. Specimens that were left entirely wet with seawater in a plastic bag showed clearly less fungal damage than the specimens with a dry portion.Among the specimens with a dry portion, those with more than half wet portion had most severe fungal damage. These results showed that the difference of the fungal damage in the specimens depended on the quantity of air as well as on the relative humidity in the plastic bag.Fungal damage of the mount papers was concentrated on parts where the specimens had been pasted. It is suggested that some organic compounds from plant and micro-ambient humidity facilitated fungal growth.journal articl
Research on the Degradation and Materials of the Inner Walls in Hagia Sofia and Other Historic Buildings of Turkey
Get PDFSurveys have been conducted in Hagia Sophia since 2009 and a new phase of our survey was launched in 2013 as a component of a large project, “Documentation, Analysis and Conservation of the Historical Architecture in Turkey.”
In Hagia Sophia,deterioration of the walls has accelerated owing to rainwater infiltration from the outside and evaporation on the inside surface.Additionally,crystallization is caused by water and salt movement in the porous materials, and it changes depending on the season.
At the North and South Tympanum,the use of pigment containing lead was confirmed: in the yellow pigment at the North Tympanum, and in the white pigment at the South Tympanum.
Survey has been started in Aya Irini since 2013 and it has been observed that crystallization at the second floor is also mainly caused by rainwater infiltration from the outside.
A new survey has also started in Kariye in 2014 and it has been observed that crystallization at the bottom part of some mosaics is especially caused by exposure of the setting bed and the incoming of air from the door in exonarthex.journal articl
Material for Art Research, Gaden Yogaku Enogu Saishiki Hitorigeiko (1834, Tenpô 5)
Get PDFThe author has assembled and analyzed a large number of technical manuals related to Japanese painting. The Enogu saishiki hitorigeiko is one such manual dating to the latter half of the Edo period, and is today in the collection of the University Library, Tokyo University of the Arts. Given the unique characteristics of this book as noted below, this article introduces the book from the author’s stance as a Nihonga painter.
The Enogu saishiki hitorigeiko was written by two men, with the first half primarily written by Kansai, an Edo painter, while the notes and second half were written by Shikada Takakiyo, who is unknown except for having lived in Kyoto. The book was published in 1825 (Tenpô 5) by the Edo publisher Bunkokudô.
This was a technical manual whose contents were extremely unbalanced. This imbalance can be seen in the fact that of the 23 sections of the main text, the first four sections explain the use of pigments, while the remaining 19 sections note 47 different types of materials and the amount of sizing needed for each of those types. Kanga hitorigeiko (1807) by Miyamoto Kunzan is another technical manual published around the same time that bears the term “hitorigeiko” or self-study guide in its title. Miyamoto’s book presents an exhaustive discussion of the knowledge necessary to paint pictures, namely painting theory, brush methods, picture models, painting materials, and their usage. Thus, a beginning student reading Miyamoto’s book could teach themselves, or hitorigeiko. Conversely, if students only used the Enogu saishiki hitorigeiko book, they could well be totally confused.
Changing how sizing is applied depending on the materials and the thickness of paper or such is a general aspect of painting a picture, and because in most instances the differing use of amounts of nikawa (animal glue) and myôban (alum) is not as detailed as noted in this book, it is sure to invite confusion in a beginner student. In addition, because there was absolutely no inclusion in the book of the information that would be essential in a technical manual of the period -- such as the mindset needed to paint a picture, brush methods or the use of picture model books or compilations -- the careful focus on the sizing stage preparatory to painting the actual picture highlights the glaring omission of a section focusing on the details needed to paint a picture. Further, at the end of the section noting how to use pigments, the author writes “I will stop at noting that other than this method there are various means of coloring using pigments, and other secretly transmitted information is noted in detail in section two (dai ni hen).” Regardless, there seems to be no section two. We can imagine that while plans were made to write the second section, in the end it was never published. The facts related to this matter, however, remain unclear. Future research is needed to trace the reasoning behind the incomplete composition of this book and the process by which it was produced.journal articl
The Katachi of Biennial: Katachi = Bild, Katachi = Image
Get PDFThis article examines whether or not we can discuss the katachi of biennial exhibitions. Katachi is a Japanese noun, which means apparition, figuration, figure, form, image, shape, and such. The English term biennial connotes the periodic exhibitions held on a biennial, triennial, and quinquennial basis, such as Documenta. Large numbers of these periodic exhibitions have been launched in Asian, African, European, and North and South American cities since the 1980s. They differ in many details as their intentions differ. Thus there is currently no overarching definition of the English term biennial. And yet, the term conjures some specific notions in our minds. Notionally it should have a physical shape. The English phrase “have a physical shape” is rendered in Japanese as katachi-wotoru. In modern Japanese usage, this katachi-wo-toru can mean “appear in one’s mind.” The earliest example of such implication dates back to 1928. The Japanese term katachi then expanded its linked connotations in its interaction with Western culture. The expanded forms of katachi -- namely Katachi = Bild, and Katachi = image (as pronounced in the French [imaʒ]) – can help explain our notion of the English term biennial.
As seen in Dr. Shimomura Torajirô’s study on Jacob Burckhardt, a Katachi = Bild can be defined as a vision of an epoch, an aggregation of art works, and an historical philosophy in and of itself. Dr. Shimomura expounded that Burckhardt’s Bild consists of his intuition of history. We can borrow this concept of Bild to explain the ultimate aim of art historians. Namely, art historians see art works and we conceive their Katachi = Bild.
The French philosopher Gilbert Simondon gave a unique explanation of the generation process of an image. Before an image can be conceived in its clear form, it should be in a metastable condition, in other words, a form before a form. Metastability of mind is key to this process. Metastability explains how our mind is stimulated to reach a saturation state and then surpass it to form a crystal. This crystal is an art work, an innovation, or a Katachi = Bild. The Katachi = image mentioned above signifies a form before a form, a mind in metastable condition.
Using these newly coined terms: Katachi = Bild and Katachi = image, this article examines an exhibition, When Attitude Becomes Form Bern 1969 / Venice 2013, held in Venice at the Foundation Prada. This exhibition was a unique attempt to recreate a legendary exhibition curated by Harald Szeemann. The art critic Germano Celant, who had seen the original 1969 exhibition, supervised this 2013 recreation. Younger generations gained an important sympathy for Szeemann’s manner of living as an independent curator thanks to this Attitude exhibition. Attitude went on to become a topic of debate amongst even those who did not see the exhibition itself. A certain segment of society can be sorted into three groups with relation to Szeemann’s Attitude. Group 1 is composed of the curator (Szeemann) and his co-workers who have some Katachi = images of the 1969 Attitude. Group 2 consists of those who had seen the Attitude exhibition in 1969, such as Celant, who retain the Katachi = Bild that is rooted in their own experience of that exhibition. Group 3 consists of the people who had not seen the 1969 Attitude exhibition, and they form their own Katachi = Bild with the assistance of secondary documents. The paper goes on to analyze how similar groups of individuals related to the Attitude remake. Szeemann and his company can be categorized as G1-A (Group 1-A). Celant and his company can be categorized in G1-B. The people who saw both exhibitions can be called G2-A. The audience who saw only the Attitude remake can be called G2-B. Those who did not see the Attitude remake, but had seen the Attitude, are called G3-A. The audience who did not see either exhibition is called G3-B.
Returning to the biennial concept, the imperfection, discontinuity and partiality of the audience’s accumulated knowledge is inevitable. For example, the history of the Venice Biennale exceeds one person’s entire life. No one individual can survey all biennials. Discussions of biennialtype exhibitions are usually conducted by those individuals who might belong to G2-B or G3-A. And yet we can have vague and infinite Katachi = images of biennial-type exhibitions. We can discuss the Katachi=Bild of biennialtype exhibitions, albeit non-conclusively.
An analysis of the statement made by Massimiliano Gioni, an artistic director of the 55th Venice Biennale held in 2013, indicates that his Katachi = image of the 55th Biennale was based on his Katachi = Bild of the past biennials formed as a G2 and G3 type audience member. He had seen the Venice Biennale from 1993 onwards, and reflects back on the biennials in the 1970s and 80s.
The simplest example of a Katachi = Bild of a biennial can be found in the installation Museumuseu by Mabe Bethônico. He made a bookshelf containing the catalogues of the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Biennial. Each of these two different biennial series had different colored catalogue covers, namely blue for Venice and orange for São Paulo. He arranged the catalogues in chronological order.
The appearance of the shelf hints at many features of the histories of both biennial series.
The discussions on the katachi of biennial-type exhibitions are possible and would be useful. The katachi of the biennial is one way to describe a current fluid situation. These biennial katachi must be described for those who do not have a chance to see those specific exhibitions. And indeed, most of that targeted audience has not yet been born.
We conclude with a hope for a more open discussion. We can enrich the meanings of katachi through communication and comparison across the global linguistic environment. We believe that Katachi = Bild, an ultimate aim of art historians, can be shared across geographical regions and handed on through generations.journal articl
Research Notes: The “Aspects of Art Archives” Mini-Symposium
Get PDFA mini-symposium titled “Aspects of Art Archives” was held on February 25, 2014 in the Seminar Room of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo (NRICPT). In exhibitions examining post-World War II Japanese art held in Japan, there is often a display of archival materials, such as sketchbooks, letters, record photographs and video footage to assist with an understanding of the intentions of the artists in their creative process. Particularly in the case of artists and groups whose art form is performance or other actions, it would not be excessive to state that such archives are the only means by which we can verify the intentions of that expression. In recent years there has been a growing interest in postwar Japanese art in North America, and quite frequently overseas museums have begun to assemble archives of material on those artists deemed important in this period. The mini-symposium’s intention was both to look back on how Japan’s cultural properties research institutes, art museums and archival organizations handle archives of postwar Japanese art, and to also consider our desires regarding how such art archives should develop in the future.
Thus the theme of this mini-symposium was set as art archives in terms of contemporary art. The first section included individual presentations by the art historian Kajiya Kenji (then Associate Professor, Hiroshima City University, now Associate Professor, Kyoto City University of Arts), the archivist Uesaki Sen (Researcher, Keio University Art Center) and librarian Kikkawa Hideki (Associate Fellow, NRICPT). In their lectures they introduced the contemporary art archives in both America and Japan as seen from their various vantage points, and also gave keynote address-type elements such as the composition and methodologies of art archives. The second section consisted of a discussion among the speakers and symposium participants, based on those lectures and considering both the current state of art archives and our hopes for them in the future.
The lecture by Kajiya, an art historian specializing in American art history, was titled, “Art History in Art Archives.” Kajiya touched on the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum Archives of MOMA, New York, and the Special Collections of the Getty Research Institute, as he considered the function of archive materials in the study of contemporary American art. In addition, he also touched on the activities of the Oral History Archives of Japanese Art for which he is the director, noting what is desirable in the art archives essential for the study of postwar Japanese art, from the dual viewpoints of archive operator and user.
Uesaki’s talk was titled, “Archives and the Avant-Garde: Ephemerality of Expression and the Totality of Archive Materials,” and used the Sogetsu Art Center’s ephemera database as a model approach for avant-garde art archives. In this lecture he indicated that the archives of the group of materials known as ephemera do not contain the artworks themselves, but rather are the archives of all the miscellaneous materials closely related to the artworks. He further considered the process by which databases related to avant-garde art are planned and constructed, the meaning of organizing the different types of materials, the aims for archiving, and the philosophies inherent in archives themselves.
Kikkawa’s lecture was titled, “Records and Materials in the Notes Made by the Artist Nakamura Hiroshi: Focusing on the Sightseeing Art Research Institute and the Tokyo Art Pillar Exhibition.” The lecture introduced Nakamura’s production notebooks in the NRICPT collection. In these notebooks Nakamura recorded theactivities of the Avant-Garde Art Society of the latter half of the 1960s. These notebooks include materials regarding the operations of the Avant-Garde Art Society, such as meeting minutes, submission rules for exhibitions, photographs of display scenes and other materials. Kikkawa focused on the materials related to the Sightseeing Art Research Institute and the Tokyo Art Pillar exhibition, noting the meaning of such materials as research sources.
This Research Note is a summary of the individual papers from Session 1 of the symposium, as summarized by the speakers themselves. In addition, it reproduces the discussion held between the speakers and the symposium participants in Session 2 of the symposium.journal articl