Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties - Publications
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Emission Test of Plywood and Interior Materials Used in Museums
Get PDFIn a previous study, it was found that acetic acid was emitted from plywood used as interior material and suggested that emission rates might differ by type of plywood. In this study, emission tests were performed on plywood and on plywood with some interior
materials to assess emission rates of acetic acid, formic acid and ammonia. Results of measurement of air pollutants in a renovated storage room, where new racks made of plywood are placed,are reported in this paper as a case of the use of plywood in museums.
It was confirmed that the emission rate of acetic acid from plywood differed according to the adhesives used or country of manufacture. Plywood using urea resin adhesive showed high rate in the early stage. Plywood made in Japan was slow to decrease in emission rate. In a research of air pollutants in the storage,the air was found to be clean. In contrast, acetic acid concentration inside the racks was rather high, although emission rate of acetic acid from the plywood used for the rack was extremely low. It is assumed that this is because the racks are air tight. This result suggests that air pollutants may be increased by the situation in which plywood is used.
Sufficient attention must be paid to gases emitted from plywood. Moreover, it is strongly recommended that plywood be ventilated to decrease emission gases before using it as an interior material.journal articl
Investigation of the Present Condition of “Tank Boats”
Get PDFOutside the museum of local history and culture managed by the town and located next to the Iejima Port in Iejima, Okinawa prefecture is a small silver torpedo-shaped boat. It is known as a “tank boat.”A “tank boat”is defined as “a boat using the fuel tank of an aircraft to catch octopuses and other fish in a reef.”Traditionally in Okinawa, wooden boats called sabani were used in reefs and coastal regions for fishing. It was these “tank boats”that people of Okinawa engaged in fishing depended on temporarily after having lost many tools necessary for life as a result of damage caused by the Pacific War.
An investigation of museums in Okinawa where such “tank boats”are preserved and exhibited revealed that there are several such museums. This is a report on the investigation in the form of interviews held in February 2011 at each of these museums concerning documents and the present condition of such “tank boats.”journal articl
Identification of Filamentous Fungi Growing on Tsunami-affected Hanging Scrolls Owned by Ryuzoh-in, Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Get PDFRyuzoh-in located in Kashima city, Ibaraki prefecture was severely damaged in the tsunami disaster caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11,2011. After the catastrophe, molds were found on hanging scrolls owned by Ryuzoh-in, including citydesignated cultural properties.
Six types of molds growing on hanging scrolls were collected by sterile swabs and isolated by potato dextrose agar plates and dichloran-glycerol agar plates. The isolates were identified by molecular biological technique and morphological classification. Fourteen fungal strains were identified as Eurotium sp. (1 strain), Penicillium spp. (11 strains) and Alternaria spp. (2 strains).journal articl
Preliminary research on Kezurikake-like poles in Sarawak State, Borneo
Get PDFThis report examined customs and folk techniques related to poles found in Sarawak State of Borneo, Malaysia from June 28th to July 4th. These poles resemble the Kezurikake , or half-shaved sticks, found in Japan. In the Japanese Archipelago, Kezurikake are widely used as ritual implement or as decorations during Ko-syogatu , or the New Year according to the lunar calendar, or as Inau , a ritual implement of the greatest importance to the Ainu people. Although similar poles were known to be found in Borneo, there have been almost no field studies or comparative studies of these poles by experts. Thus, preliminary research was conducted in cooperation with experts from the Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University in order to facilitate future comparative studies.
The research site provided several opportunities to talk with local residents and observe their creation of these poles. A rough outline of customs related to these poles was also obtained. The names, uses, forms, and materials of these poles differ slightly depending on the tribe.
The Iban people, for example, call these poles Bungai Jaraw (Bungai meaning “flower,” and Jaraw meaning “to cut” or “to slash” ). Nowadays, these poles are typically considered a decoration to welcome “VIPs.” However, there are some evidence that these poles had greater symbolic or religious meaning since they played an important role in headhunting and during traditional festivals for the warriors. More in-depth research is needed in order to better understand not only the customs of Kezurikake -like poles in Borneo, but also that in Japan.departmental bulletin pape
History of the Conservation of Ruins in Japan and the Role of Conservation Science
Get PDFHistory of the conservation of ruins in Japan is reviewed as a part of the history of conservation science in Japan. Concept of protecting traces of past people can be detected even before the Meiji Restoration. For example, there is a 5th century tomb whose shape was intentionally distorted at the time of its construction in order to keep another already-existing tomb nearby. Moreover, activities of people who tried to protect ruins with full recognition of their historical value can be pointed out from the Edo period. Citizens’movements demanding conservation of ruins arose during the era of high economic growth (after 1954). There are actually ruins that have been preserved as a result of the success of such movements at the beginning of the era. Citizens’suits demanding conservation of ruins arose during the second half of the era of high economic growth (after 1965). Although reconciliation was achieved during the era of high economic growth, preservation of ruins was no longer accepted during the era of low economic growth (after 1974). However, preservation of ruins became accepted gradually during the era of economic stagnation (after 1991). Conservation science in Japan had been focused more on the conservation of movable objects but was given a new subject, conservation of immovable heritage, by the era of high economic growth. Then, in the era of low economic growth, conservation science was required to develop technically. Now, in the era of economic stagnation, conservation science is being desired to become diversified in order to utilize ruins effectively.journal articl
Report on the Training Courses on IPM at the Grand Egyptian Museum Conservation Center
Get PDFTraining courses on IPM were held at the Grand Egyptian Museum Conservation Center three times from 2010 to 2011 as part of the JICA-GEM-CC Project with the help of the National Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Tokyo. The training courses
consisted of 4 days’lectures and practices on insects and microbiology. Trainees, around 15 members each time, were selected from the staff of GEM-CC by themselves. They learned examination by sticky traps, identification of insects harmful to museum objects, method of CO2gas fumigation, sampling methods of fungi in air and on the surface of objects,isolation and identification of fungi,and examination of agents having antibacterial effect. During the period between the training courses, staff of GEM-CC examined the facilities of GEM-CC every month with sticky traps for insects and with an air-sampler for fungi. The results were discussed on the first day of the following training course with the instructors in order to improve the condition of GEM-CC facilities for conservation. After the three training courses,the staff of GEM-CC seem to have obtained knowledge and skill of IPM to some extent and are expected to develop them more. The authors also wish to expand the activity of the staff to conservation at the Grand Egyptian Museum which will open in 2015.journal articl
A Report on Arsenic Compounds Remaining in Taxidermy Specimens
Get PDFIt is generally known that arsenic compounds (arsenic trioxide or arsenous acid) were used as a preservative in the manufacturing process of taxidermy in the past. In Japan, taxidermy specimens have been manufactured since the 1860’s. A manual for manufacturing taxidermy specimens published in 1931 points out that, for academic taxidermy specimens, applying arsenous acid on the inner side of the skin has a good preservative effect. More recently, a manual published in 1959 points out that, except by professional taxidermists, boric acid should be applied instead of arsenic acid because of its low toxicity. These literatures suggest that arsenic compounds were applied to many of the taxidermy specimens which were manufactured before the 1960’s in Japan. Thus,traces of arsenic compounds remaining is a big issue for museums, from the point of view of exhibiting taxidermy collections, especially if they can be touched by visitors.
Arsenic compounds remaining in taxidermy specimens which are stored at Mie Prefectural Museum were analyzed with a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer. One hundred and twelve mammal taxidermy specimens were measured, and arsenic was detected from 32 of them. Arsenic was detected from 87% of the taxidermy specimens manufactured before the 60’s and 25% of those manufactured from the 70 to 80’s, but 0% from those of the 90’s onward. This result indicates that it is necessary to be careful when choosing old taxidermy specimens for hands-on exhibition, and to execute strict management and registration at storages in museums.journal articl
Fungal Investigation of Indoor Cleaning Workroom and Storage for Disaster-affected Documents at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
Get PDFA large number of valuable cultural assets were seriously damaged by tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Since, in many cases, the seawaterdamaged documents were left wet and covered with dirty soil for several months, they
were subjected to significant mold damage as well. In order to salvage them, emergency treatments and their temporal storage were carried out all across the country.
At the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, freeze-drying of a large amount of damaged documents was carried out, and the staff and volunteers were engaged in cleaning and storing severely molded documents for several months. Since working in such a condition posed a high risk of fungal exposure, the environmental contamination including that by airborne and material adhesive fungi in the storage and the cleaning workroom. Sampling of the damaged documents in the Institute was done on April 13, 2012.
As a result of quantitative analysis of material adhesive fungi, a significant increase was detected in the working table, the air-circulating hood and around the groove of the windows as well as on the working clothes and mouth masks. Qualitative analysis showed that the dominant fungi were Penicillium spp., which were distributed throughout the indoor environment. On the other hand, dematiaceous fungi were often observed in some molded documents. The black fungi were identified as Stachybotrys spp.with microscopic morphological characteristics, but they failed to grow on appropriate media. The number of airborne fungi in the storage room and the cleaning workroom were higher than that in a normal residential environment. The dominant airborne fungi were also Penicillium spp., which were cultivated by the damaged documents.
This investigation suggested that effective countermeasures are needed to prevent workers from fungal exposure during their work of cleaning and restoring molded documents.journal articl
Measurement and Evaluation of the Gas Emission of Wallpaper for the Display Space in Museums
Get PDFIn museums,clean air quality must be kept in showcases for conservation of artifacts. It is necessary to choose interior materials with little gas emission because generally they can be sources of contamination inside showcases. It is well known that organic acids and ammonia gases cause damage to artifacts. However,information on emission rate of gases from interior materials for museums has been insufficient.
In this study, gas emission rate from some wallpapers used for showcases and exhibition rooms was investigated. Using mock-up samples on which wallpaper was adhered to plywood, emission test was performed to observe decay of gas emission rate.
As a result, concentration of contaminants inside a showcase was calculated by using gas emission rate, ventilation rate and surface area of materials gained through the experiment. Calculated concentration was compared with required standard concentration of organic acids and ammonia gases in order to evaluate materials for museums.
These data are considered effective in evaluating the air environment in showcases and exhibition rooms.journal articl
Regarding the Dating of the Bukkoji Version of the Illustrated Life of Shinran (Shinran-e)
Get PDFIn the 10th month of 1295, 33 years after Shinran’s death, his great-grandson Kakunyô (1270–1351) created the first illustrated biography of Shinran (1173–1263), the founder of the Jôdô Shinshû Buddhist sect. Immediately after this first production, Kakunyô made changes to the painting scrolls, and the extant Rin’a version records his involvement and the production date of the 10th month of 1295 in its colophon. Similarly, other extant versions exist today, namely the Takada version which was completed in the 12th month of 1295, the Kôei version which dates to 1343, the Shôganji version dated to 1344, the Gugan version dated to 1346 and the Josenbô version dated to 1360. All of these examples were created in handscroll form, as was the first version, contrary to the later trend to create Shinran illustrated biographies in hanging scroll format. Of particular note amongst all these is the Bukkôji version (proper name Zenshin Shônin Shinranden-e), which has been handed down at Bukkôji, the main temple of the Bukkôji school of the Jôdo Shinshû sect.
The Bukkôji version consists of two handscrolls, and until the modern era there were only limited opportunities for the public to see the work, as it was carefully preserved and handed on at the temple. This careful handling has meant that the scrolls maintained their original bright colors, with almost no oxidation of the silver used and with almost no conservation work seen on the painting papers.
Unfortunately, there are no extant documents directly related to the production of the Bukkôji version. The bright colors apparent on the scrolls have meant that previous scholars have considered the work to be younger than it is, with some scholars considering it to date from the 15th century, and some even to the 17th century.
And yet, a careful re-examination of the Bukkôji version reveals that both the explanatory text and the paintings were reated at the same time, and that the explanatory texts are thought to be in imitation of the calligraphy style of Emperor Fushimi (1265–1317, reigned 1287–1298), known for its combined use of Chinese characters and Japanese syllabary. According to the Masukagami completed in the 14th century and the Shuboku-sho of Prince Son’en (1298–1356), it is known that the calligraphy style of Emperor Fushimi was highly regarded as the standard for the calligraphy of the day. Thus the explanatory texts of the Bukkôji version appear to have been created during a period when Emperor Fushimi’s calligraphy was deemed most important, in other words, sometime within the first century after his death. Further, the calligraphy on the Bukkôji version texts is particularly well written. Clearly a calligrapher of this talent level would have created the explanatory texts for other illustrated handscrolls. An examination of other extant medieval period illustrated handscrolls indicates that the same calligrapher was involved in the explanatory texts on scrolls 4, 8, and 9, and the colophon on scroll 10 of the Konrenji version of the Yûgyô shonin-engi-e. Further, the same calligrapher wrote the texts for scrolls 4 and 5 of the Tôji version of the Kôbô Daishi gyôjô-e. The latter work is known to have been created around 1374–78. In addition, the old records that accompany the latter handscrolls attribute the texts on scrolls 4 and 5 to “Go-Oshinokoji, the Minister of the Interior.” The question then arises, who was this Go-Oshinokoji former Naidaijin (the Minister of the Interior)? That title refers to Sanjô Kintada (1324–1383) who is known to have been the calligrapher of the 2nd volume of the Boki-e, thought to have been completed in 1351.
A comparison of both the Chinese characters and the Japanese syllabary found in the Bukkôji version, the Konrenji version of the Yûgyô shonin Engi-e, the Tôji version of the Kôbô Daishi gyôjô-e and the Bukkoji version indicates that all of these works were written by the same hand.
Given that the text and the paintings of the Bukkôji version were both created at the same time, and the fact that the calligrapher for the texts was Sanjô Kintada, then it is certain that the production of the Bukkôji version dates back to the 14th century. Given this dating, the paintings of the Bukkôji version must be reconsidered. In this reconsideration the author took note of the Josenbô version of the illustrated biography of Shinran created in 1360. There are many instances of the same motifs used in the various scenes on the Josenbô and the Bukkôji versions. This Josenbô version’s overall composition was based on the earlier Kôei version, and while the Josenbô version used the Kôei version as its model, it also incorporated some of the elements and scenes from the Bukkôji version. Thus, the Bukkôji version can be seen to pre-date the Josenbô version known to have been painted in 1360. Given that the year 1361 marked the centenary of Shinran’s death, the actual production of buildings for use in the centenary commemoration would have been carried out at that time, with a five-day period of dedication rituals for the new structures recorded to have been held in the 3rd month of 1360. It can then be surmised that the Bukkôji version was also created during this period. Thus the Bukkôji version creation has as its terminus the 1360 creation of the Josenbô version, and it would seem appropriate that it predated that time to some degree.
Five examples of illustrated handscrolls with texts written by Sanjô Kintada are known, including the four extant works and one known through documents. Thus Kintada must be considered in the role of calligrapher for illustrated handscrolls when we consider the calligraphers of medieval period handscrolls. Of the five projects he is known to have worked on, including the Bukkôji version, both the Boki-e and the Kôbô Daishi Gyôjô-e were painted by the head of the imperial court’s painting studio. The painting skills and technical standard of such a studio head would have been commensurate with the high ranking aristocratic calligrapher, Sanjô Kintada, chosen for the accompanying texts. Thus, it can be assumed that the painter and painting studio who brushed the Bukkôji version would have been a painter whose rank, skills and technical abilities were commensurate with the high ranking aristocrat Sanjô Kintada who wrote that version’s texts.
The depiction in the Bukkôji version has previously been noted as “vulgar or coarse.” However, what has been overlooked about this painting style is the scene of Shinran’s cremation, where the dense foliage of the trees and the snow-dusted distant mountain views can be seen as sourced from the scenery depiction of the lightly snow-dusted Mt. Mikasa in the Kasuga Gongen-Genki-e of 1309. Similarly, the intricate ink-line depiction of the waves on the surface of Lake Ashino in Hakone seems to be sourced in the same 1309 work. The figural depiction, such as the facial expressions of the manifestation of the Kumano deity, seen with Shinran in the Kumano Shrine building, along with their garments have been extremely intricately colored in fully elegant form. The painter of these elements, and his affiliated painting studio, clearly must be seen as having had considerable talent and technical ability.
What must not be overlooked as well is the fact that somewhat earlier than the 1360 date of the Bukkôji version, the Bukkôji sect regularly commissioned paintings from the painting studio affiliated with the Gion Shrine. The chief painter of the imperial court’s painting studio would have been chosen from the Gion Shrine-affiliated painting studio, and in addition to the creation of the Boki-e for which Sanjô Kintada wrote the texts, that studio would have also created a set of handscrolls, the Suwa Daimyôjin-ekotoba (scattered and now lost), whose text written by high ranking nobles in 1356. The Gion Shrine-affiliated painting studio can thus be considered to be a painting studio of sufficient rank and talent to match the calligraphy commissioned from Sanjô Kintada.
Thus, confirming the 14th century date of the Bukkôji version will have an important influence upon the study of the medieval handscrolls. This new dating is related to the understanding of handscroll painting style in the latter half of the 14th century. The basis for the previous ca. 15th century attribution of the Bukkôji version can be found in its so called “clear and strongly vulgar or coarse painting style,” but in fact it must be noted that this painting style itself was one of the trends of the latter half of the 14th century. The awareness of this trend suggests the necessity for a re-evaluation of the dating of the handscrolls attributed to the 15th century on the basis of this style.
The confirmation of the 14th century date for the Bukkôji version is particularly meaningful for this stylistic matter.journal articl