Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties - Publications
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Disque Pathé, Records Requiring a Special Player
Get PDFIt was in 1911 that the French recording company Pathé made a recording in Japan. Each one of the recordings of Japanese music made at the beginning of the 20th century is valuable.
The microgroove of the records made by Pathé is vertical. Majority of the microgroove of records was lateral and only a few companies produced records with vertical microgroove. Even today, a special player is required to play records with vertical microgroove.
It seems that Pathé withdrew from the market in Japan in as little as 10 years or so. Already by the 1930s Japanese records produced by Pathé had become so few as to be treasured. The number of records by Pathé that exist today seems to be even fewer although the exact number has not yet been investigated.
The National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo has a collection of 40 records (39 works) recorded in 1911 by Pathé. They are all 11 inch, two-sided discs. This is thought to be the greatest number of pre-War records owned by any public organization.
Playing time of a Pathé record is about 3 minutes per side and the quality of recording is very good in many cases, given the technical standard of the times. It appears that nagauta by OKAYASU Nampo VIII (1874-1915) remains only on Pathé records. Among the many recordings of nagauta by YOSHIMURA Ijuro VI (1858-1935), that of Tsunayakata performed to the accompaniment of shamisen by KINEYA Rokuzaemon (1870-1940) is rare. In such ways, the contents of recordings on records made in 1911 by Pathé are also highly valuable.departmental bulletin pape
Microorganisms in Kitora Tumulus during Intermittent UV Irradiation (2011)
Get PDFIn Kitora Tumulus,almost all of the paintings on the side walls and the star charts on the ceiling were relocated in 2008,except for those which might have been hidden by a thin layer of mud on the walls. Measures such as intermittent UV irradiation have been applied since March 2009 to control microoraganisms on the plaster. Growth of most fungal mycelia was suppressed effectively. In the survey of 2010, dark colored fungi such as a black basidiomycetous anamorphic fungus Burgoa sp. were observed, but there was not much problem as a whole. Many species of microorganisms were isolated from six samples from the stone chamber interior at the sampling in October 2011. While the microbiota was almost similar to the ones which had been observed in surveys of the last several years, percentage of the isolates of dark colored fungi seemed higher this year. Gram-negative bacterial species similar to the ones of last year were isolated again. Acetic acid bacteria, Gluconacetobacter spp., which were assumed to be involved in severe deterioration of the plaster,were not isolated in the survey of both 2010 and 2011, after applying intermittent UV irradiation, suggesting that the bacteria are suppressed by the control. However,as a whole,microorganisms seem to survive at places where sufficient UV light does not reach, such as inside cracks of the stones,inside mud layer and inside gels of biofilm,though they do not cause obvious damage.journal articl
Scientific Analysis of Painting Materials on Maps Made in a Small Village in Early Modern Period Japan
Get PDFScientific analysis was conducted on painting materials used for 22 maps which were made in Toda-mura, a small village in Japan (now, a part of Moriguchi city, Osaka prefecture) over a period of about 200 years from the Edo to the early Meiji periods.
These maps, owned by the Museum of Commercial History, Osaka University of Commerce, are very unique and valuable collection in that it is very rare for a small community in early modern Japan to have had maps made continuously during such a long time.
X-ray fluorescence analysis and visible reflection spectroscopic analysis revealed the following points,
(1) Most of the identified materials are what were common for Japanese paintings at those times.
(2) Materials for yellow,green and blue underwent change during the period of about 200 years in early modern Japan.
(3) Lead white,which is rarely seen on Japanese paintings of that time,was detected from 2 maps which are assumed to have been made in 1861.
This study is very valuable in that it offers useful information for the historical study of maps in a small region.journal articl
Emission Test for Interior Materials Used in Museums
Get PDFIn this study,the effectiveness of emission test for interior materials used in museums was examined. A small chamber method designed in our study was used to collect low concentration gases which were then analyzed by ion chromatography. The target elements were acetic acid, formic acid and ammonia because they are emitted from interior materials and are known as sources of polluted air.
As a result,it was confirmed that emission rate can be obtained from materials by the use of this method. It was also shown that decay of emission rate of the samples used in this study had the same trend. First, emission rate decreased sharply over a short time. After that,it continued to decrease,but at a slower rate,and a smaller amount of gas was emitted. It was concluded that the first order decay is the main emission from materials. Thus,the use of emission rate after the first order decay is suggested when estimating the concentration of gas within a space.journal articl
Restoration Report: Cabinet with Lozenge Design (Naprstek Museum, National Museum, Prague)
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Decline of Local Traditional Performing Arts and Measures for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Korea and China
Get PDFAlthough Korea and China are our neighboring countries, not much has been made clear about conditions surrounding the transmission of their local traditional performing arts, which are similar to folk performing arts of Japan, nor about measures for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in these countries. Even though the situation concerning transmission of performing arts may not be as serious as it is in Japan, which is affected by declining birthrate, aging population and overall depopulation, it is a fact that these two countries are faced with similar problems of changes and decline of traditional performing arts. This paper presents two case studies: an example of a festival and performing art in Korea that is faced with problems of depopulation and an example of a farming area in China where transmission of performing arts is endangered because of people leaving their districts to work in the cities. Studies are also made of measures for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Korea and China.departmental bulletin pape
Report of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems
Get PDFThis study aims to interpret the philosophical, economic, societal and cultural aspects behind visual imagery. Images are not simply art works to be appreciated visually, but rather are cultural history materials that await discovery and interpretation. The historical and material meaning of these images is no different from that of textual materials.
More than 30 examples of the Retrieval of the Tripod subject carvings from the Han dynasty discussed in this article are extant today. The majority of these works are concentrated in the Sishui River plain, in the southwestern section of the Lu region (present-day Shandong province). Previously Retrieval of the Tripod carvings have been seen as images of the oft-told episode of the Qin emperor Shihuangdi attempting to retrieve a tripod lost in the Shishui River, an attempt that met with failure. Then, we might ask, whywas this imagery depicted on Han dynasty tomb walls, shrines and stone outer sarcophagi?
In order to understand the appearance of Retrieval of the Tripod carvings on stone outer sarcophagi in the southwest Lu region during the middle to late Former Han dynasty, we must understand society’s mood in the Former Han dynasty after Emperor Wudi. Following the Warring States period, a trend spread amongst the rulers of the various states in which they sought immortality and ascension to Taoist heaven, and Emperor Shihuangdi of the Qin and Emperor Wudi of the Former Han dynasty were no exception to this trend. It is essential to remember that during the mid to late Former Han dynasty, regardless of noble or commoner status, everyone sought these exact same goals. In Retrieval of the Tripod carvings of this period, the tripod is placed near the center of the composition, with the head of a dragon appearing in the middle of the tripod, a feature not found in the Shihuangdi tale, whilea figure thought to be the deceased from the tomb appears at the top of the composition. These works show a lessening of the presence of Shihuangdi, who was the protagonist in the original tale.
The stone outer sarcophagi in the southwestern region of Lu that have Retrieval of the Tripod carvings also have images of Kongzi and Laozi on their other side panel. These figures are depicted as residents of the Taoist heaven, and surely a connection must be recognized between the images of these figures and the Tripod scene. If we think that eventually the tripod shifted from being a symbol of earthly power to a tool used to obtain the dragon that is a symbol of ascension to Taoist heaven, then we can see that these Retrieval of the Tripod carvings are not based on the Shihuangdi tale of the Retrieval of the Tripod from the Shishui River, but rather are images based on the concept of the tomb resident gaining an opportunity to ascend to Taoist heaven.
While this interpretation is appropriate for Retrieval of the Tripod carvings found on stone outer sarcophagi dating from the mid to late Former Han dynasty through the end of the Later Han dynasty that are located in Shandong, Henan and northern Jiangsu provinces, it does not appear to be appropriate for such imagery on sarcophagi from the Sichuan region. This is because the Han dynasty stone carvings and tile reliefs excavated at Bashu are from independent lineages, both in terms of style and content, and thus differ from those of Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu. An investigation of the meaning of this difference must be pursued elsewhere. In addition, in the interpretation of the Retrieval of the Tripod carvings discussed in this article, there is both this type of regional distinction and the limitation of the currently confirmed historical materials. It is distinctly possible that future discoveries will include works from yet earlier periods. In such an instance, adjustments to interpretations will naturally follow. In addition, the process of the transformation of the Retrieval of the Tripod carvings from the original tale undoubtedly contains context and layers of meanings that are lost to us today. Thus this article concludes that it is simply a regional case study and we must await the accumulation of further materials and research on this subject.journal articl