Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties - Publications
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Development of a Real-time Environmental Monitoring System by a Wireless Sensor Network in Hagia Sophia
Get PDFWeathering and deterioration of the brick walls of Hagia Sophia Museum have accelerated due to dew condensation and wet-dry cyclic condition. To clarify the problems, temperature and relative humidity sensors and one weather station have been installed. This report focuses on a real-time monitoring system for understanding the environmental condition in the museum.
When a real-time environmental monitoring system is installed,power-supply and data communication needs to be designed simply and compactly. To solve this problem,wireless sensor networks,especially a monitoring system by mesh network method was developed. The size of the sensor node is 80×120×40 mm. It consists of a small wireless communication device, a size D battery and a sensor board with temperature and RH sensors. The monitoring-station is composed of a mobile PC and a receiver module. To understand the environmental condition, 21 sensor nodes are set up on lines of symmetries in the plane view and the section view of the dome construction. Data is observed on screen displays as values,time series graphs and distribution maps. To monitor the data,remote access is used through the Internet. In this case, ID password and access code are demanded.
Monitoring has been conducted since September 27,2010. Sampling interval is 30 min. Data collection rates by this monitoring system are around 80% to 90%. There has been no voltage reduction for more than one year. These results indicate that the wireless sensor network is an effective solution to build a real-time monitoring system in Hagia Sophia.journal articl
Study of Salt Crystallization on the Inner Wall of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Get PDFHagia Sophia has been suffering from salt crystallization and flaking of the wall surface,especially at the northwest part of the building. Therefore,a survey was conducted with the following aims:
1. To identify the crystalized salts in Hagia Sophia
2 .To clarify the origin of salt and the movement of water which is the main cause of salt crystallization
3. To make a suggestion for the future conservation program,including salt and water control.
Elements containing salt samples were detected by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and crystallized molecules were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis.
As a result,the types of crystallized salt were identified as sodium sulfate,magnesium sulfate and sodium nitrate. At the northwest part of the building (northwest exedra), the major type of salt is sodium sulfate;magnesium sulfate and sodium nitrate were found at
the western and northern parts of the exedra where salt crystallization is in progress. The removal of plaster from the outer wall surface and the infiltration of rainwater from the exposed wall are thought to be the causes of deterioration at the northwest part of the building.journal articl
The Production of Portrait Sculptures of Deceased Medieval Period
Get PDFInterest in and research about Japanese medieval portrait sculpture has focused on portraits made in the Zen and Jishů (Ippen school) sects. Conversely, there has been little scholarly attention paid to the portrait sculpture of the Shinshû (Shinran school) sect. However, as it has become known that quite a few of these Shinshû sect sculptures remain extant, it is clear that they constitute one aspect of medieval portrait sculpture. Thus, as a person interested in medieval Shinshû sect portrait sculpture, I present an overview and outline of medieval Shinshû sect portrait sculpture with the hope that it will become the starting point for future discussion of this subject.
The following two points were clarified. First, examples of the production of portrait paintings during the life of the sitter can be confirmed from the time of the foundingpatriarch Shinran (1173–1262), but portrait sculpture production all occurred after the death of the subject. This differs from the portrait sculptures created by the Zen and Jishû sects, which were juzó, or “from life” portraits. Further, there are many instances of the enshrinement of the crematory remains of the subjects inside the sculptures, and it is thought that such a purpose was the impetus for the creation of the sculptures. Second, the trend towards the creation of portrait sculpture amongst the Shinshû faithful did not spread from Kyoto to regional parts of Japan, rather, Kantô-based worshippers supervised Kyoto-based sculptors in the creation of their images. This is a noteworthy exception to the general rule that cultural phenomena spread from Kyoto to regional areas.journal articl
A Preliminary Methodology on Han Dynasty Carvings: Taking “The Retrieval of the Tripod Carving” as an Example
Get PDFThis article introduces the Quiet Studio in a Bamboo Grove (Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo) and Girl Ling-chao (Jpn: Reishôjo zu, Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne).
Both of these works bear an inscription by Chikuan Daien (1362–1439) dated to 1435 (Eikyô 7). The Chikuan inscription on the Matsuoka work includes a poem written for another painting, Studio of Lofty Rusticity (Jpn: Shûya-dô zu), while the Cologne work inscription is a quotation from a famous dictionary. Thus we can surmise that Chikuan, though renowned for his scholarship and literary talent, was not in the physical health necessary to carefully respond to each demand from his circle. In other words, there may have been a succession of people seeking out the old and frail Chikuan for just one last written memento before he left Kyoto, possibly to never return.
Girl Ling-chao is unsigned but, stylistically, it is thought to be the work of a pupil of Minchô (1352–1431), a monk painter of Tôfuku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Chikuan was a Tôfuku-ji-lineage high-ranking priest who was at that time also living at the temple, and thus we can see how it was the Tôfuku-ji milieu that gave birth to this work.
The other piece, Quiet Studio in a Bamboo Grove, is similarly unsigned. And yet, the Chikuan’s inscription at the top of the scroll includes the phrase “kedashi Shûbun hissuru tokoro.” Taken literally, this inscription can only be interpreted as “probably having been painted by Shûbun.” Given the circumstances, it would seem that Chikuan mentioned the artist’s name on the basis of the fact that he was relatively certain of the validity of his information. Stylistically speaking, there is nothing in the work that would deny the attribution. And given that the source imagery for this work is shared with that of Josetsu’s Catching a Catfish with a Gourd (Taizo-in, Kyoto), it is quite likely that this work is indeed by Shûbun’s hand.
While the study of art history is a discipline that in the end seeks to determine authorship via the painting style itself, in fact, there are not many paintings whose attribution can be determined solely on the basis of style. The characteristics of the period, the characteristics of the painter, the aid of textual and circumstantial evidence—standard authentication procedure sees a combination of all of these elements at work. In this instance, the combined elements can be thought to suggest the considerable likelihood that this painting is by Shûbun. What tips that likelihood into the probable status cannot be seen by the art historian, almost unconsciously trapped within the evaluation frameworks of “art” or “suiboku-ga” (ink painting), or the picture-scroll-with-poetry-calligraphy genre known in Japanese as shi-ga-jiku. Stated another way, it might be too difficult to become aware of the limitations of the modern scholarly discourse paradigm and put aside judgments that focus solely on the facts. And yet, today, as the search for masterpieces has quieted a bit, such awareness is essential.
Of course, during the Muromachi period there was considerable variation in the quality of Chinese works that became the models for Japanese painters, and it was not only high-quality Chinese paintings that were available in Japan. Further it was not unusual for painters to employ various painting styles. It was also normal for a painter’s style to change as they became more experienced. Thus, it would be useful if this painting is understood as an example that shows one aspect of Shûbun around the spring of 1435. Even so, isn’t it epoch-making that a specific benchmark work for understanding Shûbun has been discerned? Of further special note, this work provides a specific indication of the relationship between Shûbun and Josetsu and it can be considered an extremely important breakthrough in the study of Shûbun’s styles that has previously advanced exclusively in terms of his Xia Gui style.journal articl
The Glory and Failure of a Nationalist Korean Art History: The Interpretation and Evaluation of Late Choson Painting
Get PDFOne of the most important issues in art history is how to evaluate and interpret the significance of artworks within specific historical contexts. Matters of evaluation and interpretation in art historical studies are inseparable from the art historian's nationality, political and historical views, and ideological perspectives. This is why works of art have had different values and significances according to each art historian's judgment criteria. The modern discipline of Korean art history was founded by Japanese scholars during the Japanese colonial period (1910-45). The invention of Korean art history was closely related to the Japanese enterprise of nationalism, whose essential features were introduced to Japan from Germany. Japanese scholars used nationalism as a means of glorifying the culture and history of Japan. For nationalist purposes, art history served to highlight the timeless value of Japanese art. The notion of masterpieces and monuments in Japanese art was greatly emphasized in nationalist art history in order to perpetuate the myth of a national past and identity. Nationalist art history was primarily concerned with the justification of ethnocentric supremacy, a belief in the superiority of one ethnicity over others. In nationalist art historical writings, works of art were considered the cultural and visual expressions of national identities. The origins of Korean art history stemmed from Japanese nationalist art historical discourses. Following the footsteps of Japanese nationalist art historians, Korean art historians greatly emphasized the glory of the national past and the creation of the myth of national purity and supremacy. The primary task of art historians was to discover various aspects of Koreanness in works of art. The celebration of Koreanness closely associated with the patriotic spirit of nationalist art history has played a central role in the evaluation and interpretation of late Chosén painting (1392-1910). Kim Hong-do's (1745-after 1806) genre painting and Chòng Sởn's (1676-1759) true-view landscape painting were considered visual representations of Koreanness and gained enormous attention in art historical writings. Issues of nationalism, colonialism, and post-colonialism have been discussed in the field of Korean art history. The problems of Koreanness have also been much debated. Competing viewpoints and perspectives will provide a critical reexamination of the origins and current status of Korean art history and offer alternative ways of understanding how Korean art must be evaluated and interpreted within the larger context of East Asian art. The notion of East Asian art history' is of great significance in moving beyond the prejudices and shortcomings of nationalist Korean art history. Comparative perspectives will lay the foundation for a new Korean art history. The field of Korean art history must embrace a wide range of new methods and interdisciplinary approaches to reestablish itself as a humanistic discipline. More attention has to be paid to the dynamics of artistic interaction among China, Korea, and Japan to expand the territory of Korean art history.journal articl
Creativity and Value: Focusing on Yorozu Tetsugoro’s Woman with a Balloon
Get PDFFor approximately the past 15 years I have been commenting on the art historical research conducted at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo. Art history as a scholarly discipline was brought to Japan about a century ago as part of modern Western academic study. Relative to that, we continue to analyze the discourse that occurs in art history studies today. This symposium addresses this issue of appraisal. Appraisal for art historians is the determining and defining of a work's overall value as art. We analyze how the appraisal of an art work is determined. We intentionally consider, from multiple angles, how this issue will continue into the future. Art historians stand before the work, observe it, feel it, and consider it on the basis of their own awareness and accumulated insight. Through these means they assign an appraisal or evaluation, all in order to better appreciate the work. If that appraisal is not adequate, then they go on to examine the work from other angles, such as the environment of the artist or the physical work itself, and even go so far as to trace the process by which it was created.
I agree with this general process. And, as part of my continuing work in the study of modern Japanese art, I will reconsider two of my articles, add new information discovered since their publication, and look to create a basic course of lectures from them. The articles in question are “Research Note: The 'New Woman' and 'Woman with a Balloon': What Lay behind the Creation of Yorozu Tetsugoro's Woman with a Balloon and its Expression,” published in Bijutsu Kenkyu No. 398 in August 2009.
Originally, modern art in Japan as well as in all of East Asia developed on the basis of the influence from modern European art. Researchers today frequently use the term “reception” to speak of that introduction of foreign culture. The use of the term “reception” assumes that the receiver is central to the equation. However, in the case of modern art, there was a time when Japanese students could see original European art works only by studying abroad, and more often than not were limited to reproduction prints.
Yorozu Tetsugoro (1885-1927) was one of the first painters in Japan's modern art scene to personally and directly “receive” modern European art, including Post-Impressionism, Italian Futurism, abstract painting and Cubism. My article reexamined Yorozu's Woman with a Balloon in this regard. First, I considered the question of subject and the impetus behind the creation of the work. Yorozu is thought to have painted this work in 1913, and I surmised that the image painted was both symbolic and avant-garde for its time, given the debate about the “new woman” in contemporary Japanese media by figures such as Hiratsuka Raichô (1886–1971).
However, questions still remained about the painter's creative role. This can be addressed by an examination of Yorozu's sketchbook of the period. In general, a sketchbookis an important resource that vividly conveys a painter's thoughts and ideas before they are formalized in a finished painting. This is one of the sources of the proposed dating of Woman with a Balloon. We can see that Yorozu had drawn a sketch of a map of the world on the first page. It is not clear why Yorozu did that. In essence, a map is nothing more than a miniature representation of geographic forms, planar in expression and fitted with set symbols and terms. However, in Yorozu's case, he did not draw the map as a simple schematic, rather he depicted it as a painting. From another standpoint, Yorozu may have had a world map in mind; in other words, he may have created a relative image of the world itself. Thus we can see from this single-volume sketchbook, that creativity itself is a rich and diverse array of factors. Then, doesn't this volume allow us to more deeply understand the work in question, and indeed, doesn't it allow us to arrive at yet new evaluations for the work.
I would like to detach from the set concept of evaluation and look back rather on the artist's creative process in terms of the concepts of “reception” of foreign culture and creativity. This article examines the materials related to his works to a fine degree and thus uses an evidential basis for the exploration of the issue of appraisal. The rest of the symposium consisted of research reports by four Japanese and Korean scholars.journal articl
Paintings Inscribed by Chikuan Daien in 1435 (Eikyo 7): The Matsuoka Museum of Art’s Shubun Painting and the Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne’s Girl Ling-chao
Get PDF4. Interactions with Hishida Shunsô
As indicated in the earlier section of this study, published in Bijutsu Kenkyû 404, Akimoto Shatei, a brewer in Nagareyama, Chiba prefecture, was a patron of Hishida Shunsô during the artist’s later years. Shunsô’s major works, Fallen Leaves (1909, Eisei-Bunko Museum) and Black Cat (1910, Eisei-Bunko Museum) were both in Shatei’s personal collection. Toya Banzan, a pupil of Terasaki Kôgyô and secretary of the Bijutsu Kenseikai group supported by Shatei, is thought to have been the person who introduced Shatei to Shunsô. Banzan’s memoirs state that he took Shatei to Izura in the spring of 1908 and there introduced him to Shunsô and Yokoyama Taikan. Letters handed down to Shatei’s descendants confirm that Shatei visited Izura during that period. However, it was also around that time that Shunsô was suffering from eye disease and was forced to temporarily stop painting. According to Banzan’s memoirs, Shatei had visited Shunsô intending to commission a painting, but when he learned that Shunsô was ill he instead arranged to pay for his living expenses for a year. Shunsô’s Landscape in Autumn (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art), formerly in Shatei’s collection, is probably a painting that Shunsô created for Shatei around the autumn of 1908, once his eyes had healed.
The following autumn of 1909, Shunsô entered his work Fallen Leaves in the 3rd Bunten Exhibition (Art Exhibition of the Ministry of Education) after which it entered Shatei’s collection. According to Banzan’s memoirs of Banzan and the collector Hosokawa Moritatsu, it seems that Shatei had already made up his mind to acquire the painting by the time of the invitation-only, first viewing day of the exhibition. Shunsô’s Landscape of the Four Seasons (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), painted around the same time, also found its way into Shatei’s collection. The painting’s exhibition history cannot be confirmed and there is still some need for investigation regarding the production period of this handscroll, but if the Landscape of the Four Seasons, which was of a large scale suited to exhibition entry, was created solely for Shatei’s personal enjoyment, then it would speak of the strong and deep connection between Shunsô and Shatei.
Black Cat, which was Shunsô’s last entry in a Bunten exhibition, was also a work that Shatei had decided to acquire even prior to its exhibition. The interactions between Shunsô and Shatei were not simply a case of paintings being produced and procured. Around the autumn of 1910, when Shatei acquired Black Cat, Shunsô created a painting primer for Shatei’s daughter Matsuko. Shunsô expressed his understanding of painting methods in a letter he wrote to Shatei about Matsuko’s study from the primer. That letter simply spells out a list of guiding principles for her study of brush stroke methods and painting study, and even though it is intended for a beginning student, the letter does provide a rare expression of beginning painting study methods espoused by Shunsô, who did not himself take any pupils throughout his lifetime.
However, it was around this time that Shunsô fell ill again, and died the following year, on September 16, 1911. Talk of a Shunsô memorial exhibition arose immediately after his death, and Shatei’s name was linked to those of Okakura Tenshin, Yokoyama Taikan and others as one of the originators of the idea. Shatei provided financial support for the exhibition when it was held in the following spring of 1912. Shunsô’s ashes were divided between his hometown of Iida and Tokyo, and it was Shatei who paid for Shunsô’s gravestone in Tokyo.journal articl
Evaluation of Fillining Materials for the Torii-gate in Itsukushima Jinja
Get PDFItsukushima Jinja is placed under severe conditions (i.e.high temperature and humidity in summer, strong sunshine, strong wind, salt weathering and wave damage)because it is built on the sea. Deteriorating condition of the torii-gate, which is built in the sea, was surveyed in 2009 and 2010. It was found that there are two cavities on the southwest sub-post of the main post to the west around the area where the wooden members are joined.
In order to select suitable materials for filling the cavities, resins and filler materials were evaluated. Mixtures of epoxy resin (Daito-sizer ow 200 (improved)) with different fillers (silica and Yunikaron (a kind of burnt clay))were examinedby UV durability test, temperature cycle test, salt weathering test and outdoor exposure test at the site. The results were evaluated by change of color, compressive strength and visual observations.
The mixture containing only Yunikaron showed that it had efficient water permeability and durability but that it tended to be difficult to handle. For this reason, it may be necessary to improve the rheology of this material if it is to be applied. Regarding the
mixture containing silica and that containing Yunikaron and glass micro balloon, microexfoliation occurred between filler granule and resin in temperature cycle test. Regarding the mixture containing Yunikaron and wood powder, cross section of the Yunikaron granule was exposed as its surface was washed away by waves.journal articl
Examination of the Squelch-drying Technique to Restore Wet Paper Documents Affected by Tsunami
Get PDFWhen paper documents are affected by water damage,such as flood and tsunami,it is thought that some microorganisms grow rapidly and cause biological deterioration. As a way to restore wet paper documents, there are some approaches such as air-drying and freeze-drying. In the present study, the squelch-drying technique using books experimentally immersed in salt water was examined to assess the applicability of this method to wet paper documents affected by tsunami.
The squelch-drying technique used in this study consisted of the following three steps: 1.cutting polyester sheets and newspaper according to the size of books;2.wrapping each book with a layer of polyester sheet and some newspaper,and putting it into a plastic bag; 3. sealing the bag with a heat-sealer using a vacuum pump or a vacuum cleaner. As a result, the squelch-drying technique could significantly reduce crinkles and wavy state of the paper of the books, which is often observed with air-dried books. Furthermore, this technique is expected to reduce the residual salts of seawater from the books. However, this technique requires considerable time and labor because it is necessary to repeat the above steps until the books are dry. Also in case of saltwater-soaked documents, longer time is required to reduce the weight of the documents,compared to the cases of documents soaked in distilled water.
Nevertheless, squelch-drying technique can provide a promising way to rescue wet documents where no refrigerator or freeze-drying machine is available at the time of disaster.journal articl