Restored Cultural Assets Restoration Techniques Supporting Their Conservation and Utilization
The Maeda family, former lords of the ancient Kaga domain, were pioneers in the preservation of cultural heritage. This spirit has been passed down to the present day and is still alive in Ishikawa Prefecture. This exhibition showcases the initiatives of the Maeda family and the achievements of the Ishikawa Cultural Properties Conservation Studio, along with examples from Nara Prefecture.
The exhibition focuses on works restored by the Ishikawa Cultural Properties Conservation Association, showing clear before-and-after comparisons, and aims to deepen understanding of the philosophy and techniques of restoration.
A scroll measuring 6 meters in length, with patterns of hagi (bush clover) and susuki (silver grass) painted in gold on silk, featuring 14 selected poems on the themes of "pines," "cranes," and "Buddhist events" from the second volume of Wakanroei-shu (Anthology of Chinese and Japanese Poems for Recitation). At the end of the scroll is the ink inscription "September, 3rd year of Kan'ei era (1626)/Takagaminezan Taikyoan /Age 69," and a black square seal reading "Koetsu." The endpaper paintings are by Kano Hidenobu (1717–1763).
The restoration of this work took place in 2019-2020. The scroll had creases about 100 cm from the frontispiece, as well as dirt and adhesions all over the paper. The cover section was loose and frayed, with distorted fasteners. The endpapers, with a "Birds and Rice Stalk" painting in gold and ink, had wrinkles and folds due to adhesive failure. The restoration focused primarily on the cover, endpapers, and frontispiece section, with other work limited to the removal of adhesives. The endpapers and frontispiece section were repasted, while the cover was removed and reattached after eliminating adhesives, stains and wrinkles. The brass fasteners, which had started to rust, were replaced with bamboo ones.
During this process, hidden paintings were discovered in the folds of the endpapers. After discussions, it was decided to widen the cover to reveal these parts, resulting in a 1-2 cm increase in width after restoration.
