Traditional Japanese paintings are composed of fragile materials: silk and paper as bases, and uncoated pigments simply adhered with animal glue. Conservators have treated them with tradi tional materials and methods, which were selected consciously using their sense and experiences. In this paper, the characterization of one such traditional material used as a re-peelable adhesive is reported firstly. The material, called furunori, and prepared in each studio by storing for about ten years, has some particular characteristics: high flexibility, high re-peelability, and low moldly. Recent studies clarified its chemical properties and the mechanism of its generation; therefore, the preparation of a polysaccharide similar to furunori was successful, based on these results. On the other hand, synthetic materials such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylic resin, etc. had been widely used after the second world war, as consolidants for Japanese paintings. In some cases, the PVA deteriorated and changed its condition such that it was difficult to remove it from the paintings. In this paper, it is secondly reported that the application of a PVA-degrading enzyme was capable of removing the deteriorated PVA on Japanese paintings. As mentioned above, scientific approaches in this field are conducted based not only on traditional methods, but also current cases, and they will be further utilized for the conservation of Japanese paintings.

When conserving or restoring historical materials, above all one must try to not overdo it, limiting oneself to the minimum measures necessary. The fundamental approach to conserving cultural assets in Japan is to maintain their current state so that their appearance does not change. When restoring and conserving old items using materials that we have today, it is best to use traditional techniques as much as possible while actively considering whether to combine them with convenient tools and technologies in order to make one’s work more efficient. However, when using new materials or chemicals, one must carefully judge from a long-term perspective whether they will have a negative influence on the items. Furthermore, when the number of restoration and conservation method options increase, there is a need to make clear the criteria for judging which items will be worked on using which techniques. Answers do not exist in advance regarding which items to prioritize and the techniques to use. When restoration and conservation is complete, records serve as important assets, which provide important background information to later generations.

Photography is one of the most popular and accessible means of capturing records. Most people own family photographs and albums but through history their format is changing. Digital system became widely available in the Twenty-First Century and photographs are often interpreted as “images” rather than “objects”. Digital photography has become mainstream and often prints are not made from captured images. Given this situation, we are obliged to pay more attention and evaluate cultural and historical values of photographs as objects. However, the value of photographs sometimes lies in their content and although digitization is conducted proactively, how to preserve and manage original photographs can be demanding. Many types and processes exist in photography in spite of its rather short history, as its development was always in consequence with science and technology. Variety of materials are used in different processes which makes conservation of photographs challenging. Here, the author discusses the value of photographs, the importance of process identification, types of deterioration, and introduce some conservation treatment for photographic prints.

Enji is a red colourant that was brought to China from the Western Regions in 2nd century BCE. Early Enji was a cosmetic made from safflower. The production of Wata-Enji of thin cotton discs soaked with lac dye began around the 7th century. Wata-Enji was used as a cosmetic, medicinal and art colourant up to modern times. Although Wata-Enji is still an important material in the creation and restoration of classical arts and crafts and thus its reproduction is strongly required, it is now no longer produced and its recipe has become largely unknown. We aimed to reproduce Wata-Enji by researching extant literature, undertaking field surveys and conducting scientific analysis through chemical experiments. We discovered a detailed recipe of Wata-Enji that was described in ‘外台秘要法’, a medical manuscript written in the period of the Tang Dynasty. We identified all the requisite materials and have clarified their quantities based on this recipe. We also attempted to make Enji from stick lac and several Chinese medicinal herbs. In this paper, we explain the historical transformation of Wata-Enji and report the process of our experiments in manufacturing Enji.