Conservation work on a group
of wooden statues depicting the Four Heavenly Kings
(Property of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.)

Conservation of Wooden Statues

Conservation of Buddhist statues of all sizes,
ranging from the palm-sized to 8m tall*

*The statues of the guardian deities at the southern entrance of Nara’s Todaiji Temple

Bijyutsuin

Designated in 1976

476-1 Zaimoku-cho, Takakura-higashi-hairu, Shichijo-dori, Shimogyo-ku,
Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8146

http://www.bijyutsuin.or.jp/

This orgainization has been involved in the conservation of cultural assets for more than a century. It undertakes the conservation of Buddhist statues, including those designated by the government as National Treasures or important cultural properties, in addition to training conservators and the study of conservation techniques. Conservation is done with the most suitable materials and methods, bearing in mind the condition of each object. Conservation techniques are improved by making models and carrying out a range of studies of the kind that can only be conducted during conservation work, and by studying the techniques by which Buddhist staturary was crafted through the ages.

Taking apart a statue. Each statue is dismantled piece by piece where the joints will give way, and the surfaces of the joints are arranged for reassembly. This task requires thorough knowledge of how Buddhist statues were put together in each era.

New components. Replacing a missing segment in one of the joints that fixes the statue to its pedestal. One of the fundamentals of conservation work is that new components are kept to a minimum.

Treatment of peeling surfaces. Dealing with pigments and lacquered goldleaf that have come loose. The object’s condition will determine the materials and methods that will be employed.

Examining a statue. Wherever possible and necessary, the statue is x-rayed and examined with a fiberscope to get an idea of its composition and determine whether there are any inscriptions or objects inside it.

Setting fire to a field in the spring to ensure a supply of good quality thatch — A dismantled statue (one from a pair of guardian deities in the possession of the Agency for Cultural Affairs)