Conservation at the Tokyo National Museum

This is the tenth in a series of annual exhibitions showcasing conservation work conducted at the Tokyo National Museum. This year's exhibition includes 19 recently treated objects, chosen either as representative examples of their genre or for the uniquely specialized techniques used to treat them. Genres on display this time include painting, sculpture, decorative arts, archaeological artifacts and historical documents.

The mission of the museum is to maximize public access to cultural properties whilst at the same time preserving them for future generations. The museum constantly strives to improve exhibition and storage areas as well as methods of transportation for cultural properties, and actively seeks to ensure the longevity of objects through conservation projects. Solving problems posed by materials or technology also plays an extremely important role in helping the museum to balance its contradictory goals of display and preservation.

The objects and photo panels in this exhibition offer insight into a variety of the conservation and treatment techniques used behind the scenes at the museum.