Conservation and Restoration of the Tokyo National Museum Collection

This is the 13th in a series of annual exhibitions showcasing conservation and restoration work conducted on objects in the Tokyo National Museum collection. This year's exhibition includes 15 objects restored in the period from the 2010 fiscal year to the 2012 fiscal year, chosen from various genres as examples for the unique formats or specialized techniques used in their restoration. Genres selected this time include painting, calligraphy, decorative arts and archaeological artifacts.

The museum's mission is to maximize public access to cultural properties while preserving them for future generations. To achieve this, we constantly strive to improve exhibition and storage areas as well as methods of transporting and handling cultural properties, actively seek to ensure the longevity of objects through both conservation and restoration projects, and study to reveal the problems posed by materials or technology used in original works. Every day the museum seeks to balance the contradictory goals of display and preservation, which are necessary for passing culture on to the next generation.

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