Conservation and Restoration of the Tokyo National Museum Collection

The Thematic Exhibition "Conservation and Restoration of the Tokyo National Museum Collection" has been held every year since 2000 with the goal of introducing the conservation and repair activities that take place at the Tokyo National Museum. While roughly 100 items are repaired every year, this exhibit features 22 items, along with accompanying pictures, that were chosen as representatives of the various fields: the arts, the decorative arts, archeology, historical objects, etc. or for having unique repair situations.

The Tokyo National Museum's mission is to make cultural properties available to the public and also preserve the collection permanently so that the collection will continue to be enjoyed. In order to fulfill this mission, maintaining the exhibition and storage areas, improving the transportation methods and treatment of the objects, and performing both minor and full-scale repairs in order to restore theitems to a stabilized condition, in addition to solving problems posed by materials or technology become extremely important issues. There is an inherent contradiction between storing the items for preservation and making them available for the public to enjoy. However, in order to have these items be passed on to future generations, we feel both are necessary and take these into account in our daily activities.

Through this exhibition, we hope to deepen your understanding of the preservation techniques necessary for these important cultural objects. Lastly, we would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to all the individuals and organizations who made the 2004-05 restoration projects possible.