c) History of preservation/conservation

ii) Hokki-ji The Sanjunoto (three-story pagoda) of Hokki-ji was repaired in 1262 and 1678. After the Meiji period, there have been two conservation projects, from 1898 to 1899 and from 1972 to 1975. The organizational methodology and techniques used for the conservation work carried out on the Hokki-ji Sanjunoto were the same as those employed at the Horyu-ji site. Fire prevention systems such as fire detection systems and water fire extinguishing systems have also been established. Records of the details of these works, including the results of investigations, plans and photographs were made into reports and published in 1975. iii) Results of conservation works In addition to the execution of repair work on the historic buildings in the Horyu-ji area, thorough scientific investigations were made, especially during the second stage of conservation. During the long period of time following their original construction, those buildings had undergone various types of repair work, including partial remodeling. During these early repairs those wooden members which were judged still usable for their original function had been used as they were, and in some cases the old wooden members which were no longer suitable for their original function were used elsewhere in the building, adapted to a different function, so that many of the original wooden members still existed at the time of the more recent conservation works. By scientific investigations it was possible to follow closely the traces of the wood joints and the traces on these wooden members which had been made by contact and pressure from other wooden members, making it possible to determine the original functions of these wooden members. By this investigation, various changes in the architectural techniques of different ages were also made clear, as well as the style and structure of the buildings when they were originally constructed, including changes that accompanied the previous repair works. It was possible, as a result of these investigations, to decide what type of conservation works to perform and to carry out the necessary planning measures. In addition, it was also decided as a matter of policy to perform underground archaeological excavation research along with any conservation work involving dismantlement. Following the publication of "Documentation on the Restoration of Todaimon" (published in 1935), it has become customary to publish regular reports on the results of these investigations and the details of the conservation work (Additional Reference Materials 3, "Documentation on the restoration of Horyu-ji Gojunoto" is submitted as an example of this type of report). For all of the repaired buildings, large-scale detailed record drawings were prepared to show the condition both before and after the conservation, and these drawings are permanently on file at the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The number of drawings of the buildings in the Horyu-ji area has now reached approximately seven hundred sheets; several examples are provided as Additional Reference Materials 4. The many articles on history, the history of architecture and archaeology based on the conservation investigation results are too numerous to mention. It is clear that the contributions made to the academic world by these conservation works and their accompanying scientific investigations are highly significant. The investigation and conservation of the historic buildings in the Horyu-ji area performed during those ninety years were monumental in the history of the protection of the cultural properties of Japan and in the conservation of historic wooden buildings worldwide. Appendix 12 : Chronological table of conservation works Appendix 13 : Map indicating the buildings for which conservation work has been completed Additional Reference Materials 2 : Papers in English on the conservation of historic buildings in Japan Additional Reference Materials 3 : Documentation on the restoration work of Horyu-ji Gojunoto Additional Reference Materials 4 : Detailed drawings of the buildings

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