| c) History of preservation/conservation | i) Conservation and repair of buildings in the modern age Modern conservation work for the protection of cultural properties has been performed since 1897, when the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law was enacted. In case of repair work on the nominated properties, the owner entrusts the work to either Kyoto or Shiga Prefecture, where professional technicians are available. At present, in Kyoto Prefecture, the cultural property division of the Board of Education has 17 conservation architects as well as 12 carpenters who are experts on traditional techniques, and in Shiga Prefecture, the cultural property division of the Board of Education has 7 conservation architects. The methods of repair work can be classified a follows, depending on the degree of damage : 1) Major repair If the damage is found to have spread throughout the whole building, the building is dismantled; the damaged parts of the building are then either repaired or replaced (replacement of members is kept to the absolute minimum) and the building is reassembled. This kind of repair allows for the possibility of carrying out restoration work based on the results of scientific investigations conducted during the course of dismantling. Major repair can be classified into two categories: (1)Dismantling and Repair, in which the whole building is dismantled and repaired; or (2) Partial Dismantling and Repair, in which most of the structural framework of the building is not dismantled. These repair works take an average of three years to complete. For projects requiring total repair work, repair architects are stationed full time at the site to conduct detailed investigations, to oversee the design and to supervise the work. 2) Repair for maintenance purposes (1)Partial repair When the buildings are damaged in limited areas, only the damaged parts are repaired. (2) Roofing repair When roofing materials such as clay tiles or cypress bark shingles become worn out or damaged, partial repair or total reroofing may be required. In the cases of clay tile roofs, wherever possible the original tiles are re-used. (3) Painting repair When paint or lacquer finishes have been became faded or damaged, they are repaired. Wall paintings with high artistic value are conserved by applying an anti-peeling agent. The basic principle for property conserving wooden buildings so that cultural properties maintain their value is to carry out a program of regular maintenance and minor repairs, which make it possible to hand down the traditional techniques and traditional materials to the next generation. The cycle of minor repair varies with the durability of the materials, the climate, and the surrounding conditions. For example, in the case of the replacement of roofing materials, hinoki (Japanese cypress) bark shingle roofs are replaced about once every 30 years and clay tile roofs are replaced about once evrey 60years. The following documents are prepared as records of the conservation work: (1)Detailed record drawings (drawings of the plans, elevations, sections and details both before and after repair ; these are drawn on Kent paper with ink.) (2)Photographs (photographs taken before, during, and after repair) (3)Field notebook (records of investigations on such matters as the state of damage and the types of traditional repair techniques) (4)Surface rubbings (reproductions of relief carvings and sculpted forms, etc.) In the case of large-scaled repairs, such as repairs which include dismantling, these records are arranged and published as a report on the repair work. The conservation work which has been performed on the nominated buildings following their designation is described in the attached Appendix 11, "Chronological Table of Conservation Works". Examples of some of the investigation results which are particularly significant in the history of Japanese architecture and culture are described below. (a) Repair of Ho-o-do, main hall of Byodo-in (1902 to 1906 and 1954 to 1957) Ho-o-do underwent large-scale repair two times: once in the Meiji Period and then once again in the Showa Period. The large-scale repair work done in the Meiji Period extended over a period of five years from 1902 to 1906. During this period of repair work, the Mokoshi (perimeter corridor structure) of the Chudo (central hall), both the right and the left Yokuro (wing corridors) and the Biro (tail corridor) were dismantled and repaired. The Chudo itself was not dismantled, since it was considered important to preserve the decorative painted surfaces of the interior. Only the structural framework of the roof was reinforced. However, because the reinforcement of the roof framework was not effective and fundamental defects were found in the foundation structure, it was necessary to carry out total dismantling during the second phase of repair in the period from 1950 to 1957. Under the guidance of a special advisory council and a repair committee, both composed of scholars and experienced technicians, the foundation structure was reinforced and the original Heian-Period roof framing techniques were investigated - together with studies of the most appropriate methods of restoring and reinforcing the original structure. Techniques for restoring the painted surfaces were also investigated and performed; replicas of these painted surfaces were produced in order to provide a permanent record of the original coloration. As a result, Ho-o-do was restored to its original (1053) state. (b) Repair of Gojunoto, five-storied pagoda of Daigo-ji (1954 to 1960) The Daigo-ji Gojunoto was repaired between 1954 and 1960. Investigation conduced along with the repair work confirmed that this building had been repaired a total of 13 times during the one thousand years since its construction. It was discovered that in the course of repairs done between 1765 and 1771 the building had been completely dismantled and the building structure had undergone major remodeling. The modified portions of the building were restored to their original condition as part of the 1954 to 1960 repair work. Also, an anti-peeling agent was applied to the painted surfaces in the first floor interior. The paintings were restored, and replicas were made to serve as a record of the coloration. Graffiti from the time of original construction were also found on the ceiling planks. (c) Repair of Togudo, Buddha hall/study of Jisho-ji (1964 -1965) The Togudo was dismantled and repaired between 1964 and 1965. A full investigation was carried out, including excavation research and detailed studies of all building construction members, in order to restore the building to its original state. Upper-class residential architecture evolved from the Heian Period shinden style into the later shoin style, of which the Togudo - built in 1485 - is considered the oldest existing example. A noteworthy result of the Togudo investigation was that the dismantlement revealed evidence of the original condition and made it possible for this restoration to represent accurately the early features of the shoin style. (d) Repair of Oohiroma (reception hall) of the Nijo-jo Ninomaru Goten and the Shoin of Hongan-ji (1954 to 1959) It is not unusual that through the scientific investigation conducted during conservation repair work, the real year of construction is discovered, invalidating the dates of construction generally accepted before. One example is the misunderstanding regarding the formation period of the luxurious style of expression which is characteristic of early seventeenth century shoin style architecture; this style was previously assumed to have developed in the 16th century, as described below. The interior of the Oohiroma (reception hall) in the Ninomaru Goten of Nijo-jo and the Taimensho (reception hall) in the Shoin of Hongan-ji are both regarded as good examples of this style of expression. This style is characterized by a combination of features including toko, chigaidana, tsukeshoin, chodaigamae with polychrome wall paintings and screen paintings on gold-leaf backgrounds, multi-colored patterns on the coffered ceilings, and colorful three-dimensional transom sculptures. These were previously believed to have been characteristic features of the architecture of the Momoyama Period (1563 to 1613). However, investigation of the historical traces on the construction members clarified that the Ninomaru Goten, which had been built between 1601 and 1606, was later completely remodeled during the period from 1624 to 1626, in the early part of the Edo Period. In addition, the Taimensho in the Hongan-ji Shoin was originally built in 1618, and a number of other buildings were moved and attached to it as part of a ten-year repair project carried out in the Kanei Period (1624-1644). It was found that the decoration was extensively re-done, with little of the former design remaining. Thus, it has been recognized that the gorgeous style of expression seen today in these grand shoin designs was established in the early years of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Appendix 11 : Chronological table of conservation works 11(1) Chronological table of conservation works (1898-1936) 11(2) Chronological table of conservation works (1936-1957) 11(3) Chronological table of conservation works (1957-1968) 11(4) Chronological table of conservation works (1968-1979) 11(5) Chronological table of conservation works (1979-) Appendix 12 : Plans indicating the buildings for which conservation works has been completed Additional Reference Materials 4 : Documentation on the conservation work on the Byodo-in Ho-o-do (National Treasures) Additional Reference Materials 5 : Detailed record drawings of the Byodo-in Ho-o-do (National Treasures) |
