Hasegawa Co., Ltd. Presents the 20th 'Hasegawa Award' to Tokyo University of the Arts to Pass on Japan's Beautiful Culture and Technology to the Next Generation

Hasegawa Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka/Tokyo, President & CEO: Sanshiro Shingai), which sells Buddhist altars, gravestones, and manages indoor cemeteries, has presented the '20th Hasegawa Award' and the '16th Hasegawa Award Special Prize' for outstanding works and research from the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Cultural Property Conservation at Tokyo University of the Arts for the academic year 2025.

**About the 'Hasegawa Award'**

Hasegawa believes that preserving and passing on the techniques for protecting cultural properties is to connect the beauty and spirit of Japan to the next generation. With the aim of contributing to the development of engineers who will be responsible for cultural property protection, we have been presenting the 'Hasegawa Award' for outstanding master's thesis works from the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Cultural Property Conservation at Tokyo University of the Arts annually since 2007, and the 'Hasegawa Award Special Prize' for outstanding doctoral research from the same department since 2009.

**20th Hasegawa Award**

**Winner:** Ms. Nanami Horiuchi

Master's Program, Conservation of Japanese Painting, Department of Cultural Property Conservation, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

**Winning Work:** A Current-State Replica and Mounting of 'Amida Trinity's Descent' (Amitābha Triad Coming to Welcome Souls) from the collection of Tokyo University of the Arts

(Size: 218.6cm height x 61.2cm width)

*Hasegawa Award Winning Work (Ms. Horiuchi)*

**Work Overview**

The original work was painted in the Kamakura period and depicts the descent of the Amida Trinity: Amitābha Tathāgata, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. In the lower right, eight nenbutsu practitioners are shown inside a building, pressing their hands together in prayer with gentle expressions. The three deities are depicted in 'shikkai-konjiki' (entirely golden), using gold paint for coloring and kirikane (cut gold leaf) patterns, expressing the radiant majesty of the Buddhas' bodies. The original is in excellent condition compared to similar works of the same period and is an extremely valuable piece that offers a glimpse into its original state.

**Winner's Comment**

I am truly grateful to receive the prestigious Hasegawa Award. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my supervising professors and everyone who has supported me.

During my two years in the master's program, I engaged in my research through much trial and error. There were times when I faced seemingly endless anxiety and difficulties, but with the advice and encouragement from my teachers, friends, and senior students, I was able to see it through to the end. The knowledge and experience I gained there have become invaluable to me.

I will be joining a cultural property restoration workshop. Encouraged by this award, I will strive to further hone my skills by leveraging the experience I have cultivated.

**16th Hasegawa Award Special Prize**

**Winner:** Mr. Binwen Zhang

Doctoral Program, Conservation of Japanese Painting, Department of Cultural Property Conservation, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

**Winning Research:** Research on the Production Techniques of Large-Scale Panel Paintings: Through the Reconstructive Replica of the Important Cultural Property 'Chiko Mandala Panel Painting' from Gango-ji Temple

(Size: 227cm height x 205cm width)

*Hasegawa Award Special Prize Winning Work (Mr. Zhang)*

**Research Overview**

This research empirically examines the entire production process of large-scale panel paintings in Japan through the creation of a conjectural reconstructive replica of the Important Cultural Property 'Chiko Mandala Panel Painting' from Gango-ji Temple. The study experimentally verified the possibilities of woodworking, lacquer ground formation, and oil coloring techniques, referencing past scientific investigation data for the base material structure and coloring techniques that had become unclear due to long-term deterioration. Furthermore, by restoring the iconography and colors, the study clarified the system of panel painting production techniques of the time and reproduced the original splendor of the 'Chiko Mandala Panel Painting.'

**Winner's Comment**

I am sincerely grateful for receiving the Hasegawa Award. Looking back, the long journey of the doctoral program was often filled with moments of lost confidence and frustration when my research stalled. However, thanks to the warm encouragement and support from my professors and those around me, I was able to give it my all and somehow bring my research to fruition. I am deeply honored, as it feels like my many years of effort have been rewarded. Spurred by this award, I will continue to devote myself to further studies in both research and creation.

**16th Hasegawa Award Special Prize**

**Winner:** Mr. Gongyi Wang

Doctoral Program, Conservation of Sculpture, Department of Cultural Property Conservation, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

**Winning Research:** A Study on the Structure and Coloration of Kamakura Period Wooden Sculptures: Centered on the Reconstructive Carving Research of the Wooden Bishamonten Standing Statue by Higo Betto Jokei from the collection of Tokyo University of the Arts

(Size: Total Height 103.2cm, Max Width 49.6cm, Max Depth 51cm)

*Hasegawa Award Special Prize Winning Work (Mr. Wang)*

**Research Overview**

This is a reconstructive carving work based on research aimed at elucidating the actual state of colored wooden sculpture production in the Kamakura period, focusing on the Wooden Bishamonten Standing Statue by Higo Betto Jokei, held by Tokyo University of the Arts. By focusing on the correlation between the sculpting and coloring processes, the work is based on scientific research.