[Sen-oku Hakukokan] Special Exhibition 'Cultural Properties Forever 2026: Techniques and People Connecting to the Next Generation' Opens. Showcasing the Results of the Sumitomo Foundation's 35 Years of Cultural Property Maintenance and Restoration Grants.
The Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum has opened a special exhibition showcasing the results of cultural property restoration projects supported by the Sumitomo Foundation. The exhibition focuses on restoration techniques and the passion of the people involved.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 02:23
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The fact that we can encounter cultural properties that convey the culture and thoughts of our predecessors is precisely because many people have protected and passed them down to us. In other words, whether we can pass the cultural properties before us on to the next generation depends entirely on us today.
This exhibition introduces cultural properties whose repairs have been completed through the grant projects of the Sumitomo Foundation. By putting a spotlight on the latest repair techniques behind the beautifully revived cultural properties and the passion of the people who worked tirelessly on the repairs, we consider the significance and future of cultural property restoration.
Seated Amitabha Tathagata, Important Cultural Property, Collection of Sen-oku Hakukokan (Exhibited throughout the period)
This exhibition will be held in three periods:
Period I: April 4 (Sat) - May 6 (Wed)
Period II: May 9 (Sat) - May 31 (Sun)
Period III: June 2 (Tue) - June 28 (Sun)
What Cultural Property Restoration Aims For
The goal of modern cultural property restoration is to respect the current state of the cultural property. That is to say, we do not arbitrarily add parts or change colors by imagining what it looked like when it was created. That is a method called 'restoration' and is distinguished from cultural property repair. What cultural property repair emphasizes is strictly the preservation of the original parts that remain today.
In this exhibition, we introduce four genres: repair of paintings and calligraphy, repair of classic books, ancient documents, and historical materials, repair of sculptures, and repair of crafts and archaeological materials. Even if the materials are the same, the 'symptoms' of each artwork are different. We carefully listen to the 'silent voice' of the artwork, and along with explanations of the repair process, we introduce the forefront of the repair site where delicate and precise repair techniques are applied according to the 'symptoms'.
For paintings and calligraphy, a documentary video of the restoration of the Important Cultural Property 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira' (Exhibited in Period I) from the Sen-oku Hakukokan collection is screened constantly. You can see everything from the scientific investigation before the repair to the careful restoration process.
Before repair: 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira'
Restoration work of the Important Cultural Property
The beautifully revived 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira'
Painted by Shiokawa Bunrin, Hondo Barrier Painting 'Immortals', Kyoto Prefectural Designated Cultural Property, Hoon-ji Temple (Exhibited in the first half 4/4-5/17)
The repair maintains the current state; the gouged-out eyes are left as they are.
Hoju-dai (Jewel Stand), Kyoto Prefectural Designated Cultural Property, Kaijusen-ji Temple (Exhibited in Period I). When the accumulated dirt was removed, a maki-e bridge appeared!
The Efforts of the People Who Have Passed Down Cultural Properties
To repair a single cultural property, the cooperation of various people is necessary: the owner, of course, but also researchers who discover the value of the cultural property through investigation, administrative officials specializing in cultural property protection who guide it to repair, and the technicians who actually perform the repair. This exhibition also shines a spotlight on the efforts of the people hidden behind these cultural properties.
Left: Standing Statue of Shakyamuni Tathagata, Right: Standing Statue of Vaisravana, both Kawachinagano City Designated Cultural Properties, Osaka Shimoiwase Yakushi Preservation Society (Exhibited throughout the period)
Among the materials related to the Nakai family, head of carpenters: 'Sukiya Floor Plan: Favored by Sen no Rikyu, Located at Myokian, Yamazaki', Important Cultural Property, Nakai Masatomo and Nakai Masazumi (Exhibited throughout with artwork rotation)
Rinshoin Hondo Barrier Painting 'Cloud Dragon', Rinshoin (Scene changes: image shows the east face (4/4-5/17), west face exhibited from 5/19)
The Sumitomo Foundation's Cultural Property Maintenance and Restoration Grant
The Sumitomo Foundation was established in 1991 with an endowment from 20 companies of the Sumitomo Group, aiming to contribute to the building of a prosperous human society by providing grants that meet the demands of the times with an international perspective for research and projects aimed at solving or improving various problems faced by human society in fields such as basic science, environment, arts and culture, and international exchange. Among the foundation's grant programs, the cultural property maintenance and restoration grant is one of the main pillars, and since its establishment, it has provided a cumulative total of over 1,400 grants both domestically and overseas. While preserving cultural properties and passing them on to the next generation is considered the duty of the current generation, the funds allocated for the maintenance and restoration of cultural properties in Japan are hardly sufficient, and the foundation continues its grants to assist in this regard. Furthermore, since 2019, the foundation has also emphasized the public display of restored cultural properties, holding exhibitions and providing grants for public viewing activities. This exhibition is being held on an expanded scale to mark the 35th anniversary of the foundation's establishment.
Left: 'Maitreya Descending to the Human World Transformation Tableau', Myoman-ji Temple, Exhibited in Period II (5/9~5/31), Right: 'Standing Statue of Eleven-faced Kannon', Otokuni-dera Temple, Exhibited in Periods II and III (5/9~6/28), both Important Cultural Properties
Official Catalog
The official exhibition catalog is now on sale!
A book full of rich content, including not only explanations of the artworks but also preliminary investigations, repair processes, and topics about the people involved in the repairs. It is a permanent edition to keep.
This exhibition introduces cultural properties whose repairs have been completed through the grant projects of the Sumitomo Foundation. By putting a spotlight on the latest repair techniques behind the beautifully revived cultural properties and the passion of the people who worked tirelessly on the repairs, we consider the significance and future of cultural property restoration.
Seated Amitabha Tathagata, Important Cultural Property, Collection of Sen-oku Hakukokan (Exhibited throughout the period)
This exhibition will be held in three periods:
Period I: April 4 (Sat) - May 6 (Wed)
Period II: May 9 (Sat) - May 31 (Sun)
Period III: June 2 (Tue) - June 28 (Sun)
What Cultural Property Restoration Aims For
The goal of modern cultural property restoration is to respect the current state of the cultural property. That is to say, we do not arbitrarily add parts or change colors by imagining what it looked like when it was created. That is a method called 'restoration' and is distinguished from cultural property repair. What cultural property repair emphasizes is strictly the preservation of the original parts that remain today.
In this exhibition, we introduce four genres: repair of paintings and calligraphy, repair of classic books, ancient documents, and historical materials, repair of sculptures, and repair of crafts and archaeological materials. Even if the materials are the same, the 'symptoms' of each artwork are different. We carefully listen to the 'silent voice' of the artwork, and along with explanations of the repair process, we introduce the forefront of the repair site where delicate and precise repair techniques are applied according to the 'symptoms'.
For paintings and calligraphy, a documentary video of the restoration of the Important Cultural Property 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira' (Exhibited in Period I) from the Sen-oku Hakukokan collection is screened constantly. You can see everything from the scientific investigation before the repair to the careful restoration process.
Before repair: 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira'
Restoration work of the Important Cultural Property
The beautifully revived 'Satake Version Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Nobuakira'
Painted by Shiokawa Bunrin, Hondo Barrier Painting 'Immortals', Kyoto Prefectural Designated Cultural Property, Hoon-ji Temple (Exhibited in the first half 4/4-5/17)
The repair maintains the current state; the gouged-out eyes are left as they are.
Hoju-dai (Jewel Stand), Kyoto Prefectural Designated Cultural Property, Kaijusen-ji Temple (Exhibited in Period I). When the accumulated dirt was removed, a maki-e bridge appeared!
The Efforts of the People Who Have Passed Down Cultural Properties
To repair a single cultural property, the cooperation of various people is necessary: the owner, of course, but also researchers who discover the value of the cultural property through investigation, administrative officials specializing in cultural property protection who guide it to repair, and the technicians who actually perform the repair. This exhibition also shines a spotlight on the efforts of the people hidden behind these cultural properties.
Left: Standing Statue of Shakyamuni Tathagata, Right: Standing Statue of Vaisravana, both Kawachinagano City Designated Cultural Properties, Osaka Shimoiwase Yakushi Preservation Society (Exhibited throughout the period)
Among the materials related to the Nakai family, head of carpenters: 'Sukiya Floor Plan: Favored by Sen no Rikyu, Located at Myokian, Yamazaki', Important Cultural Property, Nakai Masatomo and Nakai Masazumi (Exhibited throughout with artwork rotation)
Rinshoin Hondo Barrier Painting 'Cloud Dragon', Rinshoin (Scene changes: image shows the east face (4/4-5/17), west face exhibited from 5/19)
The Sumitomo Foundation's Cultural Property Maintenance and Restoration Grant
The Sumitomo Foundation was established in 1991 with an endowment from 20 companies of the Sumitomo Group, aiming to contribute to the building of a prosperous human society by providing grants that meet the demands of the times with an international perspective for research and projects aimed at solving or improving various problems faced by human society in fields such as basic science, environment, arts and culture, and international exchange. Among the foundation's grant programs, the cultural property maintenance and restoration grant is one of the main pillars, and since its establishment, it has provided a cumulative total of over 1,400 grants both domestically and overseas. While preserving cultural properties and passing them on to the next generation is considered the duty of the current generation, the funds allocated for the maintenance and restoration of cultural properties in Japan are hardly sufficient, and the foundation continues its grants to assist in this regard. Furthermore, since 2019, the foundation has also emphasized the public display of restored cultural properties, holding exhibitions and providing grants for public viewing activities. This exhibition is being held on an expanded scale to mark the 35th anniversary of the foundation's establishment.
Left: 'Maitreya Descending to the Human World Transformation Tableau', Myoman-ji Temple, Exhibited in Period II (5/9~5/31), Right: 'Standing Statue of Eleven-faced Kannon', Otokuni-dera Temple, Exhibited in Periods II and III (5/9~6/28), both Important Cultural Properties
Official Catalog
The official exhibition catalog is now on sale!
A book full of rich content, including not only explanations of the artworks but also preliminary investigations, repair processes, and topics about the people involved in the repairs. It is a permanent edition to keep.