Conservation of Wall Paintings on Plaster in the Tumuli of Japan

Abstract

In Japan, cultural sites with wall paintings are not found as commonly as in Europe or other Asian countries. In this paper, two rare cases of the restoration of wall paintings on plaster are considered. These are the paintings from the tumuli at Takamatsuzuka and Kitora constructed and painted in the seventh–eighth century, which were discovered in the second half of the twentieth century. The wall paintings of Takamatsuzuka were found in 1972 and depict the four divine creatures, four groups of male and female figures, and constellations. Having decided to preserve the tumulus in situ, it was conserved on site for 40 years. Despite the many efforts to control biodeterioration, outbreaks of mold were not completely avoided. Following severe outbreaks of mold, it was eventually decided in 2001 to dismantle the site and conserve the wall paintings ex situ. After dismantling, the painted stones were maintained in a conservation facility. The objectives of the conservation programme were threefold: (a) to record the condition of the wall paintings; (b) to stabilize the weakened plaster; (c) to treat the problem of biodeterioration. In the case of the Kitora tumulus, the existence of wall paintings came to light in 1983, but their full extent was not confirmed until 2001; the tumulus was excavated in 2004. In its burial chamber were also depicted the four divine creatures and constellations, and drawings of the 12 signs of the zodiac. It was decided that the paintings should be removed from the burial chamber for ex situ conservation treatment, because some areas of plaster were already dangerously separated from the stone. The conservation measures were divided into three main areas, as follows: (a) maintenance of the wall paintings inside the burial chamber; (b) detaching and removing the wall paintings from the burial chamber; (c) reassembling the plaster fragments.