Sun, Apr 10, 2022
Providing financial support to help preserve Japan’s artistic treasures: This is one of the main undertakings of the Tsumugu Project, a joint effort of Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency, Imperial Household Agency and national daily The Yomiuri Shimbun (Tokyo). In fiscal 2022 (starting in April), the Project will help repair six cultural assets (two registered national treasures and four registered important cultural properties), starting with the “Historical Documents of Chomeiji Temple,” a government-designated important cultural property owned by Chomeiji in Omihachiman, Shiga Pref.
The historical documents (4,567 items) are a compilation of temple documents from the Heian period (8th-12th century) through to the Meiji era (1868-1912). The Tsumugu Project is providing support for the restoration of some of the papers from the compilation, namely, the Kokuya documents* (51 items), and the Chomeiji Temple Pilgrimage Mandala** (3 items), which accompany the former. On April 6, these items were transported to the Sakata Bokujudo repair shop in Otsu, the prefectural capital, from the prefectural Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum in Omihachiman, where the historical documents are held in store.
*Kokuya documents
– Kokuya refers to the section of the temple in charge of management and maintenance
– Chomeiji was burned down in war in 1516. Thereafter, Buddhist nuns raised funds to have the temple complex rebuilt. The Kokuya documents include the prospectuses issued for soliciting donations
**Chomeiji Temple Pilgrimage Mandalas
– Made during the Edo period (17th-19th century)
– Buddhist nuns used them to show and tell the history of Chomeiji and the grace of the buddhas to solicit donations
– Details relate activities of visitors to the temple and nearby town. Boats are seen on Lake Biwa
Chomeiji is located on the eastern coast of Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan. In it’s past, Buddhist nuns are known to have traveled across the country with pilgrimage mandalas in hand to invite people to come visit the temple or to solicit donations.
The documents are kept in boxes, but that was not enough to protect the items from insect damage and staining. The three mandalas that need fixing were folded, causing the pigment to peel off on the folds. Conservators are planning to spend the next three years repairing these items by masking severely damaged parts with repair paper and taking the necessary steps to prevent further peeling.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)
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