Repair work of Sanzen-in’s classical books and documents moves steadily forward

Classical books and documents stored in the Ennyu-zo repository of Sanzen-in* — a monzeki (temple for Buddhist priests of imperial or aristocratic lineage) of the esoteric Tendai school of Japanese Buddhism in Kyoto’s Ohara district — have been under repairs since 2021. Careful conservators are taking time to determine how to proceed with the repair work in response to the damages incurred over time.

*Sanzen-in temple

The monzeki temple was originally built by Saicho (Dengyo Daishi, 767-822), the founder of the Tendai school, as a hermitage upon establishing Enryaku-ji (a monastery and headquarters of Tendai) on Mt. Hiei (Shiga Prefecture). It was officially named Sanzen-in in 1871.

The repository houses a number of books and documents including imperial missives, records of memorial services, reference books, notebooks and diaries. The repair involves 287 items in need of urgent care out of a total of 8371 items, which are collectively designated as an important cultural property.

A conservator from Shokakudo, a repair shop based in Kyoto, explained the damages to the books and documents in detail in a meeting with representatives of Sanzen-in and the Cultural Affairs Agency. Pointing to a diary from the Edo period severely damaged by bookworms, the conservator said the pages could not be opened and thereby have to be dealt with the sukibame (leafcasting) method, which involves unbinding the book and filling in the damaged parts with replacement fiber of the same quality as the old paper.

Some of the books and booklets were bound in ways unknown to the people of today. How to repair these books and booklets are yet to be decided, as well as the new storage environment needed after the repair.

The repair work is financially supported by the Tsumugu Project, a joint undertaking by Japan’s Cultural Affairs agency, Imperial Household Agency and national daily newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun (headquartered in Tokyo) to help conserve the nation’s artistic treasures.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)