ICOM-CC Illuminating Japanese Buddhist

19th Triennial Conference

2021 Beijing
sculpture: Conservation, history,
analysis, and presentation
SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY,
AND ARCHITECTURAL
DECORATION

Abigail Hykin* INTRODUCTION

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Conservation and Collections Management
Boston MA, USA The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has one of the largest and most
akykin@mfa.org
https://www.mfa.org/
important collections of Japanese Buddhist sculpture outside of Japan.
Linsly Boyer Since 1909, a number of these works have been displayed in a gallery
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Conservation and Collections Management known as the Temple Room, one of the most beloved spaces in the Museum,
Boston MA, USA constructed to evoke the contemplative atmosphere of a Buddhist temple
lboyer@mfa.org
https://www.mfa.org/ (Figure 1). The specific sculptures on view in the Temple Room have
Evelyn (Eve) Mayberger
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
changed over the subsequent century, the current installation consisting
Conservation and Collections Management of seven large-scale wooden Buddhist images from the Heian period
Boston MA, USA
emayberger@mfa.org (9th–12th century). While the gallery is briefly closed for upgrades of the
https://www.mfa.org/
Richard Newman
climate control system, the sculptures have been temporarily relocated
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to an adjacent gallery where conservators are studying and treating the
Conservation and Collections Management
Boston MA, USA works as part of a multiple-year exhibition entitled Conservation in Action:
rnewman@mfa.org
https://www.mfa.org/ Japanese Buddhist Sculpture in a New Light.1
Michele Derrick
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Conservation and Collections Management
Boston MA, USA
mderrick@mfa.org
https://www.mfa.org/
*Author for correspondence

Keywords
Japan, Buddhism, conservation, sculpture,
polychromy, woodblock construction,
inscriptions, public outreach

Abstract
The Japanese Temple Room where seven Bud-
dhist sculptures from the Heian period (9th–12th
century) are displayed has long been one of the
most beloved spaces at the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston. However, the gallery is temporarily
closed to make much-needed improvements to
the Museum’s Asian Wing. This allows the rare
opportunity for conservators to access the elabo- Figure 1. View of the Japanese Temple Room, Gallery 279. © 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
rately polychromed and gilded sculptures, many
of which need urgent conservation. Conservators
are studying and treating the sculptures in an
CONSERVATION: HISTORICAL APPROACHES AND CURRENT
adjacent gallery in full view of the public as part STRATEGY
of a multiple-year exhibition entitled Conserva-
tion in Action: Japanese Buddhist Sculpture in
The Buddhist sculptures displayed in the Temple Room were created
a New Light. This paper presents an overview of centuries ago to serve as active devotional figures in Japanese temples and
the conservation history, treatment, and analysis have long histories of deterioration, alteration, and restoration occurring
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SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY, AND
ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture:
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation
of the sculptures, as well as the impact of public
access to such a large-scale project and plans for
additional didactic technologies to be included
in the galleries in the future.
Figure 2. Fudō myōō, the Immovable One,
Japanese, Late Heian period (12th century).
Japanese cypress (hinoki) with polychrome
and gold; joined woodblock construction;
height of figure: 98.8 cm; Special Chinese and
Japanese Fund. 05.220.1-3. © 2020 Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston
Figure 3. Bishamonten, the Guardian of
the North, Japanese, Late Heian period (late
11th–12th century). Japanese cypress (hinoki)
with polychrome and gold; joined woodblock
construction; height of figure: 169 cm; William
Sturgis Bigelow Collection. 11.11409.1-2.
© 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
throughout their time in Japan, as well as at the MFA. Like much of the
Japanese collection at the MFA, these works were brought to Boston in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries by prominent Bostonians Ernest
Fennalosa and William Sturgis Bigelow, in consultation with Okakura
Kakuzō, the MFA’s first curator of Chinese and Japanese Art (Morse 1999).
Since acquisition, the care of Japanese sculpture at the MFA has fallen
to different conservation studios with a variety of treatment approaches,
from both eastern and western conservation traditions. Okakura brought
his colleague, the sculptor and restorer Niiro Chunosuke, to Boston from
1909–10 to address the sculptures’ condition as well as assist with their
installation in newly constructed Japanese galleries. Later, Japanese paintings
conservators in the MFA’s Asian Conservation Studio carried out major
restorations of several sculptures in the early 1980s, including structural
treatments and extensive regilding. Records of these early treatments are
limited to documentary images or brief notes in the MFA Annual Reports.
The sculptures are now under the care of the MFA’s Objects Conservation
Laboratory, which is responsible for the full range of sculpture and decorative
arts in the encyclopedic museum.
As the sculptures no longer serve a solely devotional purpose but exist as
historical artifacts in a museum context, the objectives of their preservation
must be carefully considered. The current project focuses on the stabilization
of the sculptures by addressing condition problems such as flaking and lifting
paint, gilding and lacquer layers, and surface cleaning to remove museum
dust.2 Examination, analysis, and technical imaging play an important
role in understanding material selection, discerning the manufacturing
techniques, recognizing restoration areas, and guiding the treatment choices.
Restorative elements, especially those materials applied in Japan or by
Niiro Chunosuke around the time of acquisition, are considered significant
aspects of the objects’ history and will be preserved and analyzed in
order to learn more about those techniques. Due to the intentionally low
light levels in the Temple Room, only minimal aesthetic compensation
is being done at this time. The conservators work closely with curators,
research scientists, and imaging experts to analyze and interpret results.
Partnerships with outside collaborators, both local and international, have
also been instrumental in this research.3
CASE STUDIES
Given the brevity of this article, the discussion will be limited to two
sculptures, both standing figures from the late Heian period with significant
remaining polychromy: Fudō myōō, the Immovable One and Bishamonten,
the Guardian of the North (Figures 2, 3). These sculptures present many
of the common treatment issues encountered in the project. Discoveries
and questions raised during treatment were shared with dedicated gallery
guides and the public throughout the treatment process, even as the impact
of the treatments themselves was often not visually dramatic.
Fudō myōō is the leader of the Five Wisdom Kings, responsible for carrying
out the wishes of Dainichi Nyorai, the central deity of the Esoteric sect of
Buddhism. The deity is depicted with a frightening expression evident on
his face, standing upon a rocky base, and surrounded by a mandorla of red
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ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture:
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation
Figure 4. Composite, digitally stitched
x-ray radiographs of Fudō myōō (frontal and
profile). © 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Figure 5. Composite, digitally stitched
x-ray radiograph of Bishamonten (frontal)
and detail of votive plaque in chest cavity.
© 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
flames, both carved separately and attached to the base with mortise and
tenon joins. Fudō myōō holds a wooden sword in his right hand and wears
modest gilt metal jewelry, all later additions. An additional key attribute,
a lasso with which he encourages Buddhist converts, is now missing. A
long braid once hanging on his left shoulder is also lost.
Bishamonten, the Guardian of the North, is the most powerful of the
four guardians of the cardinal directions often placed at the corners of a
Buddhist altar. He is identifiable by his elaborate armor and the pagoda
held in his raised left hand. Bishamonten is frequently shown holding
a trident or other weapon in his right hand and standing on a defeated
demon; however, the weapon is missing from the MFA’s sculpture and
the base depicts a rocky outcropping. The sculpture inserts into the base
by mortise and tenon joints at the feet. The rocky base and the pagoda
are both modern additions created by Niiro Chunosuke.
Construction
Both these standing figures are said to be carved from Japanese cypress
(hinoki), although confirmatory wood identification is pending. Both
sculptures are constructed in the joined woodblock technique (yosegi zukuri),
in which multiple blocks of wood are assembled and carved before being
hollowed and permanently joined. Compared to earlier solid woodblock
construction, this technique reduced cracking of the wood, allowed the
creation of larger and lighter-weight works, and led to the development of
workshops with faster production of images as multiple sculptors could
work on a single object. The hollowed interior also allowed the insertion
of inscriptions, devotional objects, or crystal eyes, particularly in later
works (Hiromitsu 1997, 63).
X-ray radiographs confirm that the figure of Fudō myōō is hollow, with
no evidence of contents or relics (Figure 4). The wood is joined vertically,
dividing the body left and right, with additional joins at the shoulders
and elbows. There are rectangular tenons apparent at the stomach, seat,
and shoulders. A variety of metal hardware, both ancient and modern,
can be seen in the radiographs, particularly around joins as they were
reinforced or repaired over time. Old iron cramps at the head, stomach,
and seat have been cut but not completely removed, indicating previous
disassembly (rust penetrating into the wood grain appears as a radio-
opaque “flare” and attests to their age). A number of large, wrought nails
are also seen in the joinery, along with modern, machined nails and brads.
Several smaller elements, including drapery at the waist, front chest, and
left shoulder, are attached with modern nails as part of later restorations.
Curatorial records indicate that the feet of the sculpture were repaired by
Chikabayashi Takayuki in Nara in 1899 before it was acquired by Okakura
in 1905 (Mizuno 1998, 37). The presence of cellulose nitrate in areas of
fill and polyvinyl acetate on the surface throughout the figure, base, and
mandorla indicate additional treatments performed in the 20th century.
From the x-ray radiographs, Bishamonten appears to consist of 15 joined
elements (Figure 5). It was also joined vertically down the center, with
additional joins at the shoulders, wrists, sleeves, shins, and front of the
feet. Relatively small mortise and tenons are visible at the shoulder joins.
4 ICOM-CC The head is a separate element that inserts into the collar of the body and
19th Triennial Conference was also hollowed and joined vertically, with another join at the topknot.
2021 Beijing
SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY, AND
The head is secured to the collar with four modern and deeply set finishing
ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION nails. A large amount of metal hardware is present throughout the object,
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture: including metal cramps and both aged and modern nails. “Ghosts” of
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation
empty nail holes seen at joins also indicate a previous disassembly. A
rectangular shape in the hollow torso suggests a votive plaque and may
include an inscription; therefore, conservators are consulting with medical
Table 1. Materials identified on Fudō myōō contacts regarding the use of a pediatric endoscope (diameter < 5 mm) to
Color Pigment Location fit between the head and collar.
Black (Assumed carbon-based) Various
Polychromy
Blue Smalt Face
Red Vermillion Drapery edge Fudō myōō and Bishamonten both have significant extant polychromy and
White Clay Drapery edge
elegant cut gold foil (kirikane) decoration despite their current somewhat
monochrome appearance. In particular, Fudō myōō presents a darkened,
Table 2. Materials identified on Bishamonten black surface overall due to the deposition of incense soot from temple
Color Pigment Location
environments over centuries. Several imaging techniques were used to
Black (Assumed carbon- Various document the condition of the surface including infrared reflectography
based) (IRR), ultraviolet imaging, micrographs, reflectance transformation imaging
Blue Azurite Hair (RTI), and photogrammetry. The results of pigment identification by
Green Malachite Chest; proper
right arm
(portable) x-ray fluorescence (XRF and pXRF) and Fourier-transform
Celadonite Proper right
infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. Many of
shoulder; proper the pigments found have been previously identified in Heian and Kamakura
right arm; waist
works (Miura 2004), although there are several findings of particular note
Atacamite Proper right arm
resulting from the analysis.
Red Hematite Proper right leg
White Clay Ground layers; Iconographically, Fudō myōō would be depicted with dark blue skin.
face
The presence of smalt on the face (rather than azurite) was unexpected
Yellow Goethite Proper right
shoulder for a Heian-period sculpture. Smalt is known to have been used in later
White Clay Ground layers; Japanese paintings from the 15th–19th century, and in Chinese wall paintings
face
dating as early as the 14th century (Xia et al. 2019, 89). Although smalt is
Adhesive Protein (animal glue) Face; proper left
shoulder frequently associated with European paintings from the 16th–18th century,
Repair Calcite, Prussian Fills down center its presence as a blue colorant in earlier eastern ceramics has suggested
materials Blue, Goethite, Clay of figure that it may in fact have its origins in the east, and that by the 14th century,
cobalt ore or smalt may have been traded between east and west (Magurn
1942, 23; Xia et al. 2019, 96).4 The presence of oxalates located in a clay-
containing layer on the lower edge of the drapery adjacent to vermillion
indicates that this polychrome layer is of significant age (Bourdignon et
al. 2008, 158).5 Silver was identified in an area of cut gold foil (kirikane)
decoration, indicating the presence of silver leaf that is heavily tarnished
or worn and is therefore difficult to detect visually.

The surface of Bishamonten is also decorated with fine polychrome

Figure 6. Details of drapery on Bishamonten
showing fine cut gold foil (kirikane) and
painted details (10× magnification).
© 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
decoration, gilding over lacquer (shippaku), and cut gold foil designs;
small metal wires at the chest and skirt to which decorative elements such as
bells were once attached (Figure 6a–d). A large portion of the polychromy
has been lost over the years, exposing the underlying wood, but enough
of the decorative surface is retained to create a sense of the elaborate and
varied adornment the figure would have had originally. There are areas
where incredibly fine cut gold foil decorations are extant, though the areas
of painted gilding representing armor appear more modern and less finely
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SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY, AND
ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture:
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation
Figure 7. Infrared reflectography image of the
base of Fudō myōō. © 2020 Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston
Figure 8. Conservation in Action conservator
Linsly Boyer discussing the project with
museum visitors. © 2020 Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston
done. This could indicate that the artist responsible for the gilded areas
was not as skilled, the style was an intentional choice, or that these areas
date to a later period or restoration. Both calcium oxalates and copper
oxalates were identified in several locations throughout the polychromy
of Bishamonten: calcium oxalates are present in clay-containing layers,
while copper oxalates are in proximity to copper-based pigments such
as azurite and malachite. Proteins were identified in many of the older
polychrome layers, suggesting an animal glue binder. Fills along several
of the joins, including down the center of the figure, appear to be a modern
insoluble material extensively overpainted with water-soluble pigments,
though the exact identification of the fill material remains incomplete.
Inscriptions
Two inscriptions were located on the underside of the base (not original)
of Fudō myōō; one on an attached modern piece of wood merely identifies
the base as belonging to the sculpture. The other inscription, written in a
flowing script that has proved difficult to decipher, appears to name the
artist of the base and possibly its location and date of creation (Figure 7).
Although infrared reflectography was used to obtain a legible image,
the exact text remains uncertain. It is currently thought to provide the
given name of the artist as “Sagaminosuke.”6 The sculpture is reported
to have been given by a group from Kyoto to the Daitoku-in on Mount
Koya in 1655 (Mizuno 1998, 37). Perhaps it was also during this period
that a new base was created, the sculpture’s polychromy was restored,
and smalt applied to the face. Further research is needed to confirm these
suppositions. Bishamonten also has a newly discovered inscription on
the bottom of a wooden baseboard confirming that it was added by Niiro
Chunosuke in the early 20th century.
PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION
This conservation project is classified as an exhibition within the Museum
and is being used as a pilot project for interpretation in planning for the
future renovation of the Japanese galleries. Information about conservation
and the technical study of Japanese Buddhist sculpture is presented along
with the curatorial labels. Conservators are working with dedicated volunteer
guides and museum educators to help with public engagement and to add
supplemental didactic material as new information is uncovered (Figure 8).
This is particularly important because little visual change is anticipated as
a result of the treatments, an outcome which often surprises visitors and
prompts a discussion of conservation objectives and decision-making. The
public conservation space has necessitated the development of a concise
and thoughtful explanation of the current treatment goals in an accessible
and respectful manner that includes the variety of voices represented in
this project.7
The project has created exciting opportunities to engage visitors with
new didactics and technologies for the documentation, display, and
contextualization of Japanese Buddhist sculpture. Priorities are being
centered on frequently asked questions by museum visitors.8 Samples of
common wood species and identified pigments on Heian Japanese Buddhist
6 ICOM-CC sculptures are displayed in the Conservation in Action space. For select
19th Triennial Conference figures, accurate digital color recreations based on analysis are being
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SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY, AND
planned. Conversations are currently underway to 3D print a small replica
ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION of one figure using the x-ray radiographs and photogrammetry model
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture: to determine the individual pieces of wood used to form the sculpture.
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation
Magnets would be embedded in each section to allow visitors to assemble
this three-dimensional puzzle, reinforcing the understanding of joined
woodblock construction. Also in discussion are techniques for further
contextualizing objects from the Temple Room using augmented or virtual
reality digital environments. This project is being used as a catalyst to
explore new ideas and reimagine gallery interpretation at the MFA.

CONCLUSION

The exhibition Conservation in Action: Japanese Buddhist Sculpture in

a New Light is a unique opportunity for an ongoing conservation project
to be highlighted in a public gallery space. Conservators and specially
trained Conservation in Action guides interact directly with the public
in order to share new discoveries as much-needed conservation work is
being done. As a long-term exhibition, the project can also pilot the use of
new didactic technologies. New research strives to contextualize historic
interventions and inform decision-making, as the MFA looks to the future
reinstallation of the Japanese galleries. The Temple Room is a much-loved
site at the MFA and the sculptures displayed within not only physically
embody the different cultures of conservation and their individual complex
histories but have also epitomized the reverence of Buddhist devotional
images for generations of past and future museum visitors.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project would not be possible without the generous support of the
following individuals who shared their time, insights, language skills, and
technical expertise: Anne Nishimura Morse, Tomoko Nagakura, Hiroki
Takezaki, Philip Meredith, Michiko Adachi, Tanya Uyeda, Pam Hatchfield,
Kay Satomi, Osamu Yamada, Momoyo Kobayashi, Satoshi Yabuiichi,
Masahiko Tsukada, Sam Morse, Takehiko Nagakura, Sara Zaia, Peter der
Manuelian, Mechtild Mertz, Takao Itoh, Suyako Tazuru, and Eri Kokei.
The authors are particularly grateful to Dorene McCourt, Beverly Donovan,
and all the Conservation in Action guides who tirelessly interpret this
public space to museum visitors. Thank you to the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston for its institutional support of this project and to the Vance Wall
Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Lisbeth Tarlow and
Stephen Kay, Bettina Burr, and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd.,
who generously funded this work.

NOTES
1
For more information about Conservation in Action projects at the MFA, see
Hykin et al. (2019) in the References list. Project updates about the exhibition
Conservation in Action: Japanese Buddhist Sculptures in a New Light can be found at
https://www.mfa.org/collections/conservation/conservation-in-action/japanese-buddhist-sculptures
2
Consolidation was performed primarily with 3% isinglass (C.T.S., Italy) in deionized
water, funori (Talas, US), and dilute cold-setting fish glue (Lee Valley, Canada). Acrylic
putty (Flügger, Denmark) was used for several minor fills. Light surface cleaning was
7 ICOM-CC performed with a Nilfisk GM 80 variable-speed vacuum and soft brush, as well as latex-
19th Triennial Conference free foam cosmetic sponges.
2021 Beijing 3
This project has allowed for important collaborative partnerships such as: wood
SCULPTURE, POLYCHROMY, AND identification by Mechtild Mertz, Takao Itoh, and Suyako Tazaru; photogrammetry and
ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION augmented/virtual reality consultation with Osamu Yamada and replica craft tradition with
Illuminating Japanese Buddhist sculpture: graduate student Momoyo Kobayashi, both from Tokyo University of the Arts; traditional
Conservation, history, analysis, and presentation sculpture techniques with Eri Kokei; designing experiences for future galleries using
immersive and interactive technologies with Takehiko Nagakura from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; and others.
4
Under magnification, the smalt particles appear embedded in the black (likely carbon-
based) layer present across much of the surface. Whether this indicates an early date to
the application of the smalt or that the black layer (at least on the face) is a later addition
is currently unclear.
5
Although the length of time required for the formation of oxalates can be affected by
environmental conditions, their presence indicates that the polychromy layers have notable
age. Oxalates were found on both Fudō myōō and Bishamonten; see Bourdignon (2008).
6
Thanks to Hiroki Takezaki and Philip Meredith for their translation and research assistance.
7
One aspect of working in a public gallery is that the public can provide feedback on
conservation decision-making in real time. For example, one visitor expressed concern
that not replacing identifying accoutrements such as Fudō myōō’s lasso would diminish
the votive power of the figure. Conservators working in public view need to clearly
explain treatment decisions and rationales at every step of the process and recognize
that there might be conflicting opinions expressed.
8
Common questions from museum visitors include: What are these sculptures made of?
What would the sculptures originally have looked like? How are these sculptures created?
Are you going to repaint/regild these sculptures? How does one become a conservator?

REFERENCES
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oxalates in the painted layers of a medieval polychrome on stone, as revealed by micro
Raman spectroscopy. Studies in Conservation 53 (3): 158–69.

Hiromitsu, W.  1997. Enlightenment embodied: The art of the Japanese Buddhist sculptor
(7th–14th centuries), eds. R. Tomii and K.M. Friello. New York: Japan Society.

Hykin, A., M. Siegal, and T. Uyeda.  2019. Conservation in action: Object treatment as public
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4 September 2019, eds. F. Mairesse and R.F. Peters, 70–5. Paris: ICOM International
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Icofom-EssenceofConservation-FINAL.pdf

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10(1): 14–23.

Miura, S.  2004. Polychromy in Japan: A chronological compilation of artists’ materials. In

Historical polychromy: Polychrome sculpture in Germany and Japan, eds. M. Kühlenthan
and S. Miura, 244–50. Munich: Hirmer Verlag GmbH.

Mizuno, K.  1998. Buddhist and Shinto sculpture. In Japanese art in the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, eds. A.N. Morse and N. Tsuji, 177–95. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Morse, A.N.  1999. Promoting authenticity: Okakura Kakuzo and the Japanese Collection of
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Tenshin and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 145–60. Nagoya: Nagoya Bosuton Bijutsukan
and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Xia, Y., N. Xi, J. Huang, N. Wang, Y. Lei, Q. Fu, and W. Wang.  2019. Smalt: An under-recognized
To cite this article: pigment commonly used in historical period China. Journal of Archaeological Science
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and M. Derrick. 2021. Illuminating Japanese
Buddhist sculpture: Conservation, history, analysis,
and presentation. In Transcending Boundaries:
Integrated Approaches to Conservation. ICOM-CC
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