The Balance between Two Views on Restoration: The Renovation of an Unusual Japanese By?bu.

Abstract

This paper details the restoration carried out on a by?bu dating from the Japanese Meiji era, between the end of

the XIX century and the beginning of the XX, and acquired by a private individual from an antique shop. During

the restoration, the originality of the work was tested as some aspects differed from the characteristics of a

traditional Japanese by?bu. On one hand there are fewer layers of paper than normal and these are applied in an

unconventional manner. On the other hand the main images are painted and embroidered on fine silk; these two

techniques are not normally combined in the traditional manufacture of folding screens.

Throughout the entire restoration process the characteristics of a work of this nature (size, diversity of

materials...) were taken into consideration. At the same time, some thought was given to the difficulty involved in

undertaking a restoration which combines traditional Japanese restoration techniques with western approaches

and materials; including the scarcity of information which can be accessed from the West on works of art of

this nature and the challenge in adapting materials. The aim was to achieve a balance which coordinates the

functionality of the piece keeping the original materials as an integrated whole and which work in harmony whilst

maintaining the original values of the work.