Japanese Restorer Reviving Ukiyo-e in Germany

Berlin, May 7 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese restorer is playing a major part in a project at a state museum in the historic German city of Dresden to shine a spotlight again on ukiyo-e traditional woodblock print and other long-buried Japanese artworks. The museum of the eastern German state of Saxony featuring a collection of prints is promoting a project to sort and restore more than 10,000 Japanese artworks that have been kept in its repository. Among those leading the project is Mayumi Nishikawa, a 48-year-old Japanese restorer. Ukiyo-e artworks to be restored by Japanese traditional artisanship will be on display at an exhibition starting in June. Nishikawa used to be based in the western Japan prefecture of Kyoto, where she repaired such works as ancient documents, including designated national treasures, kept at Todai-ji temple in neighboring Nara Prefecture. After moving to Germany for family reasons in 2012, Nishikawa, while busily engaged in parenting, had been away from the profession of restorer, which she had longed to pursue since she was a teenager. She had “given up” on making a comeback to the work, but a local job supporter helped to introduce her to the museum in 2016 to take advantage of her skills nurtured in “the home of washi,” or Japanese paper. The museum was then making a database of ukiyo-e and other Japanese artworks that have been collected since 1728, and restoring major pieces. Nishikawa, although she had no experience of restoring ukiyo-e, was appreciated for detecting the region and period of production only by touching Japanese paper, according to a colleague. It did not take long before her delicate and steady handling of paper fibers earned the trust of other project members. From time to time, there is a gap between the Japanese way of never adding colors to original works and the German way of being willing to touch up to make the finished works look beautiful, according to Nishikawa. Still, aiming to compromise, she adopts European techniques such as using a metal scalpel and chemicals for stain removal, while passing on her artisanship to local students. “I have so many works to complete,” Nishikawa said, as numerous items waiting to be restored have been keeping her busy. A senior curator said that it is hardly known that a large number of Japanese artworks are kept in Dresden. The latest project is expected to put the entire collection in the spotlight. The exhibition will showcase more than 100 selected pieces, including an ukiyo-e print titled “Gaifu kaisei” (South Wind, Clear Sky), also known as Red Fuji, by Katsushika Hokusai, a renowned artist during the Edo period (1603-1868). END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]