Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Japanese experts have helped repair and preserve manyVietnamese antiques, Director of the National Museum of History Nguyen VanCuong said at a conference held this week in Hanoi.

The wooden doors at Pho Minh Pagoda and theAmitabha Buddha statue stored by the museum are among the seriously damagedartefacts which have been restored thanks to the support of Japanese experts.

“Preserving antiques is the most important missionof a museum, besides researching, collecting and displaying antiquities,” hesaid.

“In Vietnam, the work hasn’t been done well due tothe limitation of human resources, budget and awareness of the importance ofpreservation.”

“Over the six years, the museum received generousfinancial support from Japan’s Sumitomo Fund. Many Japanese experts likeKawai Hisamitsu, Katayama Tsuyoshi, Katayama Yoshiki, and Oshima Kentaro havebeen sent to Vietnam to help repair and protect many antiques stored atthe museum.”

The conference gathered Vietnamese and Japaneseexperts to exchange experiences and knowledge in preservation. They alsodiscussed solutions to upgrade the quality of preservation at museums andpromote international cooperation in this field.

The Amitabha Buddha statue belongs tothe Kamakura period in Japan (!3th century). It is made from woodwith gilt lacquer. The surface is painted in black lacquer with decorativemotifs applied in gold pigment and cut gold leaf. The figure wears a robe and lowersthe left hand with the palm facing forward and thumb and index fingers joined.The right hand is raised to the level of the shoulder, with palm facing forwardand thumb and index finger joined. Both hands form the Amitabha mudra,welcoming spirits to the Pure Land. The figure’s feet are spreadapart slightly and he stands on a lotus pedestal. The nimbus that would haveframed the figure from behind has been lost.

This figure originally belonged to the collectionof the Tokyo National Museum (then Tokyo Imperial Household Museum).It is one of the artefacts the museum granted to the l’École Françaised’Extrème Orient (EFEO) which had its main offices in Hanoi at the time of anexchange between the two agencies in 1943.

Now the statue is stored and preserved by theNational Museum of History. Cuong said that in addition to being valuableexamples of Japanese Buddhist sculpture existing in Southeast Asia, theyare also very important witnesses to the history of cultural exchange betweenour two countries.

“Overall, the lacquered surface exhibits finecracking and uplifting with evidence of some areas of loss,” he said.

“Areas of gold pigment and applied cut gold leafin the designs exhibit losses due to deterioration over time. Adhesive affixingthe spiral curls of hair to the head has weakened and approximately half of thecurls have been lost.”

Meanwhile, the doors of Pho Minh Pagoda datingfrom the Tran Dynasty (13th-14th century) in the northern province of NamDinh also been repaired thanks to the project.

The door is created with two large sheets ofironwood (1.91m by 1.39m). The top is decorated by four dragons, divided intotwo symmetrical pairs. Dragons that are decorated on carved wooden doorsare always characterized by a high lifted head, curving body and tail towardthe top of bodhi leaves.

The Pho Minh Pagoda was built from the Ly Dynasty(the 10th century) and was restored during the Tran dynasty. The pagoda waslisted as a National Relic in 1962.

“It took three years for us to work withVietnamese specialists to repair these antiques,” said Kawai Hisamitsu. “Theconservation was divided into different steps, investigation, making of thelost pieces, fixing the surface, reinforcing surfaces and finishing with anantique look.”-VNS/VNA