The Association forConservation ofNational Treasures

Assembly of Experts who specialisze in Conservation andRestoration of Cultural Properties in Japan and East Asia

Greetings

Arts such as paintings and calligraphies are painted or written
on fragile media like papers or silk, but regular restoration has
allowed them to survive several centuries and even a millennium
until today. The Association for Conservation of National
Treasures (ACNT) is an assembly of experts who specialize inconservation and restoration of cultural properties, mainly theNational Treasures and National Important Cultural Properties.

Cultural properties are our national treasures that make up ourcultural foundation. In order to protect and pass them onto
the next generation reliably, it is essential to inherit, polish, andimprove our traditional art based on many years of experiences.
In addition, we are now demanded to respond to various issues
surrounding conservation of the cultural properties appropriately,
by leveraging our creativity based on abundant knowledge anddeep cultural insight. Our mission is to contribute to the society
through conservation of the cultural properties by promoting
these activities.

MissionT

he mission of the Association for Conservation of National
Treasures (ACNT) is to improve and popularize the repair andrestoration techniques and to contribute to the development ofthese techniques in Japan, by improving repair and restoration
techniques for the National Treasure and Cultural Properties,
exchanging associated knowledge, and by promoting
collaboration and cooperation among the members, domestic
and foreign workshops.
the Restorer Certificate to the
1 Granting
restorers working for the corporate
member;research presentations, technical2 Hostingworkshops, lectures, and workshop visits;

3

Exchanging and cooperating withdomestic and foreign organizations
related to the National Treasures andCultural Properties;

ncouraging development,
4 Eimprovement,
and research of repair andrestoration techniques and repairingmaterials;

in trainings restorers
5 Cooperatingwith the Cultural Properties Selected
Conservation Techniques related torepair materials;

repairing materials and6 Co-procuring
preparing shared equipment;

succeeding generations in repair
7 Training
and restoration techniques;
restoration business,
8 Subcontracting
dispatching restorers, and selling
restoration-related materials; andbusinesses necessary to achieve
9 Otherthe objectives.

Workshops
12 members are in activity.

Sakata Bokujudo

ShigaTokyo

Handa Kyuseido
Shugo

Oka Bokkodo
Katsura Bunkazai Shuri Kobo
KoeidoShubi
Shokakudo

Shizuoka

Kyoto

Bokunindo

NaraFukuoka

Shuri Kobo Zaisho

Osaka

Bunkazaihozon

Maehashi Shurisho

ACNT

Since 1959 JAPAN1959

Representatives of sevenworkshops (one in Tokyo, fivein Kyoto, and one in Osaka) thatspecialize in restoration of theNational Treasures at that time
got together and established theACNT to improve their restoration
techniques, as well as to startassociated business1960Granted with the Organization
Award from the National
Commission for Protection ofCultural Properties

1967

Participated in "Repairing andConserving Painting of the East
Asia" co-hosted by the UNESCO
and the International Council ofMuseums (ICOM)Translated H.J. Plenderleith, "TheConservation of Antiquities andWorks of Art-Treatment, Repair,and Restoration" (1956)

1972

Started co-development ofelectron-beam deteriorated silkfor repairing silk-book culturalproperties together with theAgency for Cultural Affairs, theNational Research Institute forCultural Properties and theTakasaki Advanced Radiation
Research Institute in the Japan
Atomic Energy Agency

Social Contributionthrough Conservation ofCultural Properties
Human Resource
Development
Holding regular training
workshops (since 1996)
Hosting internship for restores(since 2006)
Building systems for allowing
restorers to focus on repair of thecultural properties with assurance(Introduced an earnings standard
with the certification systems
unified among the member
workshops/unified pension
systemInternational
Cooperation
Giving instructions about
techniques of restoring paintingsof the East Asia, based on therequests from foreign countries
Activating technical exchangethough international symposium,
etc

Accountability
1990

Started cooperation for"Conservation and Restorationof Japanese Antiques in Foreign
Countries" with the Agency for
Cultural Affairs, the National
Research Institute for Cultural
Properties, Tokyo, and theFoundation for Cultural Heritageand Art Research

Restorer Certification System(Objective Evaluation of TechnicalSkills)
Planning Restoration Guidelines(Standard Specifications) for
Designated Cultural Properties

1995

Development andImprovementof Techniques andMaterials

2003

Development of electron-beamdeteriorated silk (since 1972)
Maintaining, training, andinheriting traditional restoration
techniques by active use ofmaterials and tools designated as
selected conservation techniques(hand-made Japanese papers,Japanese brush)

Received designation of theSelected Conservation Technique
Conserving Organization by theAgency for Cultural Affairs
Granted with the Special Awards
from the Japan Foundation
Hosted the internationals y m p o s i u m " Te c h n i q u e s f o rConserving, Repairing andRestoring Japanese Arts" in Nara

Started operation of the restorer
registration system and restorer
certification system

2004

Hosted "International Symposiumon the Present and the Futureof Oriental Cultural Property
Conservation" in Kyoto

ACNT
About Logomark
For the entire tone and atmosphere, we used
the motif of "Rising Sun," which is the symbolin the Japanese national flag, to sublime theimage of "National Treasures". The dusky-red
color is used to emphasize the "tradition," andthe overlapping tweezers express "precisework" and "modernity." The letters "The
Association for Conservation of National
Treasures" and the abbreviation "ACNT" areplaced beside it so that even the foreigners
can easily recognize it.

Members
As of April 2016

Director

Masayuki SAKATA

Sakata Bokujudo Co.Ltd.

Vice Director

Yutaka SUZUKI		
Shokakudo Co.Ltd.

Executive Director

Noriko YAMAMOTOSenior Director

Masaki HANDA		
Handa Kyuseido Co.Ltd.

Iwataro Yasuhiro OKA
OKA Bokkodo Co.Ltd.

Masaki UTSUNOMIYA
Shubi Co.Ltd.

AuditorKazuhiko IKEDA
Shugo Co.Ltd.

Members

Tadashi OHSUGA

Koei-do Co.Ltd. 		

Takehisa OYAGI

Katsura Bunkazai Shuri Kobo Co.Ltd.		

Yoshiaki FUJII

Shuri Kobo Zaisho Co.Ltd.

Jun'ichi MAEHASHI

Maehashi Shurisho Co.Ltd.

Sotaro YAMAGUCHI
Bokunindo Co.Ltd.

Hiroshi YOSHIOKA
Bunkazaihozon Co.Ltd.

AccessSUBWAYTOZAI LINE

EMail: info@kokuhoshuri.or.jp

Website: http://www.kokuhoshuri.or.jp/e

Get off at "Karasuma Oike" Station〔Karasuma Line K08・Tozai Line T13〕of the Kyoto
Municipal Subway, exit from the 3-1 or 3-2 Exit; 3 min. on foot.
(Karasuma Oike Station is the third station from the Kyoto Station; it takes 5 min.)●SoftBank●au●LAWSON
Higashino-toin St.

Started providing technicalassistance in the British Museum
Hosted "The First International
Symposium on Paper
Conservation in East Asia" inBeijing, China
Started internship for restorers

Tel: +81-75-211-2609 Fax: +81-75-211-2631

SUBWAYKARASUMA LINE

2006

Nippo
Karasuma Bldg.
Aneyakoji St.

08
NTT-WEST Kyoto Branch

Sanjo St.
↓Kyoto Station

SanjoKeihan→

Kurumayacho St.

KYOTO 604-8187 Japan

Karasuma St.

445 Sasaya-cho, Oike-sagaru, Higashinotoin-Dori, Nakagyo-ku,

■EXIT
３−１

Oike St.
■３ー２

13

KARASUMA OIKE

The Association for Conservation of National Treasures

Brief History▲N

Nakagyo
PostOffice