Training Reporton
Cultural Heritage Protection
Training Course for Researchers in Charge of Cultural Heritage Protectionin Asia and the Pacific 2016 -Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar8 November - 6 December, 2016, Nara, Japan

Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
Agency for Cultural Affairs, JapanTokyo National Museum
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Training Reporton
Cultural Heritage Protection
Training Course for Researchers in Charge of Cultural Heritage Protectionin Asia and the Pacific 2016 -Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar8 November - 6 December, 2016, Nara, Japan

Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
Agency for Cultural Affairs, JapanTokyo National Museum
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Edited and Published by
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
Nara Prefecture Nara Branch Office Ground Floor
757 Horen-cho, Nara 630-8113 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)742-20-5001
Fax: +81-(0)742-20-5701
e-mail: nara@accu.or.jp
URL: http://www.nara.accu.or.jp
Printed by MeishinsyaⒸ Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) 2017

On-site study at Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology

Backyard tour at Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology: Preservative processing room

Educational activity at Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology

On-site study at Chikatsu-Asuka MuseumOn-site study at Nara Palace Site Museum

On-site study at conservation laboratory of NNRICPWork session on planning and arrangement of exhibition

Work session on packing artefacts

Work session on photography at NNRICPWork session on photography at Nara Palace SiteOn-site study at Tokyo National Museum: Laboratory for clinical conservation

On-site study at Tokyo National Museum: Laboratory for research and analysis

On-site study at Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum

Closing Ceremony at ACCU Nara OfficePreface
The Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU
Nara) was established in August 1999 with the purpose of serving as a domestic centre for promoting
cooperation in cultural heritage protection in the Asia- Pacific region. Subsequent to its establishment,
our office has been implementing a variety of programmes to help promote cultural heritage protection
activities, in close cooperation with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (Bunkacho); National
Institutes for Cultural Heritage, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo and Nara;
Tokyo National Museum; the Nara Prefectural Government; the Nara City Government; universities;
and museums.
The ACCU Nara’s activities encompass training programmes for the human resources development;international conferences and seminars; the website for the dissemination of information relating
to cultural heritage protection; and the world heritage lectures in local high schools. In addition to
those, ACCU Nara Office offers “Local Training Workshop” which dispatches a group of lecturers
from Japan to one of Asia-Pacific countries and implements the practical training on cultural heritage
protection on sites. Besides, we annually appoint “International Correspondent” from each country
for the purpose of establishing closer ties with the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, who will
periodically send latest reports on cultural heritage protection in their country.
Regarding training programmes for the human resources development, our office has been conducting
two types of the training course in Nara: for the group and for the individuals. The group training
course offers the opportunity to sixteen experts from Asia-Pacific region for about one month with
two themes in alternate years: “Preservation and Restoration of Wooden Structures” and “Research,
Analysis, and Preservation of Archaeological Sites and Remains.” Meanwhile, the individual training
course is organised for a few researchers from one country on the specific theme according to theirrequests.
In place of the Individual Training Course, however, we have started new training programme fromlast year, Specific Theme Training Course. In this training we set a particular theme and invite several
experts from a small number of countries facing similar problems. The theme of the second year was
the “A study of Museology”. We invited a total of six participants for the programme, two each fromthe Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and the Republic of the Union of
Myanmar, all of which face the similar tasks of museums works. This programme was also organised
so as to provide them with opportunities to visit as many museums in Nara, Osaka and Hyogo aspossible. They saw them with their own eyes and learned how the museums or cultural heritage weremanaged and exhibited in Japan. We would like all of participants to develop and utilise the knowledge
they acquired through the training in accordance with the situation of each country.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan(Bunkacho); National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Museum (TNM) and Nara
National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (NNRICP); Hyogo Prefectural Museum ofArchaeology; Osaka Pref. Chikatsu-Asuka Museum; Todai-ji Temple; Nara Palace Site Support
Network; Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum; Nara Prefectural Board of Education; Nara
Municipal Board of Education for their cooperation and support.

NISHIMURA Yasushi
Director
The Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific
Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)Contents
I.

Introduction
1. General Information…………………………………………………… 3
2. Programme Schedule…………………………………………………… 8

II.

Summary of Training Course……………………………………… 11

III.

Country Reports by Participants… ……………………………… 35

IV.

Final Reports by Participants… …………………………………… 69

V.

Appendix
1. List of Participants…………………………………………………… 105
2. List of Lecturers and Interpreter… ………………………………… 107
3. Staff Members, ACCU Nara Office… ……………………………… 109

Introduction

I.

Introduction
1. General Information
2. Programme Schedule

At Todai-ji Temple (World Heritage site)2

1. General Information
Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protectionin Asia and the Pacific 2016
A Study of Museology(8 November – 6 December 2016, Nara)
1. Organisers
The course is jointly organised by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan (Bunkacho) ; Asia-Pacific
Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU); and National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National
Museum and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, in cooperation with the Japanese
National Committee for International Council of Museums.
2. Background
Every year since it was established in 1999, the Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, AsiaPacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU Nara Office) has organised two types of training courses
for human resource development—a “Group Training Course” and an “Individual Training Course” —for specialists in cultural heritage protection in Asia-Pacific countries.
Under the Individual Training Course, two to three specialists from one country can participate, withan original curriculum created to meet their specific needs and instruction in their own language (viatranslation/interpretation) if they wish, while under the Group Training Course, 16 specialists—one
from each of 16 countries—learn with a common curriculum in English.
ACCU Nara Office receives requests for Individual Training directly from government departments
and agencies of related countries, and JCIC-Heritage (Japan Consortium for International Cooperationin Cultural Heritage) in Tokyo and other institutions also provide us with information based on theiractivities, including research on international cooperation.
In the process of sharing the information that JCIC-Heritage and Nara National Research Institutefor Cultural Properties had collected from their surveys in many countries, we realised that there
are common problems related to research, documentation, conservation and utilisation of culturalproperties at museums in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. It is an urgent issue for those countries
to develop human resources in order to carry out projects for enhancing museums, including the3

establishment of new museums and improvement of existing museums.
Based on this situation and in response to requests from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar, ACCU
Nara Office decided to invite specialists working at museums to the training course on “A Studyof Museology”—research, documentation, conservation and utilisation of cultural properties inmuseums—. This will continue the Specific Theme Training Course which replaced the Individual
Training Course last year.
3. Dates and Venues
Dates: 8 November (Tuesday) – 6 December (Tuesday) 2016 [29 days]
Venues: Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO(ACCU Nara Office); facilities and museums of cooperating organisations.
4. Objective of the Training Course
This training course aims at providing participants with broad knowledge and practical techniques
concerning the practical work of research, documentation, conservation and utilisation of culturalproperties at institutions including museums.
5. Training Curriculum
Lectures・Presentations and Discussion
・Introduction to Museums in Japan・General Discussion: Results of the Training and How to Utilise the Content
Practical Training
・Practical work on Research of Cultural Properties Held by Museums
・Practical work on Recording/Documentation of Cultural Properties Held by Museums
・Practical work on Utilisation of Cultural Properties Held by Museums
On-site Lectures and Case Studies
・World Heritage and Museums in Nara・Case Studies at Site Museums
・Case Studies at National Museums
・Case Studies at Characteristic Themed Museums

46. Participants
The departments responsible for cultural heritage protection in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar
recommended six applicants suitable for the programme as participants. After close examinationof their respective applications, ACCU Nara Office then determined to invite all six applicants asparticipants.
Kingdom of Cambodia
Khom Sreymom (Ms)
Conservator
Sculpture of Stone Conservation Workshop,
National Museum of Cambodia,
Department of Museum,
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
Date of Birth: 03 November 1982 (Age 34)
Mang Valy (Mr)
Cultural Heritage Officer
Heritage DivisionKampong Thom Provincial Museum,
Department of Culture and Fine Arts,
Kampong Thom Province
Date of Birth: 23 October 1991 (Age 25)
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Khamseng Keoasa (Mr)Vice Head
Education Division
Lao National Museum
Date of Birth: 06 October 1977 (Age 39)
Khamphet Souvannalath (Mr)Museum Educator
Education Division
Lao National Museum
Date of Birth: 11 November 1985 (Age 30)

5Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Mie Mie Thet Nwe (Ms)
Deputy Director
National Museum (Yangon)
Department of Archaeology and National Museum
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture
Date of Birth: 17 August 1961 (Age 55)
Saw Aung Thein (Mr)Assistant Director
Cultural Museum (Hpa-an)
Kayin State
Date of Birth: 13 February 1962 (Age 54)
7. Others (Previous participants in Individual Training Course and Specific Theme Training
Course)This “Specific Theme Training Course” was organised and accepted six participants from three
countries in 2015 for the first time. The previous “Individual Training Course” accepted 57 participantsfrom 19 countries from 2000 to 2014.
8. Certificate
Each participant will be awarded a certificate upon completion of the course.
9. Language
English is the main working language of the course.
10. Expenses
Expenses for the training course will be borne by ACCU and comprise the following:(1) Travel expenses:
Each participant will be provided an economy class return air ticket between the international airport
nearest to their residence and Kansai International Airport (KIX), and domestic transportation costs
between KIX and their accommodations in Nara.

6

(2) Living expenses:
Participants shall, in principle, be provided the basic living expenses incurred from the day before
the training course to the day after the final day, i.e., 7 November (Mon.) – 7 December (Wed.) 2016.
Arrangements and payment for accommodation (a room for single occupancy) during the training
course will be made by ACCU Nara Office. In case a participant needs accommodation on the way to
and/or from Japan for any unavoidable reason (such as visa application or limited flight connections),
ACCU Nara Office will cover the accommodation expenses.
11. Secretariat
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU Nara Office)Nara Pref. Nara General Office, 757 Horen-cho, Nara 630-8113 JAPAN
Tel: +81-742-20-5001

Fax: +81-742-20-5701 e-mail: nara@accu.or.jp

7

2. Programme Schedule
Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific 2016
A Study of Museology(8 November – 6 December 2016, Nara)Date

9:30-12:30

13:30-16:30

8 Tue. Opening Ceremony (10:00~)

Orientation to the Programme

Venue

Lecturer

ACCU Nara

ACCU Nara

Todai-ji Temple/Kofuku-ji Temple/
Kasuga-taisha Shrine

ACCU Nara

Hyogo Prefectural Museum ofArchaeology

Hyogo Prefectural Museum ofArchaeology

Osaka Pref. Chikatsu-Asuka Museum

HIROSE Yukishige

ACCU Nara

KURIHARA Yuji
(National Institute forCultural Heritage)

16 Wed. [Lecture] Introduction to the Exhibition of Artefacts

Nara Palace Site Museum, NNRICPSUGIYAMA Hiroshi

17 Thu. [Work Session]Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions I

Asuka Historical Museum, NNRICPSUGIYAMA Hiroshi[Work Session]Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions II

Asuka Historical Museum, NNRICPSUGIYAMA Hiroshi

21 Mon. [Work Session]Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions III

Asuka Historical Museum, NNRICPSUGIYAMA Hiroshi

Nara Palace Site

SUGIYAMA Hiroshi

Nara Palace Site

Nara Palace Site Support
Network

Photography Section, NNRICP

NAKAMURA Ichiro

Photography Section, NNRICP

SUGIMOTO Kazuki

28 Mon. [On-site Study] Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study III

Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus
MuseumFUKUDA Kazuhiro

29 Tue. [Work Session]Management Methods and Storage Environment of Artefacts

Kitora Tumulus Murals Museum,
ACCU Nara

WATANABE Junko (JICA)

30 Wed. [On-site Study] Management of National Museums in Practice I (Tokyo National Museum)

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum

1 Thu. [On-site Study] Management of National Museums in Practice II (Tokyo National Museum)

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum[On-site Study] Management of National Museums in Practice III (Tokyo National Museum)

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum[On-site Study] World Heritage and Museums in Nara I (Todai-ji Temple/Kofuku-ji
9 Wed.
Temple/Kasuga-taisha Shrine)
10 Thu. [On-site Study] Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study I
11 Fri.

[On-site Study] Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study II

12 Sat.
13 Sun.
14 Mon.

November

15 Tue.

18 Fri.

[Presentations and Discussion]Country Reports [Lectures] ①Cultural Property Protection
by Participants
System in Japan, ②Museum System in Japan[Lectures] ③ Management of Museums, ④ Risk Management of Museums, ⑤ International
Strategies of Museums

19 Sat.
20 Sun.

22 Tue. [On-site Study] Management of Site Museums and Nara Palace Site
23 Wed.

[On-site Study] Management of Site Museums
and Cooperation with the Local Community

24 Thu.

[Lecture] Practical Work of Cultural Properties
Documentation I (Introduction to Photography)

25 Fri.

[Work Session]Practical Work of Cultural
Properties Documentation III(Photo Techniques 2)[Work Session]Practical Work of Cultural
Properties Documentation II(Photo Techniques 1)[Work Session]Practical Work of Cultural
Properties Documentation IV(Data Management and Utilisation)

26 Sat.
27 Sun.

December

2 Fri.
3 Sat.
4 Sun.

5 Mon. Submission of Final Report

ACCU Nara

6 Tue. Closing Ceremony

ACCU Nara

ACCU Nara: Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCONNRICP: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

8

At Tokyo National Museum

Trying on ancient costumes, at Nara Palace Site Museum

Summary of
LecturesII. Summary of Training Course

Summary of Training Course
8 November (Tue.)■ Opening Ceremony / Orientation to the Programme
The Opening Ceremony was held at ACCU Nara Office. After Mr NISHIMURA Yasushi, Directorof ACCU Nara Office, gave his welcome address, ACCU staff members were introduced and the six
participants of the training course from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar followed with their selfintroduction. The ceremony ended with taking a commemorative photography.
In the orientation session, the organiser briefed the course contents and rules.

Opening Ceremony at ACCU Nara Office

9 November (Wed.)■ World Heritage and Museums in Nara: Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple
ACCU Nara
The tour of World Heritage site in Nara started at Todai-ji Temple. The explanations about historyof Nara Period and features of the buildings at that time were made at the Great South Gate and theGreat Buddha Hall. In the afternoon the participants moved to Kofuku-ji Temple. After listening to
the description about the buildings and reconstruction work and going around the site, they visited the
Kofuku-ji National Treasure Museum. They observed new facilities and the manner of display.

At excavation site, East Pagoda(Todai-ji Temple)

At Kofuku-ji Temple (World Heritage site)

1110 November (Thu.)■ Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study I
TAKASE Kazuyoshi (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)
FUJITA Kiyoshi (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)
KAI Akimitsu (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)
TAGA Shigeji (Hyogo Construction Technology Centre for Regional Development)
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, mainly targeting children aged 12 or younger, introduces
tactile display concept to help the understanding of visitors involving many hands-on exhibitions, video,
and replicas. The museum also organises various hands-on sessions together with neighbouring elementary
schools, and 80 percent of 150 thousand annual visitors are elementary school and younger children.
Participants observed the creative ways of exhibition and a hands-on activity (braided cord making) withlecturer’s explanation. They also observed a backyard to learn the flow of archaeological artefacts from the
excavation site to the storage of museum.

Backyard: Pottery section

Making braided cord as a hands-on
activity of the Museum

12Conservation science section

Hands-on activity at exhibition roomWith the lectures

11 November (Fri.)■ Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study II
HIROSE Yukishige (Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu-Asuka Museum)
Chikatsu Asuka Museum is the museum of history focused on Osaka in Kofun period (approximately
300-500 A.D.), both to enhance public understanding and to serve as a research centre. At first, outlineof the museum was introduced such as the history of the area, the museum management and theactivities for local schools. Then, the participants walked around the museum, where a crowd of tumuli
spreads out. In the afternoon, they looked around the exhibition and storage room with lecturer’s
guidance. In the exhibition room, various methods of display using video, panel, replica and model
were introduced.

Mr Hirose (right)

At storage room13

Listening to the explanation about stone chamber

Model tumulus

14 November (Mon.)■ Presentation: Actual Situation and Problems in Museums■ Cultural Property Protection System in Japan■ Museum System in Japan
KURIHARA Yuji (National Institute for Cultural Heritage)
Participants gave a presentation based on their country reportabout the situation of museums in each country. The lecturer
asked some questions to each presentation and made comments
giving examples from his experience, and the participants
exchanged ideas among themselves. Afternoon lecture started
with the introduction of organisation structure and budget of
the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Then historical transition andcurrent status of Japan’s Law for the Protection of Cultural
Properties was introduced including its effective amendment inaccordance with the changes in the times. In contrast, remaining

Presentation

challenges were explained in the operation of Museum Act andthe qualification system for curators. The lecturer shared theinformation on ICOM (International Council of Museums) 2019
General Conference in Kyoto such as its organisation, activity,and objective, as well as UNESCO recommendation on theprotection and promotion of museums and collections proposedin the conference of ICOM this year. The participants wereencouraged to utilise this recommendation in their approachto emphasise the importance of museums in their respective
countries for the improvement and enhancement of theirmuseums.

14

Mr Kurihara15 November (Tue.)■ Management of Museums■ Risk Management of Museums■ International Strategies of Museums
KURIHARA Yuji (National Institute for Cultural Heritage)
The lecture started with the introduction of features and challenges of four national museums of Japan,
focusing the situation after being transformed into Independent Administrative Institutions. Due to the
reduction of budget and changes in the operation contents, each museum is required to make efforts toincrease the number of visitors. The lecturer also illustrated various examples and ideas of museums
in Japan and other countries by using photographs and sharing his experiences, such as ingenious
museum shops or facilities, museum membership system, ideas related to a special exhibition, andthe concept of Unique Venue to use the museum building for a different purpose from the originalfunction. In the end, the cultural property rescue operation at the time of the Great East Japan
Earthquake in 2011 was explained to convey the necessity of disaster prevention for cultural properties
to the participants.

With Mr Kurihara

16 November (Wed.)■ Introduction to the Exhibition of Artefacts
SUGIYAMA Hiroshi (NNRICP)
After the introduction of Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (NNRICP)
concerning its organisation and the role of each department, the participants visited Nara Palace Site
Museum. Explanation on the exhibition method was given during the observation.

15

In the afternoon, the participants observed the special exhibition with Mr Ino, an exhibition designer
in charge, who explained various technique to help the visitor’s understanding such as exhibition concept, space design method, and effect of colour. They asked many questions related to their problems
in exhibition, including appropriate height of panels or technique to exhibit stone objects.

Mr Sugiyama

Ar Nara Palace Site Museum

16

Mr Ino (exhibition designer)

17 November (Thu.)■ Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions I
SUGIYAMA Hiroshi (NNRICP)
The first day of three days’ practical training for the exhibition work
at Asuka Historical Museum of NNRICP. The participants started
with the museum observation after receiving the explanation of
the museum concept and its facility. In the practical training, theparticipants were expected to complete one exhibition country bycountry. They selected the items for exhibition, namely replicas ofsmall bronze images of Buddha and earthenware, and a display case,then practiced packing to transport those exhibition items.

Learning the method of packing artefacts

18 November (Fri.)■ Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions II
SUGIYAMA Hiroshi (NNRICP)At the beginning of the training, the participants observed the work to accept the loaned out
archaeological materials of Asuka Historical Museum just returned from Archaeological Museum at
Matsuyama City. It was the first time for all the participants to see a cargo truck exclusively for the finearts transport, and they showed great interest. Then, they continued the practical training to prepare
the drawing or sketch of exhibition plan by country. After the presentation of exhibition concept andthe discussion among members, each pair worked on the actual arrangement of the artefacts. The
participants were assigned to prepare display panels and captions over the weekend.

17

Measuring the item

Observing the professionals transporting cultural properties

Planning the exhibition in pairs

Sketch of the exhibition plan

21 November (Mon.)■ Planning and Arrangement of Exhibitions III
SUGIYAMA Hiroshi (NNRICP)
The final day of exhibition work practice.
Based on the assignment given over the
weekend, the participants worked on the
preparation of display panels such as caption
writing and layout. After the completion of
exhibition setting with the display panels,
they learned the lighting method. For three
exhibitions by three countries, the participants
exchanged their opinions as well as receiving
comments from the lecturer. Dismantle andremoval work was also practiced under the
instruction of the lecturer.

18

Arranging the display

Arranging the items

Making the display panel

Arranging the display

Evaluation by the lecturer

Completion19

22 November (Tue.)■ Management of Site Museums and Nara Palace Site
SUGIYAMA Hiroshi (NNRICP)The participants received explanations on the actual operation of investigation, documentation, andconservation of excavated artefacts of Nara Palace Site and others, while taking a tour of NNRICP
facilities. They observed various analytical devices such as X-ray fluorescence spectrometer orconservation treatment facilities for vacuum freeze drying or PEG impregnation of wooden artefacts
at Conservation Science Section. They also learned the investigation and documentation system forwooden tablet, wooden artefact, earthenware, and roof tile at Archaeology Section. They moved tothe excavation site of the Second Street of the Nara Capital Site near Suzaku Gate and received an
explanation from a researcher in charge.

At NNRICP: Archaeology Section

Observing excavation site20

23 November (Wed.)■ Management of Site Museums and Cooperation with the Local Community
Nara Palace Site Support Network
Nara Palace Site Support Network, NPO created by local community, acts for the protection andmaintenance of Nara Palace Site. Although there is no such case of the initiative of local residents forthe protection and maintenance of remains in the participants’ countries yet, they learned through the
NPO activities that involvement of local community leads to the long-term protection of archaeologicalsites. The participants experienced a guided tour of Nara Palace Site organised by NPO members, andobserved their activities in the palace area.

At Excavation Site Exhibition HallAt Imperial Audience HallWith the NPO members, in front of Imperial Audience Hall in Nara Palace Site

21

24 November (Thu.)■ Practical Work of Cultural Properties Documentation I: Introduction to Photography■ Practical Work of Cultural Properties Documentation II: Photo Techniques 1
NAKAMURA Ichiro (NNRICP)
The first day of the cultural property photography practice at
Photography Section of NNRICP. As a basic knowledge ofphotography, the participants received detailed explanations
on the function of camera and the relation between apertureand shutter speed, etc. After that, they practiced taking
photos of earthenware and others while learning various
methods of lighting. They exchanged opinions on theirworks and had feedback from the lecturer.

Lecture by Mr Nakamura

Photographing artefacts

2225 November (Fri.)■ Practical Work of Cultural Properties Documentation III: Photo Techniques 2■ Practical Work of Cultural Properties Documentation IV: Data Management and Utilisation
SUGIMOTO Kazuki (Saidaiji Photo Studio)
The second day of photography practice started with the review of the relation between aperture andshutter speed or the depth-of-field. The lecture covered the technique to take photographs without
blurring or distortion, and to attain the appropriate colour reproduction, contrast, density, and texture.
The participants practiced outdoor photography at Suzaku Gate of Nara Palace Site. At the end of thephotography practice, they received explanations on the method of maintenance and management ofdigital data.

Lecture by Mr Sugimoto

Photographing historical building23

28 November (Mon.)■ Site Museums with Distinctive Character: Case Study III
FUKUDA Kazuhiro (Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum)
Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum is operated under Designated Manager System, which was
explained in the lecture of Japanese Museum System. Efforts in the museum management with limited
budget and activities to attract visitors were introduced, and the participants had a chance to see theactual case of designated manager system. They showed greater interest in the program for children
and publicity activities through social media. The participants met a museum mascot, enjoyed “Kofun(tumulus) Lunch” tailored by the museum, and experienced museum activities. In the afternoon, after
they observed reconstructed Shionjiyama Tumulus, they had active exchange of opinions about efforts
of local museums with the museum staff.

Observing the exhibition

Tumulus Lunch

24

Mr Fukuda

At Shionjiyama Tumulus29 November (Tue.)■ Management Methods and Storage Environment of Artefacts
WATANABE Junko (JICA)
In the morning, the participants visited Kitora Tumulus
Murals Museum which is an experience-based facility
newly opened in autumn this year. Although theexhibition of original murals is only for a limited time,the museum provides visitors with full-scale replicas
and video images to support their learning about Kitora
Tumulus. The participants observed new methods of
exhibition including the video presentation of the projectfrom mural removal to their restoration.

At Kitora Tumulus

In the afternoon, the participants had a session to
overview the training contents to date. Based on thefindings from the visit to various museums, they reflected
the concept and the exhibition ideas of those museums
and made presentations. They exchanged opinions
deeply considering the factors such as features of exhibit,
communication method of concept, and targeted visitor
segment.

Considering the exhibition ideas

30 November (Wed.)■ Management of National Museums in Practice I: Tokyo National Museum
MATSUMOTO Nobuyuki (Vice Executive Director, Tokyo National Museum)
MITA Kakuyuki (Assistant Curator, Education Programming)
KOBAYASHI Maki (Supervisor, Education Division)
FUJITA Chiori (Curator, Education Programming)
In the morning the participants moved to Tokyo and had the afternoon
programme at Tokyo National Museum.
Tokyo National Museum is the oldest museum with one of the largest
collection in Japan. Started with a warm welcome by Mr Matsumoto,Vice Executive Director, the participants received a lecture from Mr Mitaon the collection and exhibition of The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures.
After the explanation on the features of Buddha statues or artefacts andthe restoration of textile dyeing, they visited the gallery exhibition.

Mr Matsumoto25

The participants made observation in details such as lighting methods
for fine decoration and temperature/humidity control in exhibition
rooms. Then, Ms Kobayashi of Education Division gave a lecture on
the education at the museum. Various activities to connect visitorswith the museum were introduced including workshops, lecture
meetings, volunteer services, etc. Ms Fujita of Education Division
showed the participants around the activities for the education in themuseum, such as hands-on exhibitions or experience programmes forchildren included in the regular exhibition.

Ms Kobayashi

At Tokyo National Museum

Lecture by Mr Mita26

At the Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures

Ms Fujita (left)

Educational activities in the exhibition room

1 December (Thu.)■ Management of National Museums in Practice II: Tokyo National Museum
TOMITA Jun (Director, Curatorial Research Department)
TSUCHIYA Yuko (Senior Manager, Conservation Technology Section)
OYAMA Yuzuruha (Chief Curator, Decorative Arts Section)
ARAKI Tominori (Senior Manager, Research Analysis Section)
The second day at Tokyo National Museum. Mr Tomita explained overview of the museum,mentioning the current status, activities to increase visitors and the future vision. The participants hada privilege to observe the storage area of the museum. During the observation, they learned about thestorage technique to accommodate an enormous volume of collection, temperature/humidity control,
wooden cases suitable for Japanese arts and crafts. A lecture on conservation and restoration by Ms
Tsuchiya followed. After the lecture on “Clinical Conservation” concept consisting of three factors
such as environmental arrangement, research and analysis, and conservation and restoration; theparticipants observed the conservation laboratory.

27

In the afternoon, Ms Oyama gave a lecture on the Japanese Gallery exhibition. The lecturer mentioned
the difficulty of exhibiting Japanese fine arts and crafts in one gallery due to their diversity in age andmaterial. At present, different colours are used for display tables in accordance with the time period.
This method was new for the participants and drew their attention.

Lecture by Mr Tomita

Ms Tsuchiya

Lecture by Ms Tsuchiya at the laboratory for clinical conservation

Lecture by Ms Oyama at Japanese Gallery

28

The participants also had a lecture by Mr Araki on the research and analysis of cultural property.
Examples of two research approaches for the protection of cultural properties, namely prevention anddiagnosis, were introduced to highlight the importance of research and analysis. They moved to the
X-ray CT laboratory and observed the latest technology of analytical research.
At the end of the day, the participants had an opportunity to discuss with the lecturers. They shared
the impressions of two-day programme at Tokyo National Museum and asked some questions on
the museum collection or the cooperation with overseas museums. Mr Matsumoto, Vice Executive
Director, concluded the session with the prospect of mutual collaboration as the museums in Asia.

Lecture by Mr Araki at the laboratory for research and analysis

Discussion with the lecturers

2 December (Fri.)■ Management of National Museum in Practice III: Tokyo National Museum
The participants had their own observation of exhibition and museum shop at Tokyo National Museum
reflecting the lecture contents. They also visited National Museum of Nature and Science as an
example of natural science museum. Each participant took a serious look at the exhibition as the firstexperience in the training to visit a museum in the category other than history.

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5 December (Mon.)
Submission of final report.
6 December (Tue.)■ Closing Ceremony
Closing ceremony at ACCU Nara Office. Mr Tamaki, Deputy Director of ACCU Nara, delivered
congratulatory address to the participants for their completion of the program. After receiving thecertificate, the participants made comments on the one-month training one by one. Commemorative
photograph was taken and the six participants successfully completed the training.
Address from Mr Tamaki, Deputy Director of ACCU
Congratulations to all the participants for the successful completion of the training. We expect
great success of yours back in respective countries based on your learning here. We hope further
collaboration between ACCU and your countries through developing Asian network.

Closing Ceremony at ACCU Nara Office30

-Khom Sreymom (Cambodia)
In this one-month training, I learned a lot about museology such as photographic documentation,
exhibition and packing method, educational activities. I would like to utilise all of them for the
improvement of museums in my country. Knowledge about Japanese history and observation of
excavation were also interesting for me. I feel grateful for all the people concerned.
-Mang Valy (Cambodia)
Learning of Japanese cultural property protection system and museum management in this training
enlightened me on the limitation of the method used in my own country. Nara Palace Site and its
museum were quite impressive, and I would like to play the role to improve Cambodian ancient
capital like Nara Palace Site and conserve the artefacts there in future.
-Khamseng Keoasa (Lao PDR)
Relocation project of Lao National Museum is now going on. At the time of relocation, I would
like to utilise the packing and transportation method for cultural properties learned in this training.
I also plan to make new proposals with reference to the various exhibition methods and educational
activities observed in various museums we visited.
-Khamphet Souvannalath (Lao PDR)As I work for the education department of museum, lectures on educational programme of Japanesemuseums for local school or children were especially useful. Back in my country, I would liketo share my knowledge and experience in this training with my colleague and utilise them foreducational activities in my museum.

Participants making comments

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-Mie Mie Thet Nwe (Myanmar)
I widely learned from museum management and exhibition method to advanced educational activities
and human resource development. I would like to start the museum initiatives involving students andcommunity people right after coming back to my museum. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
-Saw Aung Thein (Myanmar)
I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this training and visit many museums to learn. I still havea lot more to learn and one month was too short. In the training, I find the necessity of improvement ofour museum education programme, so I would like to apply what I learned here in Japan.

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At Byodoin Temple (World Heritage Site)

Replica of Shura (sledge), at Chikatsu-Asuka Museum

Country Reports
by Participants

III. Country Reports by Participants

Cambodia

Khom Sreymom
Conservator
Sculpture of Stone Conservation Workshop
National Museum of Cambodia, Department of Museums
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts

Conservation and Restoration in the National Museum of Cambodia
Focusing on the Stone Conservation Workshop

Ⅰ．Overview of the history of conservation and restoration in Cambodia
Cambodia was a French protectorate from 1863 to 1953. During that period, many temples werediscovered in the Angkor region and other provinces by the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO),
a colonial research institute. The study of Khmer architecture and iconography began at that time, andthe damage and loss of cultural heritage prompted conservation work to begin for the first time. In
1907, the retrocession of Siem Reap province from Siam back to Cambodia permitted implementationof restoration work in the Angkor region by the EFEO in cooperation with the Royal Cambodian
government. With regard to the temples, the main work was to remove vegetation and carry out
anastylosis, as at Banteay Srei for the first time in 1931. But thousands of statues were also found atthat time, and it was necessary to inventory these statues, to clean and take care of them, sometimes
restoring them with iron pins and cement (Figs. 1, 2), and to take rubbings, with all of this work
conducted in the storage facility for conservation at Angkor, the Depot de la Conservation d’Angkor(storage), which was established nearby the temples in 1907 in order to preserve the sculptures.
From 1960 to 1970, many buildings were constructed near the Siem Reap River to make the storage
area larger. With the similar purpose of preserving Khmer cultural heritage, the National Museum of
Cambodia was established for collecting, displaying, and preserving Khmer art objects. These works
continued after Cambodia gained independence in 1953. However, such work stopped in 1975 becauseof the civil war. During that period, sculptures were damaged as a result of many factors, including
abandonment, outdated techniques of restoration, and looting.

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Fig. 1. Naga, Angkor Wat, 1930
Photo 1960 (NMC-Carton-CA-00992)

Fig. 2. Siva, Prasat Thom, Koh Ker, 1934
(NMC-Carton-CA-3913)

Restoration with iron and cement around 1930
Ⅱ．Brief history of the National Museum of Cambodia
The national museum’s precursor, the Khmer Museum, was set up in the Silver pagoda at the Royal
Palace in 1905. From 1909, the collection was presented in a building constructed to the north of
Wat Phnom. The Albert Sarraut Museum, the first name for the National Museum of Cambodia, wasestablished in 1917 and inaugurated in 1920 during the French protectorate period (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. The Albert Sarraut Museum in 1920

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The museum was designed by George Groslier with inspiration from traditional Khmer architectural
style and decoration. Two years before independence, in 1951 the museum was renamed the National
Museum of Cambodia. After the civil war, from 1979 to 1991, it reopened as the Museum of Art andArchaeology. But it was renamed again in 1992 to its present designation as the National Museum of
Cambodia (Fig. 4). The main collections of this museum include objects made of stone (3,306 items),
bronze (7,469 items), and wood (496 items), plus 4,360 ceramic objects. There are also relatively
small numbers of textiles and paintings. Most of these items came to the museum through purchasein the early stages of the museum’s history, or were transferred from provincial museums or depots –for safeguarding – before the civil war (1975–1979). The collection was also increased remarkably by
donations from local and international individuals and institutions.

Fig. 4. The National Museum of Cambodia at present

After collection, artefacts were classified and registered according to material in the early stages ofthe museum’s history. The first cataloguing and inventory of the collection was done using the Latinalphabet, from ‘A’ to ‘S’, for representing the different types of materials of the objects. After the civil
war, however, an inventory system using the Khmer script was applied to each object. The Khmer signfor ‘Ka’ was used for stone objects, ‘Kha’ for ceramic items, ‘Ga’ for metal objects, ‘Gha’ for wooden
objects, textiles and ivory. From 2013, a new system of inventory was applied to all state museums
in Cambodia, in which objects are registered by the abbreviation of each museum name plus anobject number, without classifying the objects based on material. The museum has four conservation
workshops, namely the conservation workshops for stone objects, metal objects, ceramics, and a newly
established workshop for textiles. Wooden objects are also restored by the stone workshop. Eachworkshop plays a very significant role in the conservation and restoration of objects in the collection of
the National Museum in Phnom Penh, and also in provincial museums and other facilities throughout
the country.

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Ⅲ．Stone conservation workshop at the National Museum of Cambodia
Background information on the stone workshop
The stone conservation workshop was established through cooperation between the Ministry of Culture
and Fine Arts and the EFEO in 1996. As mentioned earlier, this workshop plays a very important rolein preserving cultural heritage in the museum, and elsewhere in Cambodia.
The workshop has responsibility for conserving and restoring all of the stone objects in museum
collections, including those of provincial museums in Cambodia, most of the latter having stone
objects as the major portion of their collections. In its early stage, this workshop also did conservation
work with metal and wooden objects and ceramics, but later the museum created separate workshops
for metal in 2004, and ceramics in 2008. The stone conservation workshop has restored 1,217 objects,
including 978 stone, 126 wooden, and 85 metal objects, plus 28 ceramic items.
Moreover, the workshop also plays a significant role in providing expert training to museums inneighbouring countries, such as the Da Nang Museum and Ho Chi Minh City Museum in Vietnam
and the Wat Phu Museum in Laos, for the conservation and restoration of stone objects, and fortaking rubbings of inscriptions. There have also been missions to Indonesia to take rubbings as well.
Additionally, the workshop has trained many national and international students in this field.
Brief history of conservation work on stone objects at the museum
There is evidence of earlier conservation and restoration work in the collection of the museum; stone
objects especially were restored before this workshop was set up. The earlier restoration was done
during the French protectorate period by using cement and iron pins to join the broken parts of theobjects. Iron is a strong material, but it sometime destroys the inner portion of the stone because ofrust. Accordingly this technique causes problems for the objects over a long period of time. From the60’s, stone objects were conserved using polyester and brass pins. But the polyesters of the time did
not age well and often cracked. In the workshop today, we conserve these objects by removing thecement, polyester, and iron pins, replacing them with stainless steel pins and new synthetic resins,
mostly epoxy. Many masterpieces of the museum have been restored using this technique.
Techniques and experiments in conservation and restoration of stone objects at the stone
workshopConservation report
During and after restoration, every action taken on the statues is written down in a report andphotographed.

38

Inserting pins inside the object
In the 90s, the technique used for pinning was different. It used metallic paths for the pins (Fig. 5),
which caused some unstable movement in the statues. Another problem is that when we take out theold pins, they leave some corrosion which is hard to remove.

Fig. 5. Metallic path for a pin

Filling the holes after inserting the pins
Next, resin is poured into the drilled holes to serve as the path for the pins. Formerly, artificial clay
was used to line the holes to prevent the resin from spreading outward, but as it is hard to clean thisartificial clay, we now use natural clay in place of the artificial clay which gives better results and iseasier to clean. The pin is taken out after pouring the resin into the hole, and is polished before it is put
back. This makes it easy to take the pin out when necessary later in the future.
With this technique, the use of brass pins is suitable, but this kind of material is not available on the
Cambodian market. Therefore, the workshop changed to using stainless steel pins (Fig. 6), which work
well, without rust. The first use of a stainless steel pin was for the restoration on the statue of the King
Jayavarman VII in 1998.

Fig. 6. Stainless steel pins with epoxy resin

The conservation of stone objects in the museum differs from techniques used at temples. At themuseum, removable pins are used, which is convenient for future conservation work. The pins can betaken out and they help to prevent breakage at different parts of the objects. At temples, however, allpins are put into the objects permanently and cannot be taken out. This is more advantageous for theobjects when they are handled.

39Patching the breaks
After joining the broken parts of the statue using pins, mortar is mixed with a primal resin (ACRYL33)
and used to fill in the gaps and patch over missing portions of the surface (Fig. 7). At first, water wasused to remove excess material for the finish, but it later became known that using a small knife toclean gives a better look.
Colouring
After patching broken and missing portions with mortar at the break, we apply water colour to give thepatch the same or similar colour as the surrounding stone (Fig. 8).

Fig. 7. Patching the breaks with mortar

Fig. 8. Water colour

Consolidation
With fragile stone objects, consolidation is done in order to make them last as long as possible,
especially for archaeological materials damaged by soluble salts. Normally, we remove the salt
components from the stone as much as possible using clean water and tissue with cellulose fiber (paper
powder). After removing the salt, the stone is dried out completely before applying the consolidationmaterials, ethyl silicate (KSE300 and KSE500; Fig. 9). If we do this procedure when the stone is still
wet, the stone will turn white in colour over the next two or three days. So we need to control thecondition of the stone before consolidation.

Fig. 9. Materials for consolidation

40

Other factors or problems causing damage to stone objects
Dust, humidity, human touch, and weather
Openly exhibiting objects in the museum gallery causes them to get dirty. Without temperature control,
the objects are also affected by the weather to some extent. Although the weather in Cambodia does
not have much variation in temperature throughout the year, the alternation of rainy and dry seasonscauses strong differences in relative humidity levels.
We must take care with the objects in the exhibition galleries because some visitors will touch thestone statues, which can cause surface problems in the future and also brings the risk of accident to thesculptures.
Termites and birds
Termites are a serious problem for the museum and its collections. Even though termites cannot
damage stone objects directly, they cause problems for stone objects with wooden pedestals or
supports. Termite damage to the base of wooden supports makes the stone objects unbalanced. Birds
also cause surface damage to objects exhibited in the outer courtyard, which get soiled from droppings(Figs. 10, 11).

Figs. 10, 11. Visnu and linga soiled by birds

Moving the objects
The museum does not have any mechanical equipment for lifting stone objects when moving themaround the galleries or in and out of storage. Both the galleries and storage have staircases whichmake it difficult to move heavy stone objects from the galleries to the stone conservation workshop or
elsewhere in the museum, or when they are sent for exhibit outside the museum, either abroad or atprovincial museums.

41

Storage
The storage area is not well adapted, located between the levels of the galleries and the basement.
Stone objects in storage are placed on shelves, or for heavy items, on pedestals on the floor. The
storage area is often flooded during the rainy season, which can have detrimental effects for thecollection. At present, there is only one machine for pumping water, but it does not work effectively
enough to pump out all of the water at times of heavy rain (Fig. 12).
Areas of need for improving the stone conservation workshop in the future
For its future needs, the museum might first consider improving its conservation techniques, doing
more experiments to find new techniques and materials that do not have strong negative impacts on
the objects. At present, the workshop still does not have enough equipment for analysing stone, whichis by far the most urgent need. Having a stone laboratory with proper experimental tools such as ascanning electron microscope, UV fluorescence spectrometer, or a Karsten pipe for example would be
helpful. This applies also to the other three workshops of the museum, not just the stone workshop.
Secondly, some of the exhibit locations for objects in the galleries need to be improved to reduce theimpact of the outside environment on the objects. Thirdly, the museum needs to improve the stairways,
to reduce the risks in moving objects from one place to another. Lastly, the museum should havemore cooperative programs for training its conservators, to enhance and update their knowledge andto catch up with developments in the world in this field. Moreover, the museum should provide moretraining programs on conservation and restoration to provincial museum personnel and help set up theprovincial conservation workshops for the long-term future.

Fig. 12. Flooding at the National Museum in 2016

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Ⅳ．Conclusion
The stone conservation workshop of the National Museum of Cambodia is recognized nationallyand internationally for its high standards. This workshop has played a very important role for themuseum in Phnom Penh, for provincial museums in Cambodia, and has also assisted foreign museums
in neighbouring regions with training in this field. In the future, this workshop will need to assist
the provincial museums in Cambodia in setting up their own workshops. However, there are still
many things that the museum needs to improve in the future in terms of the quality of conservation
and restoration of stone objects, as well as for objects of other materials, both with regard to thesurrounding factors affecting the objects and to conservation techniques. The museum also needs toenhance and update its conservators with newly developed techniques in the conservation field, so that
better and more effective methods can be applied to stone objects in the museum in the future.

43

Cambodia
Mang Valy

Cultural Heritage Officer
Department of Culture and Fine Arts of Kampong Thom, Cambodia

KAMPONG THOM MUSEUM, CAMBODIAINTRODUCTION
Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portionof the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is 181,035 square kilometers in area, and is borderedby Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to
the southwest.
Cambodia is rich in archaeological sites, around 3,000, with both prehistoric and historical sites. Of
special note, its ancient temples are famous all over the world. Many artifacts survive at these sites.
Some of the artifacts at the sites are not safe and are at great risk, so the government must manage
all artifacts to safeguard and preserve them. Sometimes we keep artifacts in a storage facility of agovernment ministry or department, and some areas of the country have museums to exhibit them andprevent their loss.
A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects ofartistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance, and some public museums make these materials
available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Museums havevarying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goalis increasingly shifting from serving researchers to serving the general public. In 1909 the Phnom
Penh National Museum was the first museum created, but now many museums have been set up in
Cambodia, around 30, which are managed by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the Department
of Culture and Fine Arts, the National Authority, etc. Most large museums are located in major cities(Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) and local ones exist in smaller cities, towns, and even the countryside.
In the case of Kampong Thom province, there exist two museums of which one is located in Stung
Sen city and the other at Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site (a pre-Angkorian site, 6–8th centuries).
Kampong Thom is one of the provinces in Cambodia located in the middle of the country. In this report
I will discuss one of the museums in Kampong Thom province, which is where my office is located.

44

Many artifacts are exhibited and stored in this museum. I will also discuss methods of collection,
installation, the management of artifacts, tourism, and advertising. In particular I will discuss the issues
and needs of Kampong Thom Museum, and this forms the main topic of this report.
GEOGRAPHY
Kampong Thom Museum is located on National Road No. 6 in Archaleak village, Sangkat Archaleak,
Stung Sen city, Kampong Thom province. It is 170 km from Phnom Penh, the capital city, 150 km
from Siem Reap province, and 1.5 km from Stung Sen city. It is possible to visit this museum easily
via an asphalt road.
HISTORY
This museum was built in 2008 and its artifacts were installed in January 2011 by officers of the
Department of Culture and Fine Arts of Kampong Thom, including the following.
•

Mr. CHHANG Kong, Director of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts•

Mr. HIN Sorphon, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts•

Mr. BE Tayse, Director of the Kampong Thom Museum•

Mr. HEAM Cheang, Museum Officer•

Mr. MANG Valy, Heritage Officer

Plan 1. Plan of Kampong Thom Museum (Source: LIM Try)

Plan 2. Elevation view of the façade and south side (Source: LIM Try)

45

Kampong Thom Museum was inaugurated on 31 March 2011, presided over by His Excellency HEM
Chhem, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts. It is built in a Khmer artistic style with a length of 20 m, awidth of 11.5 m, and a height of 19.5 m. The architecture was designed by Mr. LIM Try. The museum
has one building with two floors, the ground floor being for exhibiting artifacts and the upper floor forthe offices of the museum. The ground floor has an area of 60 m2 for the exhibits. To one side, we havea new gallery building but it is small. It was funded by the government of Cambodia.

Figure 1. Kampong Thom Museum,view of the façade

Figure 2. New gallery at Kampong Thom Museum,view from the west

COLLECTION
In the past, artifacts in Cambodia have faced destruction and degradation caused by two main factors:
human and natural. We therefore need to collect all artifacts that could be easily destroyed for safe
keeping. Many artifacts have been collected at the Kampong Thom Museum, from all over Kampong
Thom province, but especially from the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site. Some of the artifacts
were previously kept in the storage facilities of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts, of theprovincial party office, and some artifacts were gifts donated by villagers. We use a car and otherequipment to collect artifacts from a site.

Figures 3, 4. Collecting artifacts from a site to store in the museum

REGISTRATION
All artifacts in Kampong Thom have been registered by the Heritage and Museum Division. We use
Khmer script indicate the type of artifact, the sign “ក” for stone, “ខ” for ceramic, “គ” for metal and “ឃ”46for wood, textile and horn. Artifacts in the museum and at archaeological sites in Kampong Thom areboth registered. We have a register that lists both artifacts in the museum and at sites. In the register werecord the type or identity of the artifact, its registration number, measurements (width, length, height,
thickness, diameter), period and style, source and location found, date found, description, situation,
place for storage, date of registration, etc.
INSTALLATION AND EXHIBITION
Once we have registered an artifact, we begin the process of installing it in the museum. We install
artifacts ourselves because we do not have funding to pay specialized museum experts or workers. Our
team members are all officers in the Department of Culture and Fine Arts in Kampong Thom province.
We use pedestals constructed of brick and cement. These are made after measuring the artifact.
Pedestals are high or low depending on the artifact (Figures 5, 6). Artifacts in our museum are mostly
stone objects, so we face difficulties with installation because we do not have modern tools. Stoneobjects broken into several pieces are first joined using iron and epoxy before installation (Figure 7).
Sometimes we add brick powder to a little cement to complete the joining of pieces of a stone object
but we always use plastic to avoid gluing stone with brick powder or cement (Figure 8). We exhibit thecollection in the order of the period or style of the artifacts, from left to right. On the left side of themuseum we install pre-Angkorian (6th–8th centuries) artifacts, all of which are stone objects such as
lintels, Siva lingas, colonnettes, temple finials, antefixes, moonstones, inscriptions, drainage fixtures,
pedestals, sculptures, Nandi, and table ablutions. In the middle of the museum we install Angkorianperiod (9th–15th century) stone artifacts such as lintels, colonnettes, antefixes, inscriptions, sculptures,pilasters, pedestals, Siva lingas, fragments of pediments and boundary markers (sema). On the rightside of the museum we install post-Angkorian artifacts, both stone and wood, such as a wooden
Buddha image and boundary markers. At the moment we are exhibiting 91 objects (90 stone objects
and 1 wooden figure), but we are not yet exhibiting ceramics, and the new gallery we are planning
is not yet ready. All artifacts that we exhibit have information plaques near them to make it easy forvisitors to understand the display.

Figures 5, 6. Making pedestals and installing exhibited artifacts

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Figures 7, 8. Joining artifact pieces together

Figure 9. The artifacts in the museum

ISSUES AND NEEDS
We have certain issues and needs at our museum. At the moment the museum provides free entry to all
visitors, both Cambodian and foreign, so we have no income from this source to support the museum.
The only financial support is from the government, which is not enough for the development of themuseum. We have no ceramic specialists to work on the conservation of the many ceramic items
that have come from archaeological excavations. We only have specialists in stone objects. We haveinsufficient funding to buy modern equipment such as audio or video guides, security cameras, mirrors
for ceramic and metal exhibits, the construction of another building, or modern equipment for the
installation and preservation of artifacts. We find it very difficult to work without this equipment. Our
staff must work without modern equipment when installing or preserving artifacts. It is very dangerous
to install large stone objects and recently one of our staff was injured in this way. It also takes longer toinstall or preserve artifacts without modern equipment.
We are not yet able to promote or advertise our museum to visitors. We have not been able to create a website
or museum guide book. Our visitors are mostly students from high schools or universities in the area.
In the future we plan to install ceramic and metal artifacts but at the moment we lack another building
for exhibiting them. Kampong Thom province has a rich cultural diversity, and we would like to createan anthropological or ethnographic museum, if we had a new building and enough funding. Theseissues and needs continue to be major obstructions in our work.

48

Lao PDR

Khamseng KEOASAVice Head
Museum Education Department
Lao National Museum
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Lao National Museum Report: Museum Management for Creating a New
Museum and Museum Education
Introduction
In this report I will describe the current situation, problems, and needs for cultural heritage protection
and restoration activities in my country. The report mainly deals with my job and experience at
the Lao National Museum. First, I would like to give briefly some background and a descriptionof the permanent exhibition of the museum. Then I will look more closely at two themes, museum
management for creating a new museum, and museum education at the Lao National Museum.
Background
The Lao National Museum is currently under the Heritage Department, in the Ministry of Information,
Culture and Tourism. After the declaration the independence on 2 December 1975, the government
permitted the Ministry of Information to establish the Lao Revolutionary Museum. In early 2000, its
name was changed to Lao National Museum. The museum has collected artifacts from the whole of
Lao PDR, ranging from paleontology, archaeology, history, and ethnology. Now there are a total of 32
staff members, plus the Director and two Deputy Directors, in the following four departments.
1. Administration Department
2. Collection Department
3. Exhibition Department
4. Education and Public Relations Department
Permanent exhibition of the Lao National Museum
The Lao National Museum has its permanent exhibition displayed on two floors and divided into fiveparts as follows.
1. Prehistory
2. Lan Xang Kingdom
3. Modern history
4. Lao development
5. Ethnic groups in Laos

The current Lao National Museum

The new Lao National

49

Museum management for creating a new museum
I would like to discuss the problems and needs of museum management for creating a new museum.
Recently the government has decided to construct a new museum building, considering that the current
museum building is very old, more than 90 years, and some facilities are aging, and in the near future
after the construction is finished, we will have to move from the old facility to the new one. In keepingwith this theme, I would like to focus on the challenges we now face in two steps of the process: 1)
work planning and schedule management, and 2) moving the collection and display objects.
1) Work planning and schedule management
Since starting construction of the new museum building, the Lao National Museum has faced many
problems such as the staff not being able to make the entire plan for the new museum, not having
sufficient experience, not understanding what should be done in the future for the new museum, andespecially not being able to draw up a time schedule that plots out specific tasks. Another problem
is that each department does not understand or know what to think about in order to decide its own
preparations for the new museum. I will mention some examples from the Exhibition and Research
Department, whose main work is making the new exhibition for new museum, but where the staff do
not comprehend their work well and do not know the steps for making a new exhibition. Regarding
design in particular, no one on the museum staff knows how to do the exhibition designing.
Currently we have a volunteer from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), whose name is
Junko Watanabe, a curator from Japan, who is working in the Lao National Museum. She was assigned
to lead one group in making the new exhibition for Part II, the Lan Xang period, and she decided
to help make the whole plan for the new museum, but the Lao National Museum is not yet able tofollow all of the plan. Sometimes there are other tasks unrelated to academic work that disturb theschedule; for example the Lao National Museum may try to organize a discussion meeting for the new
exhibition on a particular day, but when that day comes, the meeting is postponed again and again. In
this situation, during my month of training at the ACCU, I need to learn and gain experience, from thelectures, discussion, and probably museum visits, about all aspects of museum management, including
how to manage work in a museum, how to make the processing go smoothly, how to make a museum
work effectively throughout.
2) Moving the collection and display objects
In the near future, after finishing the new museum building, the construction company will hand overthe new building to the government. Then the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism will orderthe Lao National Museum to move to the new facility. We are currently facing many problems such as
not knowing the exact time when the museum will have to move to the new place, as we have not yet

50

51

Comprehensive plan for the new museum made by the JICA volunteer

been informed by the Ministry. Most of the staff of the Lao National Museum lack knowledge about
moving objects, do not comprehend the steps before and after moving, for example before moving
what they should do for safe keeping to avoid damage and loss, and after moving where they should
place artifacts safely without disturbing the execution of other work. Another problem is transportation,
which is very significant for moving artifacts. But Laos lacks a good quality transportation company
with experience in moving museum collections. I worry about this, as I fear that during the move some
artifacts may be damaged and broken. In this situation, during my participation in the ACCU training
course, I wish to gain wide knowledge about how to prepare for moving artifacts, such as how toregister objects in storage and in the exhibition room, how to use techniques for cleaning artifacts indifferent conditions, how to pack various objects, how to use material suitable for objects as packing.
Another important thing I worry very much about is transportation. I hope to learn how to transportmuseum objects safely, because in Laos there is no company with experience in moving artifacts as
I mentioned above. Lastly, I also wish to know how to manage the collection in storage, and how todisplay exhibition objects after moving to the new museum building. This is very significant too.
Museum education at the Lao National Museum
At present I am working in the Education Department as Vice Head. Regarding this theme, I will cover
the current problems of museum education at the Lao National Museum. I will describe each problem
and then also refer to the needs about which I hope to learn and gain from the experience of thelecturers and other participants. Museum education at the Lao National Museum at present does not
respond to broad audiences effectively. I would like to explain some of the reasons why our museum
education is not broad. The first involves problems with the schools in Laos, as some public schools
do not understand what a museum is, and do not think of a museum as a place for learning outside ofschool. Therefore school teachers do not bring their students to the museum, and some schools arelacking in various resources such as transportation to the museum and budget for such visits.
The other problem involves museum personnel not appreciating museum education enough, so the
Education Department staff may simply guide visitors to the exhibition room. If the visitors do not
request an explanation, the staff feel they are left free, so they sometimes lack interest and motivation.
Regarding educational programs and events, we have no experience with these at the Lao National
Museum, so we do not know how to organize educational programs and events for school children
and other public audiences. This might be one reason why public schools do not often come to themuseum, and while some private schools do bring their students to the museum and ask how they canlearn there, the Lao National Museum has only one way of responding, such as guiding and giving
explanations in the exhibition room.

52Giving an explanation to secondary students

Soldiers visiting the museum

Another problem is that the museum does not have attractive exhibitions, so even if visitors who cometo the museum, especially family and students groups, may want some experience-based learning suchas through touching and listening, the current exhibitions in the Lao National Museum have little tooffer in response to their needs.
The last problem I need to discuss involves the accessibility and advertising of the new museum, as
the location of the new museum building is six kilometers distant from the city centre, but there are no
public buses passing nearby the museum, and it is difficult for visitors to walk there. Advertising forthe new Lao National Museum is also deficient, as it is never announced in the newspapers, radio, or
television broadcasts for the public to know and understand that the Lao National Museum will moveto a new location, and that all the exhibits will be renewed and the new museum will reopen to visitorsfrom near and far to visit in the near future. I worry about this, as I am afraid that after opening the
new exhibition, there will be few visitors coming to the museum.
Comparing museum education at the Lao National Museum with museums around the Asian region andin European countries, it has been very different up to the present. At developed museums in foreigncountries, every day there are many school children studying at the museum, and there are many activities
and programs prepared for them. They organize different programs and events suited to different students
each month of the year, and every day the museum staff works hard to welcome their visitors. Participatingin the ACCU training course, I would like to learn mainly about museum education. I wish to learn
how to make Lao people, especially young school children, become interested in the museum, and start
using the museum for learning and as an enjoyable place. I hope to study how to organize education
programs, and need to look at education programs in Japanese museums, and also hope to learn how tomake the schools attracted to the museum.
At the close of this report, I would like to promise that I will try to pay attention to gaining important
knowledge and experience from the lecturers, the other participants, and in museum visits in Japan
during this ACCU training. I also promise that I will take all of these experiences back to teach to allof my museum staff, to improve the Lao National Museum effectively in the future.

53

Lao PDR

Khamphet Souvannalath
Museum Educator
Education Division
Lao National Museum
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Making a New Exhibition for the New Lao National Museum
Introduction
In this report, I will describe the problems and needs for a new exhibition in the new building of the
Lao National Museum, a topic which concerns cultural heritage protection and restoration activities in
my country, and deals with my experiences and work in the Lao National Museum. First, I would liketo cover the background to the new museum, problems with the current exhibition in the museum, andthe task of making a new exhibition for the new museum.
Background
According to the Lao government, the Lao National Museum has been identified as vitally importantas the face of the country. The new museum has been designed to be bigger and more comfortable forvisitors than the current museum. We will make a new exhibition and set it up at the new building after
moving the display objects. The new Lao National
Museum will have four floors. We have prepareda plan for the permanent exhibition in the new
Lao National Museum to consist of five parts asfollows.
1. Prehistory
2. Lan Xang Kingdom
3. Modern history
4. Lao development
5. Ethnic groups in Laos

1st floor plan of the new Lao National Museum

The first floor has two exhibition areas, each area having about 570 m2 of floor space.
Problems with the current exhibition in the Lao National Museum
I would like to point out some problems with the current exhibition in the Lao National Museum. First,
I need to talk about our staff because some of us do not understand what an exhibition is, and do notknow how important the display objects are, so it is really difficult to change our minds to create or
think about a new exhibition on our own.

54

In addition, we do not have attractive exhibits in our museum, as we know because visitors havecommented in our guests’ opinion book as in the following examples.
● Need to update the exhibition equipment– examples: showcases, lights, air-conditioning, etc.
● Need to improve the exhibition– examples: contents, explanations, displays, etc.
However, we can only improve a few things, because most of our staff lack knowledge about
exhibitions, and we do not comprehend the steps from beginning to end of making an exhibition.
Another problem is insufficient data about many of the objects which are displayed in the exhibition,
so it is difficult to give explanations about these objects because we have no researchers or budget to
do research in our museum, and we rarely can go the sites from where they come or work at the fieldsites of the objects. Moreover, most of the artifacts we have are donated. These artifacts sometimes do
not have any information when the museum accepts them.
Making a new exhibition for the new museum
At present, we are making the basic plan for each part of the new exhibition. I am involved in thesecond part, on the Lan Xang Kingdom. Our team consists of six people – three who cover theexhibition contents, and three who undertake the exhibition’s design.
Ms. Junko WATANABE is a volunteer from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) who has
been helping with all of the renewal work for the Lao National Museum. In particular she is working
with our team to help make the basic plan for the new exhibition.
1) Process of making the new exhibition
As for making the new exhibition basic plan, we have adopted the following process.

Fig. 1 Process of making the new exhibition basic plan55

We considered the exhibition basic plan as consisting of five subjects: the exhibition concept, structure,
story, representation, and contents. Through the three activities listed above – taking lectures, visiting
sites, doing surveys – we developed the five subjects by getting relevant information/knowledge andutilizing it for the new exhibition. Before and after each activity, we had many discussions in the formof a group brainstorm, which was more efficient for developing the exhibition concept and content.

Discussion about the exhibition

Lecture by a specialist

Visiting a historic site
(Vientiane city wall)

2) Problems and needs involved in making a new exhibition
I would like to introduce some problems and difficult issues involved in making a new exhibition, andthen mention our needs with regards to the ACCU training to help solve those problems.
Visiting sites (getting exhibition information and resources)
One day, I visited the Viengkham historic site, which is related to theunification of the Lan Xang Kingdom, and which we will introduce in the new
exhibition. However, it was very difficult for me to get information, because
there are no books written about Veingkham in the Lao language, and the site
is not provided with explanatory markers or an exhibition room. Therefore
I would like to learn how to get information in such difficult situations, andhow to find resources to utilize for the new exhibition.

Visiting a historic site
(Viengkham)

Surveying (gathering information and resources for the exhibition)
We read some reference books for information to utilize in the new
exhibition. However it is very difficult for us to pick out important
points from the references, and also to build up information andresources into an exhibition structure and story. Probably this isbecause we are not familiar with creating a new exhibition byourselves, and have not done these tasks before. Therefore weneed real practice for making an exhibition, such as drawing up theexhibition structure and story, in the training.

56

Surveying(gathering exhibition resources)Designing the exhibition
With regards to exhibition design, we had no experience before the JICA volunteer came. Now when
we make the new exhibition, we discuss how to make the display while using sketches drawn by thedesign staff. However, sometimes I am unable to show effectively my concept for the display.
For example, considering the exhibit about the Vientiane city wall, I could not easily present the ideas
for the display – such as using sounds and lights on the wall video, and using human models and a life
size section model at the diorama of the city wall.
Therefore I hope to visit many museums in Japan, and look at various exhibition displays to see
different display methods, to utilize as part of my exhibition concept.

Fig.2 Exhibition basic plan (Vientiane city wall)

57

MyanmarMie Mie Thet Nwe
Deputy Director
National Museum (Yangon)
Department of Archaeology and National Museum

Main Problems and Needs for Cultural Heritage Protection and Restoration
Activities at the National Museum (Yangon)
Background
Myanmar culture can be characterized as a context that embraces gentle manners, customs, traditions,and rules of conduct which have been sustained and handed down from generation to generation. It
is very interesting to study how Myanmar culture is distinct from others; the first noteworthy aspects
are a way and style free from the influence of foreign cultures, and whose development within thecontext of Myanmar history can be attributed to indigenous populations, to the opportunity to study
scripture and the civics and counsel of the Buddha Sasana, and to the people’s gentleness, sympathy,
and willingness to help others, and their spirit of team work.
Culture represents the most important basic element for the existence of a nation and as an instrumentfor nation building. Every country has its own culture, and culture is the life of the country. Myanmar
is a multi-cultural nation, and its cultural mosaic is marked by the different cultures of its nationalities
with their rich diversity of cultures with many rules, traditions, and practices.
The Role of Ministry of Culture in Cultural Preservation
The Ministry of Culture was established in 1952 for the purpose of studying Myanmar culture, andexploring and carrying out the various measures necessary for its preservation. It is accordingly
responsible for promoting, preserving, and planning for the development of Myanmar culture.
Recently, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Religious Affairs were combined as the Ministryof Religious Affairs and Culture. The following departments are assigned under culture.
(1)

Department of Fine Arts(2)

Department of Archaeology and National Museum(3)

Department of Historical Research and National Library

The vital role played by the Ministry in the preservation and dissemination of national culture
is systematically and functionally organized. Its responsibility further extends over the cultural58

departments of each state and region comprising the Myanmar nation. The main responsibilities
undertaken by the Ministry are as follows.
(1)

To preserve the cultural heritage of Myanmar with a view to the development anddissemination of Myanmar style and culture.

(2)

To produce works of fine art which support the progress of the state and the public.

(3)

To support artists so that works of fine art are not for entertainment only, but also forpromoting knowledge.

(4)

To educate the public to be fully imbued with commonly shared ideas.

(5)

To help develop unity, nationalistic spirit, and patriotism among the people.

(6)

To help eliminate decadent culture.

(7)

To support the promotion of morale and the morality of the public.

(8)

To help develop a spirit of unity in displaying culture.

(9)

To make endeavours promoting the development and standards of culture.

The National Museum, cultural museums, and archaeological museums are administered by the
Department of Archaeology and National Museum. Many artifacts and archaeological findings fromsuccessive prehistoric and historic periods have been collected and are exhibited at the museums
in order to promote historical awareness and patriotism among the people, especially the younger
generation. The exhibits at cultural museums in various states and regions can sustain and display theirlocal ethnic cultures and become the main resource centres for information and data related to eachethnic group.
The National Museum of Myanmar and Its Displays
The National Museum of Myanmar was founded in 1952, and moved to its current facility in Yangon
on 18 September 1996. The site covers 3.804 acres. The building is 380 feet long, 200 feet wide,
and 80 feet high with five storeys. The floor area is about 194,800 square feet, and the displays are
divided among 13 showrooms. There are the Myanmar Epigraphy and Calligraphy Showroom, Lion
Throne Showroom, Yadanabon Period Showroom, Royal Regalia Showroom, Myanmar Civilization
Showroom, Natural History and Myanmar Prehistoric Period Showroom, Myanmar Arts and Crafts
Gallery, Myanmar Performing Arts Showroom, Myanmar Art Gallery, Myanmar Ancient Ornaments
Showroom, Culture of National Peoples Showroom, Buddhist Art Gallery, and ASEAN Corner.
Challenges Presented by the Display Materials
The various objects we display are made with a wide variety of materials, including metal itemsof gold, silver, bronze, iron, and alloys; ceramic objects including glazed ware, earthenware, and59

terracotta pieces; plus items that can be classified as wood, bamboo, ivory, horn, lacquerware, cotton,silk, velvet, textile, paper, palm-leaf, sandstone, dolomite stone, marble, jewelry, glass, feather, leather,fiber, plaster, and paintings. In Southeast Asia, Myanmar covers a significant area of land stretchingfrom regions covered with evergreen forests in the temperate area of the northernmost portion which
includes snowcapped mountain ranges, and regions covered with mangrove and tropical evergreen
forests in the southernmost parts of the country. Objects made of wood are the most widely andextensively used items in Myanmar culture.
The main masterpieces of the National Museum are numerous wood carvings and wooden works
of decorative art. Prevention is better than cure, as the saying goes, and regular inspection andmaintenance must be carried out to ensure there is no incrustation or crystallization. Dusting andcleaning with soft swabs and cloth are some of the regular preventive methods. Clean cloth and cottonwool are used for cleaning the intricate parts of wooden carvings. Sometimes pure water is used tosoak the cleaning materials. In our museum, wooden portions of the walls and floors of each room aresmeared with lemon grass for prevention of insect damage and for controlling odor. In the olden days,some wooden structures and objects were layered with a mixture of oil dregs, soot, and bee wax toprevent damage from insects. Those are traditional chemicals for wood preservation. Nowadays, somelarge-sized wooden objects are seen as having been bored with long tunnels, or as having cracking,incrustation, and crystalline deposits. We preserve some silver and bronze objects with tamarind paste.
Without having complete knowledge of the chemical composition of an object, we assume that it
would be wise for it not to be touched.
Challenges for Curators at the National Museum
With its large collection and ample space available for many cultural exhibits to showcase the highcultural standards of Myanmar, the National Museum in Yangon is unique in many ways. Its exhibits
use a variety of display techniques, including artifacts, models, panels, and audio visual units inthe museum, and the staff members have to depend on their four skills (capacity, accountability,
accessibility, knowledge) to develop their expertise and to interest the visitors. Constraints of annual
maintenance, lack of staff and trained curators, lack of laboratory facilities, lack of a fumigationchamber and other museum facilities, lack of documentation, lack of educational programmes, andlack of collaboration can be listed among the challenges. Although our museum staff has some shortterm foreign training, we are still deficient in terms of long-term professional training. We need
important conservation skills for our 19th-century royal attire of the king and queen, made of various
materials. Though a Museology Diploma Course is now offered at the National Museum (Yangon), theneed for lengthy training is still acute.

60

There are 13 showrooms in the National Museum, all equipped with air conditioning. But the air
conditioning is available only during office hours, because the museum is closed at night. Furthermore,
there is no control room for the electricity. There are five storerooms at the museum, where objects
are kept in cabinets, bins, and on shelves. Unfortunately, there is no effective maintenance for storage
items, although we regularly conduct checking and cleaning. Exhibits to be used as a means formuseum education have been among the objectives of the National Museum to promote awarenessamong museum visitors, and this involves many challenges. The items for exhibit are high in quality,
but the need for suitable supporting facilities is a main challenge. Moreover, our museum does nothave its own website.
To enhance awareness of Myanmar culture and its heritage, conservation issues must be taken up
through collective efforts, using practice-based and research-driven information to showcase thedisplays with pride.

National Museum (Yangon)

61

Myanmar Epigraphy and Calligraphy Showroom

Lion Throne Showroom

Yadanabon Period Showroom

Chief Queen’s and King Thibaw’s royal
attire (Yadanabon Period Showroom)

Royal Regalia Showroom

Myanmar Civilization Showroom

Natural History and Myanmar Prehistoric

Myanmar Arts and Crafts Gallery

Period Showroom

62

Myanmar Performing Arts Showroom

Myanmar Art Gallery

Myanmar Ancient Ornaments Showroom

Culture of National Peoples Showroom

Buddhist Art Gallery

ASEAN Corner

Teak Post and Beam (19th Century AD)

Teak Pillars (16th – 17th Centuries AD)

63

Myanmar

Saw Aung Thein
Assistant Director
Cultural Museum, Hpa-an, Kayin State

Review and Recommendations for the Kayin State Cultural Museum

The Kayin State Cultural Museum aims to promote the identity of the Karen ethnic people throughthe articulation of its collected objects representing Kayin ancient cultural heritage. The museum’sarchitecture expresses Kayin culture. Situated in a prime location surrounded by a pubic park,
Kantharya Lake, and City Hall, where visitors can visually access the natural beauty of iconic Mt.
Zwekabin, the museum gives the public a sense of recreation due to its harmony with the naturallandscape. With this concept of tranquility, the architecture attracts visitors to the location.
As the objects displayed in the Kayin State Cultural Museum are made of cotton, wood, leather,wool, bamboo, and paper, fungus and mold could easily destroy these objects and pose the mostserious threats. If they start to grow on the objects, even though we would be unable to see themwith the naked eye, the objects may decay and collapse from being touched or from a change in thetemperature. Food, moisture, and vapor are the main elements that encourage the growth of fungus andmold, and thus can spoil the materials in the museum. Kayin State is a rainy zone because it is a hot
and humid land where the monsoons blow. Therefore, we have concluded that using technology is thebest way to prevent the conditions mentioned above.
The objects cannot be protected throughout the year due to the climate. The key to controlling thecondition of the room atmosphere is to harmonize the temperate and ventilation by technical means.
In order to keep the objects in a healthy environment, it is very important to ensure they are safe from
spawning insects and fungus as a better method to protect the materials.
Among the nine exhibition rooms at the Kayin State Cultural Museum, two rooms, the ethnic trips
showroom and traditional beliefs showroom, have windows and we realize that having no windows
is best for the rest of the rooms. Therefore, to avoid the effects of daylight from the windows, it issuggested to use curtains of deep colors, painting with a black or gray finish which absorbs ultraviolet(UV) light, and aluminum frames which function as mirrors toward the outside for the windows, as abetter way for showrooms to be protected from the sun’s rays coming from the outside.

64Moreover, careful attention is need regarding dust and unclean air from the outside, and hightemperatures. Should any unusual incident occur, staff members should coordinate immediately andexperts should be consulted regarding necessary maintenance actions. In order to avoid reflection fromthe lighting system, fluorescent lights on the ceiling are covered with UV screens, resulting in a goodlighting and maintenance system which protects the objects from excessive light exposure.
It is noted that the museum has a regular security system, one for special exhibitions, and one
providing exclusive security for special guests. However, it is recommended that the museum upgrade
its security systems by using high technology such as CCTV. For fire emergencies, the museum has
allocated fire extinguishers, and fire fighting drills are frequently conducted for the staff as part ofthe maintenance system. Moreover, it is recommended that the museum’s technical aspects take into
consideration climate-related factors including temperature, humidity, pollution, wind speed, rainfall,and natural disasters, for museum sustainability.
The Kayin State Museum is successful in carrying out its basic responsibilities, including public
relations and awareness education. The museum staff members receive and guide both local andforeign visitors, who include tourists, students, and researchers. It is recommend, however, that themuseum undertake various types of publications, including museum guide books and pamphlets togive the public more information about the museum. Since the museum is attached to a library, it can
provide in-depth information. However, the library is targeted only at local readers, and foreigners
are currently unable to access the information. Therefore, it is recommended that the library upgrade
its holdings and collect publications by both domestic and foreign researchers, and make these more
widely accessible to the public.
The number of tourists and local visitors has gradually increased every year, as the country promotes
tourism development nationwide. The museum needs to upgrade its facilities in this regard, including
the provision of a multifunctional hall, guest rooms, offices, galleries, and extra showrooms. It issuggested that the museum interior be equiped with thermometers, hydrometers, and CCTV for
maintenance and security purposes. Moreover, the museum is also recommend to upgrade withmultimedia aids, including a sound system and visual aids.
Since the museum is built at a prime location near the lake, the landscape facilities should also be
upgraded in order to function as outdoor exhibitions, and also as space for events and activities, whilestill being a recreational space for the public. However, it is recommend the architecture, interior
design, and landscape concepts be studied and reviewed before making any decision on upgrading
hardware facilities.

65

The museum is currently operated by 11 staff members for both the museum and the library. The
management system follows the structure given by Department of Archeology and National Museum.
Due to the inadequate number of staff members, however, museum development is limited. In orderto improve the management and human resources, the management structure and staff size also haveto be upgraded. Museum exchange programs for experiential learning, which will contribute to staff
improvement on both a national and regional scale, are also recommended.
Since the country was under a military regime for 60 years, many public amenities remain without
public ownership. In order to restore public ownership, the museum authority should cooperate with
relevant stakeholders, including cultural-based associations, specialists, research departments, and civilsociety organizations.

66

Final Reports
by Participants

IV. Final Reports by ParticipantsWith Haniwa Emperor (museum mascot), at Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum

Cambodia
Khom Sreymom

Final Report
Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific 2016
A Study of Museology
8 November to 6 December 2016, Nara City, Japan
Introduction
The training program in Nara provided me with a lot of knowledge, such as knowledge of thehistory of Japan, of wooden architecture, archaeological excavation, work in the laboratory, museum
management, planning and arranging an exhibition, temperature control, lighting, packing, and otheractivities in the museum including the volunteer work of local people and students. Moreover, I
also learned about how to take good photographs and document cultural properties. Furthermore, I
participated in the planning and arrangement of an exhibition at the Asuka Historical Museum, andin practical work on making a documentary record of cultural properties (with photography) at the
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. This work gave me the chance to obtainnew knowledge and experience that I will be able to apply to my work in Cambodia. In the following
sections I will talk in more detail about what I have learned during this training course.
I am aware that all of the research, excavation, and work to establish a museum can be realized onlywith support and permission from the government.
History
The history of ancient Japan is known through the surviving evidence of humanity, the cultural heritageof the ancient period. Those cultural heritage properties include ancient cities, royal palaces, temples,
burials, statues, ancient paintings on rock or textiles, ceramics, and other works of art. Many werecreated through links to the traditions and practice of Buddhism. Most of the ancient buildings werebuilt of wood, with other elements such as roof tiles and the stone used for the building foundation.
This information is known through excavation. Another important historical source which gives muchinformation on place names and the reigns of rulers is the script found on wooden tablets, stone, on
textiles with paintings, in books, or on hanging scrolls. Large numbers of these cultural properties are
kept at the Tokyo National Museum and other museums in each prefecture.

69

Archaeological excavation
Ancient sites are often discovered through studies by researchers based on history, but sometimes they
are found by villagers through their agriculture work as well. Some excavations have been conducted
due to the development of roads or buildings located on the ancient sites.
Some excavations were carried out with the aim of seeking data that are buried underground. Many
excavations have been conducted near ancient temples, ancient royal palaces, burial sites, or ancientvillages. Through such excavations, the surviving foundations of temples, ceramics, wooden tabletswith writing in black ink, and other objects used in the past have been found. Moreover, the way ofburying the dead often reflects the daily life of ancient people, including their beliefs, art, and religion.
From an awareness of the value of these cultural heritage materials found through excavation,museums have been constructed to exhibit these items so that the public can understand the past andthe results of research, and the need to continue doing more research in the future.
Museums
Urban museums
The Tokyo National Museum is an urban museum that displays artifacts from temples or sites
anywhere in Japan. It also houses and exhibits works of art from many places throughout the country
and from other countries in Southeast Asia and Europe. Some items are on loan from abroad.
Museums near excavation sites
Some museums have been constructed nearby historical sites after research or excavation has been
conducted at those sites. The aim is to link the landscape with the artifacts and works of art which were
found at those sites, in order to provide visitors the chance to visit both the museum and the historicalsite. Some examples of site museums are the following.
•

Nara Palace Site Museum, located within the Nara palace site, in Nara prefecture•

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, located near the Onaka archaeological site, alarge village of the Yayoi period, focusing on the ancient history and livelihood of the peopleof Hyogo•

Chikatsu-Asuka Museum, located in an area of Kofun period tombs (4th to 6th centuries) in
southeastern Osaka prefecture, an important center of burials in ancient Japanese history•

Asuka Historical Museum, near many excavation sites in Nara prefecture•

Yao Municipal Shionjiyama Learning Museum, close to the Shionjiyama kofun (Japanese
ancient burial mound),Yao city, Osaka prefecture70

•

Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum, a Special Historic Site where visitors can learn
the historical value of the Kitora tumulus and its mural paintings

Museums at excavation sites
Some museums have been constructed directly at the sites of excavations in order to preserve andshow some of the ground layers after excavation. One example is the Nara palace site.
Restoration of tombs (kofun) after excavation
For the excavation of some burial sites, during the excavation of an ancient tomb, clay figures calledhaniwa were found surrounding the tomb and stone paving was discovered on the steep slopes of themound. After the investigation determined the location and type of haniwa and the structure of thestone paving on the slopes of the tomb, restoration was done to give the original appearance fromancient times. This work was done on only part of the tomb, in order to allow the visitors to compare
and understand the differences in form between ancient and current times.
Rebuilding and display
During the excavation of ancient buildings, the bases of the foundations may be found. Afterwards,
structures such as wooden gates can be reconstructed at the original locations, based on the excavation
results and comparative research on other ancient buildings dating from the same period. This
happened in the case of Suzaku gate of the Nara palace site. This kind of reconstruction can provide
information to the public about how ancient gates appeared. This can be a good and interesting
example for museums and archaeologists in Cambodia to take into consideration for similar cases in
Cambodia.
Exhibitions in museums
There are two types of exhibitions: permanent and special exhibitions. Special exhibitions mostly
feature exhibits about artifacts found from an excavation after conservation, and artifacts borrowed
from other museums.
Exhibition of artifacts and works of art is an important means for spreading knowledge of history andtradition to both domestic and international visitors. A key point for an exhibition is an attractive title
which expresses the importance of the exhibited collection and what we want to show the visitors. We
also have to think about who are our targets for each exhibition. For the exhibition arrangement, weneed to think about what types of methods to use for displaying and what materials we need for that
purpose. For example, video, sound, pictures, replicas, panel information, and so on. The color of theexhibition hall, the background, the pedestals of the objects, also need to be taken into consideration.

71

Clear ideas and limits for each exhibition are important and can lead to success.
In Japan, most of the exhibitions allow the visitor to participate through many hands-on activities, forexample, touching replicas, listening to the sounds of objects, and other activities. Some videos are
created to provide more information to the visitor about the exhibition. For the exhibition at Tokyo
National Museum, the different colors of the pedestals marked the different periods of objects.
Most of the museums in Cambodia are still very limited in providing activities that the visitor canexperience. Thus, this is a good example from which museums in Cambodia can learn.
Environment control
The artifacts in the museum are easily harmed by environmental factors such as moisture and light. For
artifacts and works of art in materials such as paper and ink, textiles, paintings, and metal, the climate
can have a strong effect. Therefore, climate control needs to be applied during the display and in thestorage room by using climate control tools with weekly regular checks.
However, some objects are displayed without climate control because they are made of stable materials
such as stone which are not strongly affected by the environment. Some of them are kept in mirroredcases and generally they are placed on pedestals with earthquake protection measures.
Packing and transport
Packing for transport generally involves protecting the surface of the object with a layer of thin
traditional paper (washi) or cloth, then wrapping it in cotton padding or polyurethane foam, andsecuring it firmly inside a crate. The crates are transported by specialized trucks. The internal packingof the object up to the point of securing it inside the crate utilizes relatively soft materials.
Laboratory
We have visited the laboratories at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and theTokyo National Museum. The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology has laboratory for pottery
as well.
Conservation analysis laboratory
Museums need to have a conservation laboratory for analyzing and checking objects before conducting
conservation work, to prevent any harm to the materials. Sometimes, it is necessary to conduct an
X-ray check to examine the interior part of an object before proceeding with conservation prior to
exhibiting, as we saw done at the Tokyo National Museum.

72

Laboratories for pottery, roof tiles, wooden objects including wooden tablets, and metal objects
Artifacts found during excavation such as pottery, roof titles, wooden tablets, metal objects, and otheritems need to be studied and worked on in the laboratory before being put on display in an exhibition.
The tasks involved include cleaning, joining broken parts, documentation and so on, as we saw done at
the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
Photography
Taking photographs of cultural properties is very important for all museums as a way of
documentation. After taking photographs, we need to store them in some media such as memory cards(SD, CF, and USB memory), HDD, optical disks (CD-R, DVD-R, and BD-R). We need to control
the light and background when doing the photography. For taking photographs of cultural property
buildings, we also have to understand the direction of the sun and the time of day.
Storage
Storage facilities constitute an important part of the museum for keeping objects before and after
exhibiting them or before and after restoration. Storage facilities should include a special room
equipped with a security system and climate control in the same manner as the exhibition rooms,
in order to protect the artifacts from danger or harm. Some of the storage rooms can be just normal
rooms.
Education in the museum
Many activities are created for students from different types of schools. Those activities are related
to the history or culture that students can learn from museum objects. The students can learn throughhands-on activities, through replicas, or other learning games which aim to educate them about thoseartifacts.
Volunteer Work
Volunteer work is a very important part of the museum as well as at sites of cultural property. This canbe volunteer work related to sanitation around the site, or guiding visitors, or educating children. This
work involves the local people, as in the manner seen at the Nara Palace Site. These kinds of programsof volunteer work done by people of the community are still very rare in Cambodia.
Conclusion
This training program gave me a great opportunity to obtain many new lessons and knowledge related
to museology, and I have also learned a lot about the history of Japan. For the museology, I have73

learned about the planning and arrangement of exhibitions, environment control, packing and transportof artifacts, laboratory and storage facilities, basic knowledge of cultural properties photography, andhave gained an understanding about current issues affecting national museums in Japan, excavationsites, the management of site museums, and community cooperation such as the volunteer work doneby local residents who help maintain the sites and spread knowledge of ancient sites in their areas. I
found this training program very useful and I am very glad to take this knowledge and experience backto share with my colleagues at the National Museum of Cambodia and at other provincial museums, inorder to improve museum work in Cambodia for the better in the future. Moreover, since the National
Museum of Cambodia cooperates closely with the Royal University of Fine Arts, I should also be able
share this knowledge through my lectures to students of the Faculty of Archaeology of this university
as well.
Finally, I would like to express my deep thanks to the Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural for UNESCO (ACCU), and Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Tokyo National
Museum, and the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. I would also like to thankthe Director of the ACCU Nara Office and all of the staff for organizing this training program, and fortheir warmest hospitality during my stay in Japan.

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Cambodia
Mang ValyTRAINING COURSE, CULTURAL PROPERTIES PROTECTION
CASE STUDY: A STUDY OF MUSEOLOGY
8 November – 6 December 2016
INTRODUCTION
This report focuses on the training in cultural properties protection, the case study of museology,
organized by the Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, from 8 November to 6 December
2016. The participants of this training came from the Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, andMyanmar. There were six participants in all.
During this training we learned about many subjects of museum arrangement through lectures frommany curators of museums in Japan. The basic training about museums gave us an understanding aboutsystems of museum management, how to pack and transport artifacts, how to install an exhibition, how
to store and treat artifacts, how to make records through documents and photography, how to attract
visitors, and some of the technical methods of museum arrangement.
Moreover in this training course the participants had the chance to visit World Cultural Heritage sites
in Japan (wooden temples in Nara) and make field visits to many museums in Nara, Osaka, and Hyogo
prefectures.
FIELD VISITS TO CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES AND MUSEUMSOn the first day of training we had the chance to visit some wooden temples in the city of Nara suchas Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples, which are among the sites in Japan that are inscribed on the World
Heritage List. From that field visit we gained understanding about the management and protectionof wooden temples. Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples were built in the eighth century, although someof the buildings are reconstructions from later centuries. Conservation work for wooden temples is
supported by the Japanese government. The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
has responsibility for the work of researching and protecting this type of cultural heritage. The staff
engages in excavation as part of their research, and afterwards, there may be some reconstruction
following the original style. The current issues for reconstruction include the problem of not enoughbudget, because the reconstruction of wooden buildings can be expensive, and also there is sometimes

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a lack of suitably large pieces of wood for members such as pillars. When they want to develop
something near a World Heritage Site they first need to ask permission from UNESCO. They arealways thinking about risk management for cultural heritage, for example, as earthquakes are frequentin Japan, cultural properties need strong anti-seismic protection.
In addition to field visits to cultural heritage sites, we also had the chance to visit some nearby
museums in Nara, Osaka, and Hyogo prefectures, as well as the national museum in Tokyo. I foundthat all the museums we visited are extremely well managed. Most of them are archaeology museums
so they need to think about how to prepare and display artifacts for exhibition, and they try their best
for an attractive display explaining about archaeological sites for the visitors to understand. They havesufficient budget to develop according to the needs of their museums, so there are few problems in thatregard.
Moreover we had the opportunity to visit some excavations within the Nara palace site. I am especiallyinterested in this work because I am an archaeologist. They tried their best to explain to us how they
were conducting the excavation, and how to process the artifacts found, and also how to store themafter excavation.
MUSEOLOGY STUDY
The museum system and museum management in JapanThe Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was enacted in 1950. The Museum Law wasenacted in 1951. At the moment there are 797 museums or similar facilities in Japan which divide
into two kinds, as 448 museums and 349 facilities similar to museums. The conditions for theestablishing bodies of museum requires them to be either boards of education, foundations, or religious
corporations. There are also requirements for establishing a museum such as the appointment of adirector and curators, the existence of a museum collection and a suitable facility, and it must be open
at least 150 days of the year.
The museums in Japan are supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology. Japan also has a museum association with a history going back almost 90 years. National
museums in Japan divide into three kinds, as those managed directly by the government, independentadministrative institutes, and inter-university research institutes.
Packing and transporting artifacts
Artifacts are very important for archaeological research, so we need to preserve and protect artifacts.
During this training we also learned from the curator at the Asuka Historical Museum about how to76pack and transport artifacts. The packing of artifacts for transportation using cotton padding and acidfree paper, creating a soft cushion, is a very important technique. We practiced packing artifacts withgloves and we are tried our best to learn this method so we can take it back to our country.
Installation and exhibition
Installation and exhibition methods are very important for the display of artifacts in the museum. To
make a good exhibition we need to consider some concepts relevant to spatial aspects of the museum,such as the space for the exhibition, the route line, showcases, panels, captions, and the artifacts. At
first we also need to think about the target audience and purpose of the exhibition, in addition to theexhibition space and route line of the museum. Sometimes some of the artifacts we cannot display
using original objects so we need to use models or dioramas instead for the display. We should choose
showcases that are suitable for our objects; if we want to display groups of objects we should choosetall wall showcases or large island (counter) cases, and if displaying single items we should choose
small island cases. Sometimes we can choose a low island format (flat or slanting) and have an open
display without an enclosing case. Stands for holding artifacts are one type of important device used
for exhibition, with a standard height of around 50–70 cm. For explanations we can use panels (standard
height, 1.5–1.8 m) and sometimes add information graphics or some objects to display instead ofpanels.
Storage and treatment of artifacts in the museum
Storage and treatment are very important aspects of the protection of artifacts in the museum. Before
we construct a new building for a museum we need to think about storage space first. In fact, storage
space often must not be smaller than the exhibition area because archaeology museums must often
continue to receive artifacts from excavations for treatment and storage, before they can be added tothe exhibition. The museums we observed in Japan have storage rooms as large as their exhibition
rooms. Sometimes they have special storage rooms for keeping and preserving objects under special
conditions including control of the humidity and temperature. Also modern equipment for thetreatment of artifacts is necessary to prevent deterioration of those materials in the museum.
Recording through documents and photography
After archaeological excavation, the many artifacts that have been found need to be removed fromthe excavation site for treatment at a conservation center and put in storage in a museum. Before theinstallation and exhibition of any display objects we first need to make documentary records and takephotographs. In this training we also had a chance to learn about how to take photos of artifacts froma Japanese photographer. We learned step by step about the concepts of photography, and had practiceinside the studio and also with taking photographs of buildings outside. At the Nara National Research

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Institute for Cultural Properties they still use a film camera for taking photos of buildings, while theyalso use digital cameras for buildings as well as for artifacts. When taking photos we need to think
about light, background, and the important points of the artifacts. Then we must set the shutter speed
and aperture in suitable fashion.
Attracting visitors
Before setting up a new museum, curators must think about what kinds of visitors to target for themuseum. Some museums in Japan target different types of visitors, such as children, the younger
generation, adults, or foreigners. Accordingly the activities featured in their museums are different.
For an archaeological museum which targets the younger generation, curators should prepare handson activities and try to exhibit with panels or objects that help make it easy to understand aboutarchaeological sites. For example, at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology they prepared
many kinds of hands-on activities such as practice at excavating and at making handicraft items, andthey have local volunteers for teaching the younger generation. Also, at the Shionjiyama Learning
Museum they make food and souvenirs with the same techniques and artifacts as in the Kofun period.
Advertising, and having a museum shop or restaurant, are also very important for attracting visitors.
Some museums in Japan always prepare special exhibitions three times a year to attract visitors.
CONCLUSION
After taking this training we now understand a lot about the methods and techniques used by museums
in Japan. Japanese museums try their best to preserve their artifacts. They have sufficient budget
enough from the government to support their activities and the museums are very attractive places
for visitors to learn about their exhibitions, especially archaeological museums. When I go back to
my country I will keep in mind these techniques to put into practice in my museum, and I will becontribute my knowledge to all my team coworkers. I am very grateful to have taken this training and I
want to say thank you so much to ACCU Nara, who provided this chance for me.

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Figs. 1, 2. Field visit to Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji Temples

Fig. 3. Field visit, Hyogo Prefectural Museum ofArchaeology

Fig. 4. How to pack artifacts(Asuka Historical Museum)Fig. 5. Transporting artifacts(Asuka Historical Museum)Fig. 6. Practice work in displaying artifacts(Asuka Historical Museum)

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80

Fig. 7. Making a panel and captions(Asuka Historical Museum)Fig. 8. Storage and conservation work
(Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)

Fig. 9. Cultural properties photo documentation lecture(Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)

Fig. 10. Practice in taking photographs(Nara Palace Site)

Fig. 11. Food for attracting visitors(Shionji-yama Site Museum)Fig. 12. Haniwa “emperor” for attracting visitors(Shionji-yama Site Museum)Lao PDR
Khamseng Keoasa

Final Report
Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific 2016:
A Study of Museology(8 November – 6 December 2016, Nara, Japan)
INTRODUCTION
The course on “Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific 2016: A Study of Museology,” wasorganized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO(ACCU), and the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Museum and Nara National
Research Institute for Cultural Properties, in cooperation with the Japanese National Committee for theInternational Council of Museums.
The training course aims at providing participants with broad knowledge and practical techniques
concerning the practical work of research, documentation, conservation, and utilization of culturalproperties at institutions including museums.
OUTLINE OF THE ACTIVITIES ACCOMPLISHED
8/11/2016: Opening ceremony and orientation to the program at the ACCU Office
9/11/2016: On-site study, World Heritage sites and museums in Nara (Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji
Temple)During the study tour to World Heritage sites in Nara, I got an overview of the history of Japan andan appreciation of how the Japanese government pays attention to protect historic sites for future
generations; I also learned how they reconstruct ancient temples to rejuvenate the forms from the
distant past. This makes me think that my country should also reconstruct ancient sites for later
generations.
One thing that impressed me at the museum at Kofuku-ji Temple, when I visited the exhibition, was
the interesting way they display Buddha images to attract the visitors, and I learned how they use
light on the objects for this purpose. This method will be useful in helping me to improve my new
exhibition on the Lan Xang period with regard to Buddha images.

8110/11/2016: Case study at Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology
In the case study at this museum, I learned many things about museum work such as the establishmentof a new museum as presented by the lecturer, and since my country is going to create new exhibitions
in a new museum, what I learned of value from the lecture involves cooperation with other museums
concerning curators, artists, and designers for exchanging ideas to make an exhibition effectively, notonly by working alone.
The educational component of this museum is very interesting, as for example it organizes many
programs and events to attract school children; I will take ideas for some of these programs andevents to modify in suitable fashion for my museum. Another aspect is the involvement of volunteers
in school-oriented programs, which interested me very much. I will make announcements to schools
in my country and try to get them interested in joining similar educational programs at the museum.
Visiting the exhibitions, one method that caught my attention was the hands-on activities focusing onarchaeology, a method of exhibition that keeps school children from getting bored, so I wish to takethis method back to improve the exhibits in the Lao National Museum.
11/11/2016: Case study at Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu-Asuka Museum
This museum provided me with a lot of knowledge. First, I learned about archaeological sites, andhow to use the results of excavation for exhibitions. Visiting the library made me wish to improve
the library in the Lao National Museum, for now there is no true library, and while there are somebooks it is not really like a library. Visiting the exhibition, I learned many methods of display such as
using showcases and stands with various objects, using reconstructions and dioramas, for example
the display showing the inside of a burial chamber made to actual size. This display method would besuitable for improving the exhibition about the City Wall in the Lao National Museum. Educational
approaches made sense to me as well, such as the hands-on displays, with examples of how to use theancient tools. This kind of activity was very useful for me. In my museum, there are artifacts such as
ancient tools, so I will make hands-on displays to attract the children.
14-15/11/2016: Presentation of country reports by the participants, lectures on the culturalproperties protection system and the museum system in Japan, and lectures on the management,risk management, and international strategies of museums (at ACCU Office)During two days of lectures by the expert, I came to understand much about the museum system inJapan and the management of museums. One point I caught from the lecture is about the museum
network, which is very interesting because, in my country, there are museums in the central
government and local governments, and each museum should be able to benefit from such cooperationby combining into a single network for all of Laos.

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16/11/2016: Lecture on “Introduction to the Exhibition of Artifacts” at Nara Palace Site
Museum, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
Throughout the lecture, I learned mainly about aspects of exhibition such as how to utilize artifacts
from the excavation for display, how to make the concept of the exhibition and then methods to use
to display the artifacts so that visitors can understand them easily, such as what kind of showcases,
lighting, explanations, illustrations, photos, and reconstructions to use. Another thing not to leave outis the inclusion of hands-on objects in the exhibition. I am going to use these methods to improve thenew exhibition in the new Lao National Museum, where there are many artifacts from excavation sites,
and I will display these artifacts in many ways that are attractive to visitors with these methods.
17-18, 21/11/2016: Planning and arrangement of exhibitions at Asuka Historical Museum, Nara
Palace Site Museum, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
Throughout three days of practical work on the planning and arrangement of exhibitions, I came tounderstand deeply more and more about how to plan and arrange an exhibition step by step. In thispractical work I learned how to choose a showcase suitable for the objects, how to make the standfor an object to make the appearance of the display more effective, and also aspects of making the
explanation panel and caption such as the size of panel and where to put it.
One special thing I learned during this time was how to pack cultural properties, how to use packing
material and how to pack artifacts with parts that are weak. I also learned about transporting artifacts
by actually observing them being loaded onto a truck. My knowledge from this practical work is very
important and will be useful in creating a new exhibition and moving cultural properties in Laos.
22/11/2016: On-site study in the management of site museums, at Nara Palace Site Museum
From this case study I came to understand much about using modern high technology in theconservation of cultural properties, for example using machines to analyze artifacts, but this workmakes little sense for me because my country lacks the high technology to conserve artifacts. However
by observing such work, I could understand clearly about the steps of treatment, for example after theartifacts come from the excavation site, the steps of washing, drying, sketching, connecting, and soforth.
23/11/2016: On-site study on “Management of Site Museums and Cooperation with the Local
Community” at the Nara palace site
In this on-site study, I was very interested in seeing the cooperation with the local community. It
is very important to encourage participation by people who are very close to and familiar with theheritage site. This is one way to help involve the local people in efforts to conserve the heritage site. In

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Laos there are many historic sites but the government does not encourage the community to participate
in their care, and sometimes historic sites have been destroyed because the central authorities could
not look after them well enough. I am going to promote this example for developing cooperation withlocal communities.
24-25/11/2016: Lectures and work sessions on “Practical Work of Cultural Properties
Documentation” (I, II, III, IV, on photography), Nara Palace Site Museum, Nara National
Research Institute for Cultural Properties
This practical training for two days in taking photos for documentation is very important for work in
the Lao National Museum, which takes only basic photos that are not of good quality. Learning how
to take photos for two days has helped me understand more, and even though I never used a camera
before, from this practical work I now know the mechanics of taking a photo, for example the settings
for the aperture and shutter speed, and how to keep the data in good quality.
28/11/2016: Case study, “Site Museums with Distinctive Character,” at Yao Municipal
Shionjiyama site museum
In this case study I picked up some methods for keeping the visitors from getting bored and making
them want to come again, and I learned how to make various characters for souvenirs that relate to
artifacts. One thing that I was interested in and want to copy is the way of providing a hands-on cornerfor student learning through experience, such as how to conduct an excavation and how to piece
together artifacts.
29/11/2016: Work session, “Management Methods and Storage Environment of Artifacts,” Asuka
Historical Museum, Nara Palace Site Museum, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural
Properties
In this case study I learned how to excavate an archaeological site and then utilize the artifacts forthe benefit of society; I also picked up the method of using video in one room of the museum toshow how to excavate artifacts. After getting back to the ACCU Office, I learned more about themanner of arrangement for creating a new exhibition from the lecture by Junko WATANABE. This
lecture made much sense for me, for example thinking about the concept of the exhibition, the target
audience, thinking about the elements of the exhibition, choosing the showcases, and how to make theexplanations.
30/11-2/12/2016: On-site study, “Management of National Museums in Practice” (I, II, III),Tokyo National Museum
In the three days of the case study at the Tokyo Nation Museum, I learned through the various lectures84

about topics such as the outline of the museum, conservation and repair, the exhibition main hall,research, and educational activities. By observing I gained a lot of knowledge related to each topic,
and the special item I am very interested in is educational activities which I need to put into practicein museums in Laos, for example creating hands-on displays in the archaeological exhibition room,organizing educational programs using model objects, lecture rooms, and workshop rooms.
CONCLUSION
During the month-long training course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific2016, I have learned through the lectures, practical work, and case studies. I have obtained muchknowledge and many methods regarding museology topics such as museum management, exhibitions,storage systems, and educational programs. I promise that I am going to take all of this knowledge
and experience from this training course with me to teach to all of the staff at the Lao National
Museum, and I am going to utilize all of the knowledge to improve our work, such as by creating new
exhibitions more effectively in the new museum in the future. For example, as an educational program
I am going organize the drawing of pictures which relate to artifacts in the exhibition room, and utilize
the lecture room, discovery room, and other programs to attract school children. For the exhibition, I
am going to put up hands-on displays which relate to the permanent exhibition. For the storage I am
going to put artifacts in separate rooms not mixing together different materials such as stone and metal,
but I am going to separate these in different rooms.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The course on “Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific 2016’ A Study of Museology,” wasorganized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO(ACCU), and the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Museum and Nara National
Research Institute for Cultural Properties, in cooperation with the Japanese National Committee for theInternational Council of Museums.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Director of the ACCU Office, the Director of the
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, the Director of Tokyo National Museum, and the Directorof the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, for giving the opportunity to me toparticipate in this training course. This training is very important for me for my work in the Lao
National Museum. I would like to express my warm thanks to the ACCU staff members for paying
attention and looking after me the entire time during the training to make it more convenient. I also
want to express my thanks to all of the lecturers in each museum in Nara, Hyogo, Osaka, and Tokyo.
Finally, I wish all of you good luck, good health, prosperity, and success in your lives.

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86

Figure 1. Todai-ji Temple

Figure 2. Educational activity

Figure 3. Trying on traditional costumes

Figure 4. Practical work for creating an exhibition

Figure 5. Visiting an archaeologicalexcavation site

Figure 6. “Hands-on objects” corner for children

Lao PDR
Khamphet Souvannalath

Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and thePacific 2016: A Study of Museology
I. Introduction
In this final report, I would like to summarize the training course from 8 November–6 December 2016
in Nara, Japan, organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, and the Asia-Pacific Cultural
Center for UNESCO (ACCU).
I came to this training already having basic knowledge about museums. The training titled “A Study ofMuseology” gave me a better understanding, however, and broadened my knowledge about practicalwork in the museum related to conservation, storage, exhibitions, recording and documentation of
artifacts, photography, and museum education, etc., learning the above though lectures, practical work
sessions, discussions, and case study tours. This has helped me to understand the history and culture ofJapan, and the problems it currently faces in preserving its cultural properties, and I was amazed to see
how they have managed to preserve their heritage for such a long time until the present day. This training
has enlightened me with new ideas that can be applied at the Lao National Museum. The techniques andknowledge I gained from this training I would like to apply as soon as I return to my work.
II. Course achievements
1. Museum management
Japan has many museums. There are four with the status of National Museum. The National Museums
divide into three kinds, in terms of their support and budget for activities received from the government(Agency for Cultural Affairs). They have large budgets for their activities. A museum in Japan must
be open 150 days a year. They utilize the space within the museum by dividing it into lecture rooms,
exhibition rooms, storage and conservation rooms, souvenir shops and restaurants, etc. Storage spaceof and conservation facilities must be suitable for the exhibition room. They take permanent care of
all artifacts in the museum, and have a good communication with other museums for loaning items. A
museum must have specialized curators, for example archaeology museums must have an archaeology
expert, a conservation expert, a planning and exhibition expert, etc. I think the system of managementin Japan is a good way to contribute to the education of visitors.

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2. Conservation
Conservation is very important for cultural properties collections, which include diverse types ofobjects such as ceramics, metal, stone, and wood, etc. Through the lectures and observations in thistraining I have learned much about the processes of conservation of objects, how to use different
methods and techniques. For example, the various processes of conservation include cleaning, drying,sketching, taking photos, making reports, and using a database to save information about objects. One
more aspect is the use of various equipment for analysis, which can be very important for conserving
cultural property items.
Storage. I visited many storage facilities in the museum, and found very good and interesting
examples. These can provide me with models for my country in dealing with issues such as how to sortmaterial when putting it in storage, dividing according to the appropriate environment for a particular
artifact, for example, because different types need to be kept at different temperatures. Some storage
needs to have controlled temperature, because keeping all artifacts in a single storage facility means
some will deteriorate easily, so separate storage for specific materials is necessary.
Packing. The method of packing cultural property objects is very important before moving andtransport, and during the training I learned about packing and what materials to use for packing
and transport. I learned that before packing, we first observe whether the object has a problem withsome part broken or weak, then take photos, and pack the important parts all with special materials.
After that, the transportation should use a special car whose driver knows about important culturalproperties, and should be under the curator’s direction. This method will be very important to use in
the future because the Lao National Museum will be moving to a new location.
Photography. I had two days of learning how to take photos of cultural properties, including how to
set up the camera, how to use light by controlling the direction and effect, how to photograph usinga paper backdrop with the color of the paper chosen according to the color of the subject or using aneutral color gray or white, and how to manage data on the memory card.
3. Exhibition
During the practical sessions and study tours at museums, I learned many methods, techniques, andaspects of exhibition I can put to use. For example, before making a new exhibition one should think
about the concept, what is the message you want to give, and about the target, who are the visitors you
want to focus on, such as children, adults, or general people. Showcases should be designed according
to the kind of display objects, as either high wall cases, low island cases (flat or slanting), or highisland cases. Thought should also go to the explanation, how to make visitors easily understand by88

various ways such as the use of illustrations and photos of excavations and conservation, showing how
to make and use an object, using hands-on exhibits, videos, models, and dioramas.
In the practical session on making an exhibition I learned to make the size of the explanation andcaption panel, where to put the explanation, and how to design the display of the object.
One more important thing for exhibition is the technique of using light to focus in on an object and its
explanation, to make it more interesting for the visitors.
Therefore all of the knowledge and techniques I learned are very important and necessary for the Lao
National Museum to make use of in the future.
4. Educational programs
I realized that educational programs are very important for the Lao National Museum, after seeing that
all museums we visited have a corner to use for that purpose. There are many interesting activities to
do in the educational programs. Some museums have volunteers who teach the younger generation,
especially concerning Japanese culture, and also they always have special exhibitions two or fourtimes per year when they invite students from primary or junior high schools to their museum tojoin in hands-on activities. Most museums have a souvenir shop and restaurant, and their souvenirs
are related to the artifacts in the museum, so visitors who buy them can understand about the culture
or history of Japan and get information about the artifacts. For example at the Shionjiyama kofun
museum they make food with the kofun shape which is very interesting and could attract more visitors
to their museum. All of the educational hands-on activities are easy for children or normal visitors tounderstand and learn about the artifacts.
III. Conclusion
This is the first opportunity for staff of the Lao National Museum to join in this course. During
the training, I learned much new information, knowledge, and techniques about museology, suchas conservation, documentation, storage, exhibition, and educational programs used by Japanese
specialists in this field. Some of the techniques used in Japan can be applied in my country.
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank you very much for accepting me as a participant, and warmly thank the Directorof ACCU Nara, all of the Directors of the museums, the lecturers, the staff of the ACCU Nara Office,and the interpreter for making things convenient for us. I was very happy to have taken this training
course and if I have another opportunity I will be grateful to join again.

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Figures 1, 2. Field visits to archaeological sites and temples

Figures 3, 4. Storage and conservation activity work
(Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)

Figures 5, 6. Practice work in packing and transporting artifacts(Asuka Historical Museum)90

Figures 7, 8. Practice work in taking photos in the studio and of buildings (Nara Palace Site)

Figures 9, 10. Practice work in making an exhibition(Asuka Historical Museum)

Figures 11, 12. Hands-on activity with volunteers and children(Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology)91

MyanmarMie Mie Thet Nwe

FINAL REPORTI address this report to the Director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese government,
the Director of the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), the Director of the National
Institutes for Cultural Heritage, and other museum directors and professionals.
First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture of Myanmar, we feel highly
honored to receive training in this course on “Cultural Heritage Protection in Asia and the Pacific2016.” In addition, we would also like to express our appreciation to the organizations and officers
from the ACCU for arranging this excellent training for us.
We note that this training course is intended to contribute to the professional enhancement ofspecialists through visits to museums for experience in the planning and arrangement of exhibitions,practical work in research with cultural properties involving their recording/documentation andutilization, and case studies on exhibitions, on conservation and restoration work with museum objects,
etc.
I obtained a great amount of knowledge within the one-month training course, at the Toto-in (eastpagoda) site at Todai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji Temple’s National Treasure Museum, Kasuga-taisha shrine,
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, Chikatsu-Asuka Museum, Nara Palace Site Museum,
Asuka Historical Museum, Nara palace site (Suzaku Gate, Former Imperial Audience Hall, Latter
Imperial Audience Hall and Imperial Domicile, East Palace Garden, Excavation Site Exhibition Hall,etc.), Shionji-yama Site Museum, Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum, Tokyo National
Museum and National Museum of Nature and Science. I have observed the presentation andconservation of their collections, including Important Cultural Properties and standard displays, alongwith effective public education.
I have learned that museums in Japan are registered through the Board of Education of the local
prefecture. The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology is a children-friendly museum which has
special connections with schools, and includes the active participation of volunteers as well as thecooperation of archaeologists and artists. The scenes of the staff’s conservation work for pottery, metal,

92and wood amazed me a lot. The museum targets primary school students (children of ages ranging
from 5 to 10 years) for imparting knowledge about their history.
At the Chikatsu-Asuka Museum, designed by the talented award-winning architect Mr. Tadao Ando, Ialso learned about a programme targeting school children. I had a new experience learning about the
Kofun period from burial mounds at the adjacent historical park. The museum has displays spreadingover three floors of materials discovered from the Chikatsu-Asuka environs. There is a monthly craftclass, an experience of learning how to use ancient tools, and field trips to the museum and concert
programmes which are also very interesting. The museum opened on 25 March 1994.
I also learned much from the lectures about topics such as the current situation and issues of Japanesemuseums, current issues of Japanese national museums, the foundations of cultural properties
administration in Japan, the Museum Act, the curator system, public museums, and also about theimportant upcoming meeting, the 2019 ICOM General Conference, that will be held in Kyoto.
The Nara Palace Site Museum is linked with the Nara research institute’s sections involved inarchaeology and conservation. I learned that they conduct research on artifacts from the Nara palacesite in their laboratories for handling items of wood, including wooden tablets, and metal. We also
learned the important steps regarding the processing of artifacts, beginning with excavation, washing,sketching, photographing, and the compiling and digitalization of data for a database. The World
Heritage sites in Nara provided examples for the topic “Background to the establishment of a specified
nonprofit corporation (NPO) and its main activities.” The preservation of the Latter Imperial Audience
Hall remains, including the well of the Office of Rice Wines and Vinegars, and the East Palace Garden,etc., is truly amazing.
I attended the symposium “Syrian Civil War and Cultural Heritage” held at Todai-ji Kinsho Hall, andlearned of the active preservation efforts.
I gained new experiences at Nara in practical work in photography, learning about the camera’sfunction, lighting, and still life techniques, through both indoor and outdoor activities.
The Asuka Historical Museum was established in 1975. This museum building has a lower level, plus
spacious landscaped grounds with an open air exhibition. They display a number of original artifacts
inside the museum, and have replicas placed outside on the grounds. The museum has an arrangementof the same size for its exhibit and storage areas. An important function of a museum is education.

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Three other functions of the museum are served by specific areas such as ordinary storage, special
areas, and preparation areas. I got some practical training in Japan at basic packing using paper andother cushioning material and cardboard. I am thankful also for the good experience in the display ofsimple artifacts, making display sketches according to the styles of our own countries, Myanmar, Lao
P.D.R., and Cambodia.
Although the twelve-year-old Shionji-yama Site Museum is quite small, it focuses on the local people
with a variety of hands-on learning activities, monthly lectures, and cooperation with other museums,
as well as lots of events for the younger generation. A video programme made from a charter airplaneof the 1,500-year-old kofun (160 meters long) located beside that museum is very special. And theHaniwa Emperor mascot makes the museum more interesting and famous. This is an ideal small-sizedmuseum with much local collaboration and an annual symposium.
The Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum, which opened last month, is situated in the
Asuka area with its many historical sites sitting among agricultural fields. The Kitora tomb was first
discovered in this area in 1983. A model of the Kitora tomb plus a replica of its stone chamber, withits mural paintings and astronomical map, are on display, along with replicas of swords, bronze items,
amber, and clay artifacts. This place is very popular in Japan and the museum’s display utilizes themost modern techniques.
There are four national museums in Japan. These are the Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National
Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum. The Tokyo National Museum
opened in 1872, and is one of the oldest and biggest museums in Japan. Nowadays, conservation
and restoration are very important for museums. Monitoring, research, and investigation of culturalproperties are necessary daily activities. Sometimes infrared investigation is better than the naked
eye for examining artifacts. There are three types of risk that the museum staff always has to keep inmind, being theft, natural disasters, and accidents, and we also must not forget about environmental
control. Other important activities for the museum staff are decorative arts and museum education. The
Tokyo National Museum has a special educational space, which engages the interest of the public andencourages participation in educational activities. I have obtained these important understandings fromthat museum and decided to try to do likewise at our own museum.
After visiting museums and having discussions with museum Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant
Directors, Senior Curators, Curators, Senior Managers, Managers, other persons in charge andprofessionals, we have gained much information and knowledge on concepts of displaying museum

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objects, the management of exhibitions, conservation and restoration measures, museum educational
programmes, museum research, and funding. I am sure that this training course has enabled theparticipants to enhance their knowledge of displaying museum objects, and various aspects ofthe conservation and restoration of cultural heritage such as building networks among museum
professionals/directors for future cultural cooperation in the museum field, and that this knowledge
gained from the training course will contribute greatly to the support and promotion of our museums
and institutions.
The National Museum of Nature and Science, in Tokyo, has separate display areas named the Global
Gallery and the Japan Gallery. Its models display information about the earth and aquatic life, different
soils and crops, flora, flying creatures, and the heavens (in the planetarium). Many students andfamilies come to visit, and the museum’s management in terms of human resources is truly envious.
In conclusion, I would like to say again that I am very grateful to the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for
UNESCO (ACCU) for inviting us to the “Training Course on Cultural Heritage Protection in Asiaand the Pacific 2016,” and also to the government officers and organizers for arranging this excellent
training for me. Moreover, we do look forward to more cooperation and engagement between our
museums and museum curators.

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Figure 1. Todai-ji Temple

Figure 2. Hyogo Prefectural Museumof Archaeology

Figure 3. Asuka Historical Museum

Figure 4. Nara Palace Site Museum

Figure 5. Shionji-yama Site Museum

Figure 6. Tokyo National Museum

Myanmar
Saw Aung TheinREPORT
TRAINING COURSE, CULTURAL PROPERTIES PROTECTION
CASE STUDY: A STUDY OF MUSEOLOGY
8 November – 6 December 2016
INTRODUCTION
This final report focuses on the training program in cultural properties protection, case study inmuseology, conducted by the ACCU Nara Office from 8 November to 6 December 2016. In this report
I will talk about what I obtained from the training program.
In this training we studied about aspects of museum management such as how to install and arrange
an exhibition, how to pack and transport artifacts, how to conserve artifacts, how to record and takephotographs of museum objects, and how to attract and educate visitors to the museum. Furthermore,in this training we visited many of Japan’s museums and cultural heritage sites as well.
CULTURAL HERITAGE AND MUSEUM FIELD VISITSOn the first day of the training course we visited some World Cultural Heritage sites in Nara, such as
Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples. Todai-ji Temple was built in the eighth century and its main building
was reconstructed in the seventeenth century, and the main gate of the temple was reconstructed in
the thirteenth century. This temple is very attractive for visitors, both local people and foreigners. The
Japanese government is very serious about the need to preserve and protect this heritage. They have alarge budget for preservation and management of this heritage site under UNESCO supervision.
Kofuku-ji Temple was built in the eighth century like Todai-ji Temple, but the style of the mainbuilding is more Japanese, not like that of Todai-ji Temple which is in Chinese style. We studied how
to protect and conserve these wooden temples. They face more difficulties for conserving wooden
temples than stone structures because some of the pillars are very big, and they have trouble finding
material for exact replacements for reconstruction and preservation. Sometimes they buy wood forlarge members from other countries for conservation work. We are happy to have these examples of
the conservation of wooden temples, from which we can learn about the Japanese method.

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MUSEOLOGY STUDY
Storage and conservation activities
Before setting up a museum we first have to set up the storage, because when we get new artifacts
from excavation or from another source, we have to preserve the artifacts carefully. Many museums
in Japan have big storage facilities with the space for storage always suited to the exhibition space.
For example, at the Asuka Historical Museum they have simple and specialized storage areas for theprotection artifacts. The methods of conservation are standardized and on a high technical level. Someof the equipment that they use is very modern and expensive, which Myanmar does not yet have, but I
got some experience with these methods that I hope to share at my museum in the future.
Recording and taking photographs
Photographic documentation is part of the initial processing of an accession, and a photographic
inventory is kept. Photographs are thus taken when an object enters the museum, and also before andafter conservation work. Understanding the importance of photographic documentation for subsequent
research and restoration, and learning step-by-step the basic techniques of how to make precise
images of artifacts, and how to document and manage image files, made me realize that photographic
documentation work at the Kayin State archaeology museum is not up to an adequate standard,
because most of the time our photographs are not helpful for conducting further research.
Packing and transporting artifacts
The packing of artifacts for transportation with the use of cotton fiber and acid-free paper, creatinga soft cushion, is a very important technique. I learned this technique in this training, and it is a very
effective and easy method that can be used at the Kayin State archaeology museum. I also got a chance
to observe the packing of artifacts for transport from one country to another and one museum toanother by professionals. This was the one of a number of practices I got to observe for the first time.
Currently we handle objects using gloves. For packing we use cardboard boxes. I will do my best to
apply the techniques I learned back at my museum in Kayin state, as well as provide information,ideas, and help to my colleagues.
Installation and exhibition activities
Installation and exhibition methods are very important for the display of artifacts in the museum. To
make a good exhibition we need to think about some of the basic concepts involved in the museum,such as the space for exhibition, the route line, showcases, panels, captions, and artifacts. First, weneed to think about the target audience and the purpose of the exhibition, including the space and routeline of the museum. Sometimes some of the artifacts cannot be displayed with the original objects,

98and we need to use models or dioramas instead of the real items for the display. We should choose
showcases that are suitable for our objects; if we want to display a group of objects we should choose ahigh wall showcase or a large high island case, and if the display is a single object we should choose asmall high island case. Sometimes we can choose a low island case (flat or slanting) and have an open
display without a glass cover. Stands and panels must be of standard form for museum exhibitions.
Attracting visitors
Education is very important for the museum. We create museums to educate the visitors, especiallyso that the younger generations will understand about history and human events in the past. In Japansome museums have volunteers for teaching cultural activities to younger generations, for example atthe Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, which has very attractive activities for young visitors
and receives many children who study in primary or junior high school. They also have items of foodand some souvenirs that are made in the same manner as artifacts of the museum for sale to visitors.
Souvenir and restaurant shops in the museum are very important, as they can provide more income
to support conservation work in the museum. Most museums in Japan have individual websites andFacebook pages for advertising themselves to visitors. Some museums have big budgets so they canadvertise in newspapers or other commercial media. Every year they have special new exhibitions
three or four times to attract visitors to the museum. In particular, they always contact primary or highschool principals with invitations to bring the students to visit their museums.
CONCLUSION
After participating in this training, we now understand much more about the methods and techniquesof museums in Japan. Japanese museums try to use the best methods for preserving artifacts. They
have a high sense of responsibility which drives this activity. Their museums are very attractive andhelp visitors to understand the exhibitions, especially archaeological museums. When I go back to
my country I will keep in mind these techniques for practice in my museum, and I will contribute myknowledge to all of my colleagues at the Kayin State archaeology museum. I am very grateful forhaving joined this training and I want to say thank you so much to ACCU Nara, for providing thischance for me.

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Figure 1. Field visit to Kofuku-ji Temple

Figure 2. Field visit to Hyogo Prefectural
Museum of Archaeology

Figure 3. Conservation lab, Nara National
Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Figure 4. Museum conservation and storage,
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology

Figures 5, 6. Work sessions on photo techniques in the studio and outdoors

100Figures 7, 8. Work session on the packing and transporting of artifacts

Figures 9, 10. Practical work on the exhibition of new artifacts

Figures 11, 12. Volunteer activity and the Haniwa Emperor character for attracting visitors

101V. Appendix
1. List of Participants
2. List of Lecturers and Interpreter

Appendix

3. Staff Members, ACCU Nara Office

At Nara Park1. List of Participants
Cambodia
Khom Sreymom
Conservator
National Museum of Cambodia, Department of Museum,
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
Street 13, Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel: (+855) 23 211753 Fax:(855) 23 211753
sreymomkhom@yahoo.com
Mang Valy
Cultural Heritage Officer
Heritage Division, Kampong Thom Provincial Museum
Department of Culture and Fine Arts, Kampong Thom Province
Ti Muoy Village, Sangkat Kampong Thom, Stung Sen City,
Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia
Tel: (+855) 86 367867
valymang@gmail.com
Lao PDR
Khamseng Keoasa
Vice Head
Education Division, Lao National Museum
Samsanthai Road, Chanthabury District,
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel: (+856) 21 212461 Fax: (+856) 21 212462
khamseng12@yahoo.com

105Khamphet Souvannalath
Museum Educator
Education Division, Lao National Museum
Samsanthai Road, Chanthabury District,
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR
Tel: (+856) 21 212460-62 Fax: (+856) 21 212460
phetnalath19@yahoo.com
MyanmarMie Mie Thet Nwe
Deputy Director
National Museum (Yangon)
Department of Archaeology and National Museum
66/74, Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: (+95) 13 71539 (+95) 13 78652 Fax: (+95) 13 78652
miemiethetnwe@gmail.com
Saw Aung Thein
Assistant Director
Cultural Museum (Hpa-an), Kayin State
Zwekabin Road, Cultural Museum (Hpa–an) Kayin State
Tel: (+95) 58 21060 Fax: (+95) 58 21060
m.myanmarculture@gmail.com

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2. List of Lecturers and Interpreter■ National Institute for Cultural Heritage

ARAKI Tominori

Tokyo National Museum

Senior Manager

13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Research Analysis Section

110-8712 Japan

Curatorial Research Department

MATSUMOTO Nobuyuki

t-alaki@tnm.jp

Vice Executive Director
mat@tnm.jp

FUJITA Chiori
CuratorKURIHARA Yuji

Education Programming

Director of Administration

Curatorial Planning Departmentkurihara@tnm.jp

c-fujita@tnm.jp

TOMITA Jun

MITA Kakuyuki

Director Curatorial Research

Assistant Curator

tomita@tnm.jp

Education Programming
Curatorial Planning Department

KOBAYASHI Maki

k-mita@tnm.jp

Supervisor
Education Division■ National Institute for Cultural Heritage

Curatorial Planning Department

Nara National Research Institutem-kobayashi@tnm.jp

for Cultural Properties
247-1 Saki-cho, Nara

TSUCHIYA Yuko

630-8577 Japan

Senior Manager

SUGIYAMA Hiroshi

Conservation Technology Section

Deputy Director

Curatorial Research Department

Department of Planning & Coordination

y-tsuchiya@tnm.jp

sugiyama@nabunken.go.jp

OYAMA Yuzuruha

NAKAMURA Ichiro

Chief Curator

Official Research Photographer

Decorative Arts Section

Photography Section

Curatorial Research Department

Department of Planning & Coordinationoyama@tnm.jp

i-nakamura@nabunken.go.jp107

■ Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology■ Nara Palace Site Support Network

1-1-1 Onaka, Harima, Kako District, Hyogo

2-9-1 Nijo-cho, Nara

675-0142 Japan

630-8577 Japan

TAKASE Kazuyoshi
Assistant Director■ Saidaiji Photo Studiokazuyoshi_takase@pref.hyogo.lg.jp

4-28 Saidaiji Honmachi, Nara
631-0816 Japan

FUJITA Kiyoshi

SUGIMOTO Kazuki

Chief

Photographer

Curatorial Division

higeji@nabunken.go.jp

kiyoshi_fujita@pref.hyogo.lg.jp■ Yao City Shionjiyama Tumulus Museum
KAI Akimitsu

143-2-5 Otake, Yao City, Osaka

Chief

581-0854 Japan

Learning Support Division

FUKUDA Kazuhiro

akimitsu_kai@pref.hyogo.lg.jp

Director
sionji@racco-taiken.com■ Hyogo Construction Technology Centre
for Regional Development■ Japan International Cooperation Agency

TAGA Shigeji(JICA)

Chief

WATANABE Junko

Arrangement and Management Section

Museum Curator

Department of Buried Cultural Properties

junside@yahoo.co.jp

taga_shigeji@hyogo-ctc.or.jp■ Interpreter■ Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu-Asuka Museum

SUDANI Kazuko

299 Higashiyama, Kanan-cho, Minamikawachigun, Osaka■ Acknowledgements for co-operations

585-0001 Japan

NAKAMURA Hiroshi

HIROSE Yukishige

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology

CuratorINO Yukinori

hirose@occh.or.jp

Power Design co. ltd.
Asuka Historical Museum
Kitora Tumulus Murals Museum108

3. Staff Members, ACCU Nara Office
NISHIMURA Yasushi

HORIKAWA Kazuko

Director

Chief, Planning & Coordination Divisionnishimura@accu.or.jp

horikawa@accu.or.jp

TAMAKI Shigeru

SAKIMOTO Keiko

Deputy Director

Chief, International Cooperation Division

tamaki@accu.or.jp

sakimoto@accu.or.jp

NAKAI Isao

NISHIDA Michiko

Director, Programme Operation Department

Staff, Planning & Coordination Divisionnakai@accu.or.jp

nishida@accu.or.jp

WAKIYA Kayoko

SUZUKI Sonoko

Director, International Cooperation Division

Staff, International Cooperation Division

wakiya@accu.or.jp

ssuzuki@accu.or.jp

Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office,Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
757 Horen-cho, Nara 630-8113
Tel: (+81) 742 20 5001 Fax: (+81) 742 20 5701
nara@accu.or.jp
http://www.nara.accu.or.jp

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