Over two semesters at KCJS, I have been training with a paper restoration team at the Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center (ARC). At ARC, I work mainly with damaged Japanese bound books dating to the Edo period. In most cases I encounter books containing full-page illustrations devoured by worms and beetles. Therefore, when beginning a new project, the severity of the damage is first evaluated and then, based on the amount of surface loss, a suitable treatment is decided on. The standard methods used to mend these areas of loss are known as infilling (tsukuroi) and back-lining (urauchi). Both methods serve different purposes, but are similar in the way that washi paper, sympathetic in thickness and tone of the damaged paper, is adhered with starch paste (nori) to treat the loss.
While incredibly valuable, the technical skills I have acquired only describe a single side of my experience at ARC. Twice a week, as I continue to practice my techniques, I also engage in a facet of the Japanese work community. As expected, this has led to quite a few interesting cultural and language exchanges. First of all, the restoration team consists of a total of three people, all middle-aged women. Everyone is on a different working schedule, so when I go to ARC I am usually working alongside Nakamura-san, the head of the restoration team.
When I first began training at ARC, the most challenging barrier I faced was communication. I was afraid to hold conversations and I struggled to understand the directions that I was being told, even when heavily aided by Google translate. This semester, however, it is undeniable that living in Kyoto has improved my ear for both standard Japanese and “Kansai-ben”, the local dialect, and has opened up new opportunities to be more interactive within ARC. For instance, being able to better communicate with the team has helped me understand in greater depth the reasoning behind a certain restoration principle. In result, I now take part in the evaluation process when beginning a new project. For students who may face a similar situation, my advice would be not to feel afraid to ask questions or start a conversation! In my case, the team became excited to teach me more when they saw, through the questions I was asking, my interest and curiosity in art restoration.
Sitting for long periods of time meticulously trimming washi paper and preparing starch paste in a large wooden vat becomes taxing on the shoulders and eyes, but I have discovered that I can refocus my attention through conversation. Oftentimes I become so accustomed to speaking casually in conversation that when it comes to expressing gratitude, I carelessly neglect social etiquette and forget to attach the formal “gozaimasu” to my informal “arigatou”. I am corrected instantly, and my honest mistake reinforces the importance of maintaining a formal student-teacher relationship when dealing with work-related matters. However, I was told that if “arigatou gozaimasu” is too long, I could always opt for the Kansai-equivalent, “ookini”. Apparently, if used towards a Kansai-native, “ookini” carries the same formal weight as “gozaimasu”. I have yet to try it out.
As the semester is reaching its end, I still feel that there is a lot I could improve in terms of restoration. At least once or twice per week, I make a careless mistake in my work, leading Nakamura-san to address me by “onesan”, which translates to “older sister”. Since I am the youngest of the group, I was initially confused as to why I was being called “onesan”. However, seeing that I am only called this when I overlook a mistake, perhaps it is an indirect message that I should to be more careful next time. Nevertheless, I feel respected in my position, and while I rarely receive any direct compliments from Nakamura-san, I can sense through her patience that she is silently supporting me in both my language and restoration endeavors.
With that said, I would like to thank KCJS for giving students the opportunity to step out into the Kyoto community through CIP, as well as ARC for taking care of me throughout this year. This experience is one I will continue to carry with me as I continue my studies in Japanese and art restoration.
Ookini!
I always thought that you had one of the cooler CIPs out of all of us. While must of us opted for lessons or clubs, yours got you directly involved in your field, which is something truly special.
I find that interesting that you and Nakamura-san maintained a very formal relationship throughout the eight months that we’ve been here. I feel you on subconsciously dropping ございます during my conversations. I do find the whole formal phrase a little bit long, and I’ve shied away from using おおきに since the last time I got laughed at for saying it. That being said, I probably just have to put myself out there a little bit more.
How did the other members of your team end up in ARC? Do you know if they joined as soon as they graduated university, or did they hop around a little bit before settling into their current positions?
Thank you for commenting Alan!
Currently ARC is building a digital database of Japanese rare books and woodblock prints, so most members of the restoration team are actually researchers or archivists helping out. I believe Nakamura-san is the only one who has trained professionally as an apprentice in an art conservation studio. Since the aim of the restorations at ARC is to separate books from their binding and to provide temporary treatments, prior training is not required to learn the procedures.
I’m so happy you were able to continue with your CIP. Ever since you brought up art restoration last semester, I can’t help but wish I was little better at science (and a lot better at math), because the work that you’re doing sounds amazing. Still, it’s cool to hear about from the sidelines too!
It’s always so amazing to hear about other people’s experiences in the work force in direct contrast to me I own. I know I still struggle with keigo and formality at the museum and at Wakjapan, less so because I don’t understand keigo now and more so because I started working at these places before I did understand it, and I worry that acting formally towards my bosses now might insinuate a message of distance. I’m really curious about the fact that Nakamura-san addresses you as ‘oneesan’ at times too. I’d say your hunch is right, but I’ve still never heard of ‘oneesan’ being used as a gentle (if meaningful) chastisement.
I guess my questions will be related to the more technical aspect of your CIP, but how hard was it to jump into this kind of restoration work? Since we don’t use washi in restoration in the U.S., was it different from your previous experiences with restoration? What were the most challenging aspects of restoring the damaged paper, and were there times where restoration did not seem possible? I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been to have to follow a set of instructions in Japanese on such a delicate topic – I recently misunderstood directions at an interactive museum training guide seminar I attended, and since I was in front of a bunch of people that was embarrassing and frustrating enough on its own, let alone with the weight of having an important job on my shoulders. However, it seems like you’ve managed this flawlessly, and I’m so so honestly thrilled to see you able to keep up with your CIP and get so much out of your time here in Japan.
Hi Sarah, thank you for you comment!
The science aspect of conservation may come off as intimidating, but I reassure you that there are always opportunities open to experience conservation hands-on! So I hope that the science or math doesn’t prevent you from exploring conservation. Throughout this year, the only time math and science came in handy was when I calculated ratios for preparing nori paste!
Actually, washi has been introduced into Western conservation practices for quite some time and it would not be uncommon to find washi among the essentials in a paper conservation studio. I have yet to work in a Western conservation studio, but from what I have observed the space bears more resemblance to a science lab (more ‘fancy’ equipment, technology, etc) than what I saw at ARC.
I feel in your situation you were under much more pressure to understand the directions. In my case, I was able to learn and work at my own pace since I was being trained in a one-to-one manner. There were definitely misunderstandings and miscommunication at times, but to grasp the basics to carry out a technique, I relied heavily on visual learning. Only after hearing the same terms over and over, and developing an understanding of a technique through application, was I able to understand instructions for the first time more clearly.
I’m so happy you were able to continue with your CIP. Ever since you brought up art restoration last semester, I can’t help but wish I was little better at science (and a lot better at math), because the work that you’re doing sounds amazing. Still, it’s cool to hear about from the sidelines too!
I guess my questions will be related to the more technical aspect of your CIP, but how hard was it to jump into this kind of restoration work? Since we don’t use washi in restoration in the U.S., was it different from your previous experiences with restoration? What were the most challenging aspects of restoring the damaged paper, and were there times where restoration did not seem possible? I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been to have to follow a set of instructions in Japanese on such a delicate topic – I recently misunderstood directions at an interactive museum training guide seminar I attended, and since I was in front of a bunch of people that was embarrassing and frustrating enough on its own, let alone with the weight of having an important job on my shoulders. However, it seems like you’ve managed this flawlessly, and I’m so so honestly thrilled to see you able to keep up with your CIP and get so much out of your time here in Japan.
This is such a cool CIP. It sounds like you were doing really relevant and important work. It was probably awesome to not just see but be able to handle and restore books from the edo period. Such a unique opportunity. It sounds like you made strong connections with the people you worked with, and had a real experience in the Japanese workplace. I think that is is really great you improved your kansai ben, it is something that is really important while living in Kyoto and I think that a lot of people don’t recognize it’s value. I’m so happy you had such a great experience!
Thank you for the comment Lauren!
It was an eye opening experience as for the the first time I witnessed directly the result of poor maintenance and storage of these books. Some books were completely deteriorated or chewed up by worms. As these books are irreplaceable assets of Japan’s culture, seeing the severity of damage has reinforced my interest in promoting conservation awareness and in educating on damage prevention.
And yes, what made this experience valuable was its double-sided nature. Being able to take up a new hobby/skill while learning about the inner-workings of the Japanese community, or characteristics of the Japanese language, is something really worthwhile. I hope many students can agree with me after a semester involved in CIP!