A Grant From MEXT To Promote Open Research For Young Academics And Specialists

Purpose of Project

The Open Research Center is primarily aimed at constructing an Asian network of researchers, engineers and administrative officers related to organizations and individuals in charge of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Asian countries, such as Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, having world heritage registered by UNESCO. As a general rule, the exchanges of information and technology on conservation and restoration in Asian countries have been carried out on a bilateral basis, with Japan as a leading partner. The Open Research Center, therefore, is intended for researchers at Nihon University to play an important role in linking these countries together with information and technology on the conservation of cultural heritage, by relying on the study relations they have cultivated.

Project Organization

The Open Research Center is a general research project wherein researchers of the Department of Architecture, the Department of Ocean Architecture and Engineering, and the Department of Transportation Engineering and Socio-Technology have formed three groups for the following projects, with the College of Science and Technology acting as a leading partner addressing Conservation and Restoration of the Cultural heritage in Asian.

1. The analysis and assessment of structures and roles of the organizations involved in conservation of cultural heritage in Asian countries (Representative researcher: Professor Akio Kuroyanagi, Department of Ocean Architecture and Engineering).
2. The elucidation of historical changes in Restoration techniques and methods of the cultural heritage in the Asian region (Representative researcher: Professor Masao Katagiri, Department of Architecture).
3. The promotion of constructing a data base on in formation about the cultural heritage in Asia and designing methodology to disclose information (Representative researcher: Professor Tatsuji Ishimaru, Department of Architecture).

Outline of Project

The cultural heritage and the Architectural Type in the countries involved in the project are basically created and protected by Hinduism and Buddhism (partly including indigenous religions, Brahmanism and Islamism). The organizations in charge of the conservation of these cultural heritage are the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Antiquity Administration Office, the Ministry of Information and Culture, among other. There are various research and conservation centers, research institutions and local administration offices formed under these organizations.This project is aimed at providing a variety of information about cultural heritage and promoting the mutual exchanges of information among engineers and researchers because sub agencies have had difficulties in accessing the contemporary information. The College of Science and Technology has accepted Asian researchers and graduate students on a case-by-case basis from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, and established friendly relations with these countries with the aim of undertaking research. Carrying out the three projects mentioned above under such environment is expected to contribute to the social and international roles to be played by the College of Science and Technology as a center of research partly. Carrying out these projects will contribute to the following efforts:

1. An increase in the number of Asian foreign researchers (including PD and RA) accepted by Japan
2. Promotion of understanding within the Asian region by opening extension courses for the undergraduate and graduate students of the College of Science and Technology
3. Promotion of personal exchanges between Nihon University and foreign students through symposiums
4. Creation of environment that makes it easy to exchange cultural information between those who are in charge of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage (researchers, engineers and administration officers). These efforts would contribute to the acceleration of networking within Asia with, as the central partner, College of Science and Technology in Nihon University. And researchers, graduate students as well as private researchers interested in Asia are expected to actively participate in the network

These efforts will obviously accelerate the network of Asia's cultural heritage with the College of Science and Technology of Nihon University as the central partner. The researchers and graduate students who are interested in Asia are expected to actively participate in the network and architectural students.

Project 1
We have selected Yentai on the East China Sea from coastal cities in Shantung, China, and are making surveys on the current status of the handling of landmarks as cultural heritage, and on relevant agencies and legal systems regarding their conservation. In China, the domestic market has been growing as a result of the introduction of a market economy and the accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under the circumstances, urban development activities are brisk at many places in China. In landlocked areas, the construction of stand-alone houses and villas is well underway. In coastal cities, the development of residential areas is now promoted with urban parks and high-rise apartments. For these reasons, the look of communities formed with landmarks is now drastically changing. The same applies to Yentai. European-style houses and streets in Yentai, which were built when this city flourished as an open port city, have been largely changed by urban restructuring. Because of continuous population inflow from rural areas into urban areas, almost all of old buildings in Yentai are illegally occupied and modified, and many of them have lost their original forms. During our field surveys, therefore, we tried to find the original forms of buildings mainly by means of interviews with local residents and actual measurement by design survey techniques. On the other hand, as for the efforts of competent authorities to address the conservation of landmarks, we surveyed in detail how their systems and regulations ought to be.

Project 2
As for the cultural heritage (Angkor monuments) in Cambodia, we plan to mainly conduct researches that contribute to Restoration and maintenance of cultural heritage such as surveys on the development and two-dimensional transition of stone construction technology. We also plan to give advice about the ideas of conservation and restoration of modern architecture in Korea as well as conservation and restoration techniques, while maintaining the framework of cooperation in the restoration of the Myongdong Cathedral in Korea. In particular, we plan to conduct material experiments on brick construction, and propose the methodology to conservation bricks, which best suits the environment in Korea. As for conservation of modern architecture, we will cooperate in the establishment of DOCOMOMO Korea and aim to share the information about conservation and restoration of modern architecture through DOCOMOMO.

Project 3
From a viewpoint of a wide-area Asian bloc, at present, no database has been created for comprehensive research on cultural heritage. As things now stand, no data has been computerized in respect of whether there are any information, scientific literature, drawings open to the public, research papers, etc., regarding the researches on and conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. If it paves the way to disclose research materials and information about cultural heritage on the condition that such disclosure is limited to experts (who should be registered and examined by the countries concerned), such materials and information could be valuable clues for those who are in charge of cultural heritage in various places to review the current status and repair techniques of cultural heritage that were built in the same age and by the same materials. Moreover, if it becomes possible for those who are in charge of conservation and restoration and those who have conservation techniques to directly question and answer each other, the network for conservation and restoration of Asia's cultural heritage will be dramatically expanded. Under the Project 3, we plan to make the lists of data accumulated to date regarding the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites and other specified cultural sites, and produce basic data in preparation to create a database that will be composed of: basic data such as locations, ages, materials, etc.; restoration data such as ages of and information about restoration; administrative information such as competent authorities, persons in charge of conservation and restoration, conservation technicians, etc.; and relevant books, restoration reports, etc.

Overseas Cases

1. Cambodia (stone architecture)
   In cooperation with Cambodia's government agencies, the western causeway of Angkor Wat is now being restorated. As part of the repair a program is designed to train Cambodian restoration staff. A research into Khmer religious architecture to elucidate Khmer's stone and brick construction technology is also being planned with the aim. Leaving such traditional methods of construction in restoration as a message from the past.
2. Vietnam (wooden architecture)
   Research on the Buddhist temples in the northern part of Vietnam and traditional private houses in the central part of the country was undertaken and accumulated basic data on Vietnam's wooden cultural heritage.
3. South Korea (brick architecture)
   Participated as technical advisors in restoration work of the Myongdong Cathedral (founded in 1898, located in Seoul, built bricks, and designated as South Korea's 258th national historic site), and promoting further international academic exchanges with regard to methods, structures and materials to conservation bricks.
4. China (modern architecture)
   Yentai, which lies on the East China Sea from coastal cities in Shantung, China, and was selected surveys are undertaken on the current status of the handling of landmarks as cultural heritage, and on relevant agencies and legal systems regarding their conservation.

Inquiry

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