Contact Me

Please feel free to contact me. It would be appreciated if you include information about the statue that needs restoration. Detailed inspection and solution could be provided if you attach the picture of the statue. Any other information (your concern, the parts you want to restore) would be a great help.

Inquiry Example:

• 1. Size: (height, width, depth)
• 2. Materials: ex.) wood, gold leaf on surface, metal parts, etc.
• 3. Condition: ex.) missing parts, peeled surface, etc.
• 4. Your requests:
  • ex.) Clean the surface and prevent it from peeling off, recreate a lost hand, mend the deteriorated wood and make stable, remove the latest coloring that doesn’t fit the statue, make it look natural again, etc.

Preliminary Inspection

Inspect the actual statue on the spot and ask for your requests, concerns. We will make records and plans based on them.

What are Records?

Records are documentation of the basic information, including current condition, of the statue. It could be of help for people in the future.
1. The size
2. The material
3. The construction
4. Damage condition
will be included in the record, and we also take pictures of the statue. The record will be handed to the client with the report of the repairment / restoration after the process has finished.

Inspection and record issues without repairment / restoration are also available. Feel free to ask for the quotations.

Quotation and Repair / Restoration Planning

Quotation will be issued based on the inspection after planning and consultation. Once they are approved, we will discuss the date of the transportation and the period of the process to be completed. Normally, I ask clients to deposit half of the cost at the starting of the process, and the remaining after the process has been completed. Payment methods can be discussed.

Transportation

Statues will be protected by packaging materials that are used for cultural properties. Please inform us if any blessings or rituals must take place prior to or after this process such as spirit-withdrawal.

What do you do in the ceremony of spirit-withdrawal?

Statues such as Buddha statues that are worshiped by people are put spirits inside them when they are set at temples. Usually, when we carry them out of the temples, we hold ceremonies of spirit-withdrawal. After they are returned to the temples, we put the spirits back inside them. Please inform me if and when you hold these ceremonies so that I will participate as much as possible to pray for the safe repairs.

Restoration and Repairment

Repairs will take place in my workshop. Shown below is a typical process. (It varies depending on the structure of statues and level of damage.)

• 1.

  Taking Pictures

  Pictures are taken for our records.

• 2.

  Cleaning

  Dust and stains are removed from the surface.

  Dry Cleaning
  Dust is carefully removed with soft brushes and other tools in order not to damage the surface.

  Wet Cleaning
  Stains are removed as much as possible with cottons and swabs with alcohol. Patches with glue could be applied to prevent the surface from peeling off for colored statues.

  

  乾式クリーニング

  

  湿式クリーニング

• 3.

  Prevention of Surface Peeling

  Surfaces of statues often tend to peel off as they get older. Each of such parts can be settled on the surface again intently with a special type of glue, which is used for cultural properties.

  

  処理前

  

  処理後

• 4.

  Removal of The Latest Colored Surface

  There are many cases where the latest coloring materials do not match the original statue. Removal of such a surface can be requested and the statue could be finished again in order to make it look as it was when it was first created.

• 5.

  Reinforcement

  Wooden statues often get damaged by insects and get numerous holes inside. The damage could turn out to be wider than expected when we examine the statue. The wood can be reinforced by being soaked with a special material and the holes can be filled with a special liquid which contains wooden powder and Nikawa glue.

  

• 6.

  Disassembly

  Statues can be disassembled when they have loose joints. Old glue and nails will be removed and the surfaces will be checked so as not to have gaps.

• 7.

  Recreation of Lost Parts

  We can recreate lost parts or replace parts that were fixed in previous repairs that do not fit the statue.

  

  

• 8.

  Assembly and Adhesion

  Assemble parts and adhere them with Nikawa and Urushi glue. The connection parts are filled with Kokuso-Urushi glue and smoothed. (Kokuso-Urushi is Urushi glue mixed with wood powder and it’s used in classic technique.)

• 9.

  Coloring and Aging

  Put color or foil on the newly created or filled parts. Then they go through the aging process so that they look fit to the whole statue.

  

Restoration and Repairment Report

Detailed information about the repaired parts as well as the records prior to the repairs are included in the report. This is a valuable resource for future repairs. This is normally handed in with the statue when it’s returned to the clients.

Return

Complete the whole process by returning the statue to the clients. Ceremony of putting in spirits can be held as needed, and then it can be worshiped again.