Japanese Restorer Reviving Ukiyo-e in Germany

Berlin, May 7 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese restorer is playing a major part in a project at a state museum in the historic German city of Dresden to shine a spotlight again on ukiyo-e traditional woodblock print and other long-buried Japanese artworks.

The museum of the eastern German state of Saxony featuring a collection of prints is promoting a project to sort and restore more than 10,000 Japanese artworks that have been kept in its repository.

Among those leading the project is Mayumi Nishikawa, a 48-year-old Japanese restorer. Ukiyo-e artworks to be restored by Japanese traditional artisanship will be on display at an exhibition starting in June.

Nishikawa used to be based in the western Japan prefecture of Kyoto, where she repaired such works as ancient documents, including designated national treasures, kept at Todai-ji temple in neighboring Nara Prefecture.

After moving to Germany for family reasons in 2012, Nishikawa, while busily engaged in parenting, had been away from the profession of restorer, which she had longed to pursue since she was a teenager.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]