Japanese Restorer Hails Egypt, Poland, Japan's Cooperation in Idut Tomb Project

Renowned Japanese conservator-restorer Dr. Tadateru Nisura hailed the fruitful cooperation between Egypt, Poland, and Japan in the field of antiques restoration.

Speaking to Sada Elbald English (SEE), Tadateru said that the restoration of the Idut Tomb in Saqqara represents a great success of international cooperation between Egypt, Japan, and Poland.

He noted that the work was not only aimed at preserving the wall of the tomb, but also aimed at developing the practical and research experiences of restoration specialists in the antiquities area.

The Japanese stone monuments expert recounted pressures to preserve the remains of the murals in the burial well of the Idut tomb.

According to Tadateru, they began their extensive restoration works in Saqqara in 2003. But they were later forced to stop the restoration works as the January Revolution made it difficult for the Japanese and Polish sides to be in Saqqara for a long time.

After that, the Japanese side conducted a series of workshops and training courses on the maintenance and restoration of antiquities, such as training on how to write research papers in English, training on removing wall images and their treatment, and training on how can they use "fenori", which is a Japanese material.

The workshops were held in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities through the Saqqara Restoration Department in the Saqqara antiquities area and Kansai University, he said.

Tadateru stressed that the State of Japan gives greater importance to fostering cooperation between Egypt and Japan, especially in the cultural fields, adding that the Japanese JICA Foundation contributed to the establishment of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

In the same connection, he revealed that the Japanese University of Saida is carrying out restoration work on King Khufu’s second boat, which will be transferred to the Grand Museum.

It is worth noting that Dr. Tadateru is one of the members of the Japanese mission affiliated with the Japanese Kansai University.

Tadateru worked in many places in the continent of Asia, such as China, Thailand, Syria, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Jordan. He also worked in the country of Peru in South America. Moreover, he worked for a long time at the Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Buildings.

Contributed by Ahmed Emam