Research on Paper Making Propagation to East and West through Old Document Paper Analysis

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H05638
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Cultural assets study and museology
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: Sakamoto Shouji 龍谷大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 研究員 (60600476)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 岡田 至弘 龍谷大学, 理工学部, 教授 (30127063)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 紙分析 / 製紙技法 / 敦煌文書 / ゲニザ文書 / レンブラント / 澱粉

Outline of Final Research Achievements

About 2000 years ago, paper was invented in China, and spread it to all over the world. However, it was not clear the detail of process of the spreading, except for some historical descriptions. In this research, to unveil the detail of the paper making propagation from China to east and west in Eurasia, old paper which was held in libraries, archives, museums was investigated using the nondestructive analysis. As results, some old Chinese paper had the followings; the fiber cutting process existed in the old paper making process, starch granules were added as subsidiary raw material. Small pieces of thread, or textile, were found in/on old paper from China, Central Asia, Middle-East, Northern Africa and Europe. This means that the paper was made of textile rags.

Free Research Field

文化財科学、情報科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

古文書や絵画などの紙資料文化財に対して、従来のようなサンプリングをともなう破壊分析を実施することは困難であったが、我々が開発した非破壊の科学分析手法を用いて紙資料文化財を大量に分析できるようになった。この結果、これまでの史料による研究ではなく、古い紙資料文化財そのものを分析することによって明確な証拠とともに新たな知見が得られ、製紙技法の伝播などの紙の歴史について研究を実証的に進めることができるようになった。また、レンブラントの銅版画作品に使用された紙の分析からも新たな知見を得ることができた。