Printing and allied industries
Benrido, Inc.
Benrido, Inc.
Since its establishment in 1887, Benrido has specialized in photography, reproduction, publication, and the planning and sale of products for art and cultural assets. We have used collotype, a sophisticated photographic printing technique, to reproduce cultural assets such as the mural paintings of the Golden Hall of Horyuji Temple and “Homage to All Creatures Great and Small: The Visionary World of Ito Jakuchu,” so that they can be passed down into the future. We are also using collotype to preserve works that may become cultural assets in the future, including contemporary art and manga.
Area of Interest
Site-visit
SDGs we are working on
Registered Keyword
Area of Interest
Site-visit
Not allowed
SDGs we are working on
Registered Keyword
Collotype is a photographic printing method that originated in France approximately 170 years ago and is now very rare around the world. This technique produces beautiful gradations and involves applying gelatin and a photosensitizing agent to a glass plate, adhering and exposing negative film, transferring the resultant image to the gelatin plate, adding pigment ink, and printing the image on paper. It is used to produce reproductions of national treasures and important cultural properties, as well as for photographic works by photographers. Today, there are only two companies in Japan that do commercial collotype printing around the world, and only Benrido still has a workshop capable of multicolor printing.