Startrail, the blockchain infrastructure operated by Startbahn Inc. (headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Taihei Shii; hereinafter referred to as "Startbahn") was deployed in a POC as part of the governmental project to promote standardized collection management.

【Background of the POC】

The Agency for Cultural Affairs initiated the project for standardized collection management as part of its digital transformation initiative in FY 2022. The project’s overarching aim is to activate the domestic art sector through improving the market infrastructure.

Startrail, a blockchain infrastructure centered on reliability, authenticity, and traceability of artworks, was used in the POC at Sompo Museum as part of the project. The project introduces a new, technological method for artwork management, which has traditionally been an analog endeavor at galleries, museums, and other cultural institutions throughout Japan. There have been challenges in preventing the loss of valuable cultural assets resulting from their transfer between cultural institutions. By using blockchain, a distributed ledger without reliance on a specific institution, information about artworks can be exchanged in a standardized format irrespective of whether they are held by those in the public or private sectors. To mark the beginning of the initiative, artworks from Sompo Museum in Tokyo, Japan, were registered on to Startrail.

【Details of the POC and Startrail value proposition】

Five artworks from the collection of SOMPO Museum were registered on Startrail. NFC tags provided by Startbahn were attached to each of the artworks. Artworks were then loaned to other museums to examine Startrail’s effectiveness for provenance and traceability management. Previously, data sets managed within the museum differed from those shared to external parties - Startrail introduced a unified information management system that supports higher valuation through enriched provenance records.

【Comments from Keiko Nakajima, Senior Curator, SOMPO Museum】

In lending artworks to several exhibitions, I assisted in creating accounts, registering works, and attaching and reading tags. As a result, I saw great potential in the Startrail technology - the ease of reading tags with a smartphone and the permanence of the information recorded in tags – information that cannot be overwritten once they have been registered.

The integration of Startrail to other existing softwares for collection management is also notable as eliminating required workload can support wider adoption of the technology.
I hope that Startbahn will continue to customize and enhance Startrail to support our mission to safeguard a wide variety of cultural assets for posterity, and that it will become the standard of choice both domestically and internationally.

【Comments from Hiroshi Itakura, Director, Cultural Economy and International Affairs Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs】

Digital transformation in Arts and Culture was emphasized by the Cultural Economy Sub-Committee in its report published in March 2022. Recommendations made in the report included the utilization of blockchain technology for supporting the enrichment of provenance records, setting the stage for this project.

We are delighted for the opportunity to undertake the POC, with the support and cooperation of key stakeholders. Through the POC, we have gained a deeper understanding of the technological potentials for ensuring traceability and supporting collaborative initiatives between cultural institutions. The Agency for Cultural Affairs will continue to make efforts in
implementing necessary measures to vitalize the Japanese Cultural sector.

■What is "Startrail"?

Startrail is a sustainable and scalable blockchain infrastructure that assures the reliability, authenticity, and traceability of artworks—from physical works such as paintings, sculptures, and installations, to digital works based on data such as images, video, and audio. Providing seamless management of terms & conditions for secondary distribution and other permissions, Startrail can serve as a collection management tool, and due to the nature of blockchain, recorded information cannot be deleted, tampered with, or duplicated. To ensure easy access to Startrail, Startbahn provides a suite of products, including a web application, APIs, and NFC tags for physical objects. Startrail is currently in use by major galleries, e-commerce platforms, art fairs, collectors, artists, and foundations.

https://startbahn.io/startrail

■ Startbahn Inc.
Startbahn is a leading Japanese art tech with a vision to enrich the society - by providing the technology for artists and those involved in the cultural and creative sectors around the world. Startbahn operates Startrail, a sustainable and scalable blockchain infrastructure that assures the reliability, authenticity, and traceability of artworks—from physical works to digital works based on data.

To ensure easy access to Startrail, Startbahn provides a suite of products, including a web application, APIs, and NFC tags for physical objects. Startrail is currently in use by major galleries, e-commerce platforms, art fairs, collectors, artists, and foundations. Providing seamless management of terms & conditions for secondary distribution and other permissions, Startrail can serve as a collection management tool where recorded information cannot be deleted, tampered with, or duplicated.

https://startbahn.jp/

■ Contact Information
We have a consultation service for cultural facilities and government agencies with similar concerns. Please contact us at the e-mail address below.

Startbahn.Inc Business Development Dept.：biz@startbahn.jp

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