NAGATO, Japan December 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Sinzho Abe, who held talks earlier on Thursday, have exchanged memorable gifts.
Putin presented the Japanese leader with a ‘samovar’ - Russia’s traditional coal-fueled water container for making tea - an exquisite vintage piece made in the city of Tula (well-known for its manufacturers of such artefacts) back in 1870. Another gift handed to Abe was a painting by a modern Russian artist, Igor Razzhivin, called A Russian Troika in the Village of Kolomenskoye.
Abe responded with a very symbolic gift - a high-tech replica of the painting called The Arrival of Putyatin - a work of art with a long and remarkable history loaded with deep meaning and significance for bilateral relations.
In 1855 Russian Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin (1803-1883) and Japanese official Toshikara Kawazi held talks that ended with the conclusion of a Japanese-Russian treaty of friendship and established diplomatic relations. During the talks the Russian frigate that brought the Russian delegates was damaged by a tsunami beyond repair.
To let the delegation travel back home Japanese and Russian carpenters joined forces to build a new schooner, called The Heda. This memorable event was chronicled by the authorities of the city of Suruga on a scroll of impressive dimensions - 6.2 meters long and 30 centimeters wide. Currently it is kept at one of Japan’s libraries.
On the basis of the original picture Fuji Xerox Corporation has produced a high-resolution replica with the use of its high-tech laser printer. The hand-made "Mino Washi" paper the drawing is printed on is Japan’s cultural asset of national importance and features on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list.