Asia-Pacific Advanced Network
20th APAN Meeting: Advanced Network Conference in Taipei
Near Infrared Digital Images of
Historical Resources of the Nara Region
April 24th 2005
Nara Women’s University Library
Katsuya Watari and Saori Donkai
The picture of the background is Mt. Miwayama
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Digital Archives of Nara Women’s University Library
Gangouji Gokurakubou engi emaki
（元興寺極楽坊縁起絵巻）
Ikomayama Houzanji engi
（生駒山宝山寺縁起）
Miwayama engi（三輪山縁起）
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What is the Chikou Mandala?
1. One of the Important Cultural Property in Japan
2. A historical heritage of folk beliefs in medieval
times
3. In the Gangouji Temple
Gangouji Temple
(元興寺） in Nara
4. Originally Created 1200
years ago
5. Drawn Gokuraku Joudo
（極楽浄土）
= Amida’s Pure Land
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Research in 1960’s on the Chikou Mandala
• Repaired with the purpose of preventing the
abruption of the pigments and getting rid of
the dirt.
• Photographed in wet condition.
• X-ray photographs
• Fluorescent X-ray analysis of
• the pigments
4
Basis of the Chikou Mandala
217cm
195cm
5
Basecoat of the Chikou Mandala
Gold paint
Vermillion
Sumi ink
Black Japanese lacquer
Green
Polishing powder
Yellow ocher
Linen cloth
Japanese lacquer
Cypress board
Iron nail
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Pigments and the chemical name
Color
Yellow
Red
Green
Blue
White
Pigments
Lead oxide
Yellow arsenic
Yellow ocher
Minium
Vermillion
Aerugo
Mountain blue
Lead white
White Cley
Chemical name
PbO
As2S3
Fe2O3・nH2O
Pb3O4
HgS
CuCO3・Cu(OH)2
2CuCO3・Cu(OH)2
2PbCO3・Pb(OH)2
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Infrared wavelength region
9
Near-infrared absorption spectrum
• By the overtone or combination tone of
stretching and bending vibrations of
interatomic bond in infrared range.
• Absorption intensity is lower.
↓
Suit for nondestructive inspection
10
Image formation by near-infrared reflection and
absorption
restore an image
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Digital Still Cameras
• Store images digitally
• CCD（Charge-coupled device）
→ Sensitive to near-infrared light
• LCD screen
→ Preview the resulting image in
real-time
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HORIUCHI COLOR LTD.
• A Professional Photo-processing laboratory
in Japan
• Launched a division specializing in digital
archiving in 1999
http://www.horiuchi-color.co.jp/
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iPallet / Lime
• Image Viewing Software
• Compared and synchronized viewing between
two huge images.
• Developed as a web plug-in version of
iPalletnexus.
• Jointly developed by the University of Tokyo,
Horiuchi Color and iPallet
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Demonstration
•
•
•
•
•
•
Portal of the digital archives
Chikou Mandala
Normal
Near-infrared
Comparing two images
Glass view
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Benefit from the near-infrared images
To identify the term of the creation
Arched eyebrow
Almond eye
Ample cheek
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Digital Archives
of the Nara Women’s University
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Visualization by near-infrared light
Preservation of cultural properties
High-quality presentation
Advancement of the accessibility
Coordination with the local community
Supporting research
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Image Database of Historical Resources
of
the Nara Region
Uniform Resource Locator
Nara Women’s University Library
http://lib.nara-wu.ac.jp/
Image Database of Historical Resources of the Nara Region
http://mahoroba.lib.nara-wu.ac.jp/
Nara
Nara Women’s
Women’s University
University Library
Library
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