Tokyo team recreates original colours of Nara’s 'hidden' statue using CG

The vibrant colors of an eighth-century Buddhist statue have been recreated, thanks to computer graphics technology by a joint research team from the Tokyo University of the Arts and Tokyo University of Science.

Todaiji temple's standing statue of the Buddhist deity Shukongojin as it appears today (left) and how it originally appeared with the aid of computer graphics technology (right) [Credit:Tokyo University of the Arts]

The project of reproducing the original colors of a national treasure, the standing statue of the armor-plated guardian deity Shukongojin, was conducted by the team led by Satoshi Yabuuchi, professor of studies in preservation and restoration of sculptures at TUA’s Graduate School of Fine Arts.

As a result of two years of research, the team used computer graphics technology to re-create the colors of the rich-colored patterns of the statue from the Tenpyo Period (729-749), based on pigments that remained on its surface. The restored colors also show peacock feathers used to encircle the "hidden" statue, which wields a "vajra" (thunderbolt) in his right hand.

The 173-centimeter-tall statue is only displayed to the public once a year at Nara's Todaiji temple. It is kept stored in a Buddhist altar called "zushi" at the temple’s Hokkedo (Sangatsudo) Hall, which is also designated a national treasure.

Author: Naoki Matsuyama | Source: The Asahi Shimbun [December 02, 2013]