Augmented Reality Brings Kyotoโs Oldest Zen Temple into the Future
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Augmented Reality Brings Kyotoโs Oldest Zen Temple into the Future
Kennin-ji,
the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto has taken a step into the 21st century
with last weekโs launch of the โMR Museum.โ The new digital experience
offers visitors a unique new way to view and interact with the temple,
by turning static art into a living, moving holographic narrative
through the application of mixed, or augmented, reality (MR) that
includes a holographic Buddhist monk who provides an educational
commentary.
Using 3D digital
imagery and HoloLens headsets, Tokyo-based hakuhodo-VRAR, a company
specializing in virtual and augmented reality technologies, uses MR to
bring an added dimension to the spectacular and highly influential byobu folding screen Wind God and Thunder God, a 17th century national treasure created by the renowned artist Tawaraya Sotatsu (c. 1570โc. 1640).
โThe
folding screen of Fujin and Raijin is Japanโs most famous national
treasure, and weโve used HoloLens MR technology to enable people to
โfeelโ the concept of a bountiful harvest that the work depicts, rather
than just view it,โ said hakuhodo executive creative director Kazuhiro
Suda. โBy overlaying the wind and rain brought by the gods of wind and
thunder around the double screen, weโve attempted to communicate what
the artist had in mind to those viewing this masterpiece.โ (Next
Reality)
Kennin-ji monk Shundo Asano, whose image was used for the MR experience, dons a HoloLens headset. From youtube.com
he holographic narrative provides visitors with a
new way to experience and understand Sotatsuโs 17th century masterpiece.
From youtube.com
Wind God and Thunder God,
housed at Kennin-ji, comprises a pair of bi-folded screens, each
measuring 169.8 centimeters by 154.5 centimeters, and depicting Raijin,
the Shinto god of lightning, thunder, and storms, and Fujin, the god of
wind, both rendered in ink and color on gold-foiled paper.
The
holographic narrative provides visitors with a new way to experience
and understand Sotatsuโs 17th century masterpiece, and the stories
behind its creation, all under the guidance of a holographic Kennin-ji
monk.
According to Microsoft,
which developed the HoloLens technology: โViewers will be immersed in a
totally new way of experiencing cultural treasures as they are drawn
into a dynamic graphic narrative featuring rainclouds alive with
lightning and thunder, a lush Earth below, a vast cosmos, and other
motifs. The advanced viewing experience also includes 3D renditions of
works on the same Fujin and Raijin theme by Ogata Korin, Sakai Hoitsu
and other artists of the Rinpa school who were inspired by Tawaraya
Sotatsu, enabling viewers to compare the works.โ (Mobile Nations)
โI think
itโs really wonderful to be able to experience this national treasure,
the folding screen of Fujin and Raijin in this way,โ said Buddhist monk
Shundo Asano, whose image was used for the MR experience. โBut I must
admit, I never imagined myself being captured in 3D in this way.โ (Next
Reality)
The MR holographic
narrative at Kennin-ji ran from 22โ24 February and continues at Kyoto
National Museum from 28 Februaryโ2 March.
Founded
in 1202, Kennin-ji, a major temple of the Rinzai school of Zen
Buddhism, is considered one of the five most important Zen temples in
Kyoto. The monk Eisai (1141โ1215), who is credited with introducing both
Zen Buddhism and green tea to Japan, was the templeโs founding abbot
and is buried within the grounds. A combination of Zen, Tendai, and
Shingon practices were conducted at the temple in its early years, but
Kennin-ji became a purely Zen temple under its 11th abbot, the Chinese
monk Lanxi Daolong (1213โ1278). The renowned Zen master Dogen
(1200โ1253), who went on to found Soto Zen, also trained at Kennin-ji.
The digital experience provides an immersive new medium for learning about cultural treasures. From youtube.com
Augmented reality helps explain the background and inspiration behind the art. From youtube.comSee More
The Oldest Zen Temple in Kyoto Kenninji
HoloLens adds mixed reality to a Japanese national treasure (engadget)
Japanese lab uses HoloLens to help people learn about art (on MSFT)
HoloLens to help bring Japanese national treasure to life with mixed reality (Mobile Nations)
Microsoftโs HoloLens Transports One of Japanโs Oldest Temples into the Future in Kyoto (Next reality)
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