Canon Inc. announced that the Tsuzuri Project (officially: Cultural Heritage Legacy Project), a joint project of the Kyoto Cultural Association (NPO) and Canon, has donated a high-resolution facsimile of “Amusements at the Dry Riverbed, Shijô”. – the original is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – as part of the fifteenth phase of the project.
The facsimile was donated to the National Institutes of Cultural Heritage and is on display at the Tokyo National Museum now through Sunday, August 27.
“Amusements at the Dry Riverbed, Shijô” depicts in exquisite detail the bustling pleasure district of Kyoto during the Edo period (17th century). Gold is lavishly used to decorate the scene through the use of gold paint1 to depict the ground, and gold sand2 to depict clouds. With the original “Amusements at the Dry Riverbed, Shijô” held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, there have been very few opportunities thus far to admire the work in Japan.
Canon’s EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera was used in the creation of the high-resolution facsimile. The camera was used to capture images of the original work, after which Canon applied its proprietary color matching system and image processing. The facsimile was then output using large-format inkjet printers with 12-color pigment ink. Finally, expert Kyoto craftsmen applied gold to the facsimile and mounted it on folding screen frames, completing an extremely accurate reproduction of the original work.
With the donation of this high-resolution facsimile to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, it can be put on display for the general public, creating opportunities to view and admire this priceless work of Japanese culture.
The donated high-resolution facsimile will be on display at the Tokyo National Museum hands-on space in the Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T3, during the “The Door to Japanese Art” event to be held from Tuesday, June 6 to Sunday August 27. While many original cultural assets must be kept behind glass cases, this facsimile will be openly displayed, allowing visitors to admire the work up close.
Tokyo National Museum website: https://www.tnm.jp
Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Reproduced with permission.
