Assumptive Color Restoration of Kudara Kannon

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An epoch-making digital archival image software of the statue of Kudara Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy), Horyuji temple, has been made with the latest digital technologies. The statue of Kudara Kannnon is known as a masterpiece of a wooden sculpture of the 7th century in Japan. It is highly appreciated for the beauty of form and figure. However, the surface of the stature is peeled off badly and it was regarded almost impossible to restore the original colors.
With the aid of the latest digital image processing technologies as well as expertise of color and sculpture specialists, an assumptive color restoration of Kudara Kannon been completed. The restoration was started with a color photographs of the halo (the shining back-plate), and the process of restoration is
1) Digitizing of the color photography,
2) Color normalization,
3) Color enhancement,
4) Surveying the remaining colors and the specific pattern,
5) Pattern extraction and supplementing missing outline and colors with assumption by specialist,
6) Restoration of the color,
7) Shading by using computer and so on. Furthermore, besides the halo, the restoration of the upper part of the statue has been done. Finally the halo and the statue have been combined.
As the result, a digital archival Hi-Vision (HDTV) software titled "Color Restoration of The Statue of Kudara Kannon" was produced. The work process and the result images of the restoration are presented in the software.

　
Assumptive Restoration of Kudara Koannon (Left: Original image, Right: Restored image)

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