At Yasui Konpiragu Shrine (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture), approximately 600 ema (votive picture tablets) are currently stored. Most of these hold significant historical value, having been donated between the late Edo period’s Bunka-Bunsei era and the Taisho period. Among the approximately 50 large ema exhibited in the Ema Hall within the shrine premises, many have suffered severe deterioration due to exposure to the elements over the years. Consequently, much of the writing and illustrations on them have faded or disappeared entirely.
This time, the GFX100 II IR(infrared camera) was utilized in an effort to decipher the missing characters.
FUJIFILM GFX100 II IR
Torii, the chief priest of Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, decided to use the GFX100 II IR for this cultural heritage preservation project.
“Given the difficulty of reading the ema with the naked eye due to years of weathering, we concluded that infrared camera technology would be the best approach, based on expert knowledge. The resulting images were far clearer than we could have imagined, and we are extremely satisfied. To pass down these culturally significant ema to future generations 50 or 100 years from now, we aim to promote appropriate preservation measures while creating reproductions that more people can view.” (Torii, Chief Priest of Yasui Konpiragu Shrine)
The GFX100 II IR, equipped with a 102-megapixel large-format sensor offering stunning resolution and high sensitivity to infrared light, enables infrared photography that can reveal underdrawings hidden beneath layers of pigment or previously erased text, depending on the type of pigments used. By leveraging this technology, it becomes possible to restore faded information from the ema and deepen our understanding of their historical and cultural significance.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S VOICE
In cases where the wood grain of an ema has blended with the faded text, infrared photography is a very powerful method for uncovering information invisible to the naked eye. The GFX IR version, with its high resolution and sensitivity to infrared light, is a camera specifically designed for such purposes.
The camera’s operability, which many find user-friendly, is another advantage that significantly enhances efficiency in fieldwork. By using this camera to document and preserve valuable cultural artifacts and artworks accurately, it contributes to society in a meaningful way. Moreover, the visualization of faded text can lead to rediscovery of historical contexts and cultural values.
Sosuke Nishijima(Photographer)
“Sangaku”: Questions from the Past Revived by the GFX
In the late Edo period, mathematics (“wasan”) became a cultural trend in Japan. Enthusiastic amateurs approached math exercises like puzzles or quizzes, diligently studying them. Sangaku, wooden plaques featuring mathematical exercises, became commonly offered at shrines starting around the 17th century. Initially, these were expressions of gratitude for academic success or prayers for improved skills in mathematics. Later, people began writing challenging problems on ema not only to showcase their abilities but also to invite others to solve them. Some would inscribe only the problem on an ema, and those who successfully solved it would write their answers on another ema and hang it next to the first. These uniquely Japanese interactions reflect how math was part of people’s social lives in those days.
At the Ema Hall of Yasui Konpiragu Shrine, we can view a sangaku donated in 1841 (the 12th year of the Tenpo era). The exercises inscribed on it are reportedly relatively simple, so why not test yourself if you feel confident?
About Yasui Konpiragu Shrine’s Ema Hall
The Ema Hall, inaugurated in 1976, is Japan’s first gallery dedicated to preserving and exhibiting ema, a uniquely Japanese form of votive artwork. It was renovated to preserve the architectural beauty of the historic ema hall while accommodating modern needs.(Currently under renovation, the new Ema Hall is scheduled to open in spring 2027)
For more details, please visit the official website.（ http://www.yasui-konpiragu.or.jp/facilities/ )
Photography Cooperation :Yasui Konpiragu Shrine
