Exhibition Explores the World of the Samurai and Showcases Japanese Cultural Artifacts Through 3DCG Technology
LOS ANGELES – January 27, 2025 – JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of “NEO-JAPONISM | SAMURAI AND BEYOND: Exploring Tradition Through Technology,” an exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of broadcasting in Japan started by three radio stations which later became the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK. On display February 14 - September 1, 2025, visitors can explore the innovative artwork scanning technologies NHK utilizes to present interactive high-resolution 3D scans of Japan’s cultural treasures. Building on the growing global popularity of samurai-era culture – as witnessed in FX’s “Shōgun” and Sony’s “Rise of the Ronin” video game – presentations will also include techniques employed by NHK to bring Japanese culture to life from their renowned, year-long “Taiga” historical drama series – which often depict samurai, warlords, and noblewomen from the pre-modern period.
To commemorate this milestone, NHK is producing special programs and developing exhibitions in conjunction with unique and cutting-edge visualization technologies they design and implement to promote a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. The exhibition also showcases NHK’s interactive technological collaborations with Japan’s important museums, allowing greater access to Japanese cultural treasures.
“The exhibition utilizes media arts to present a broad spectrum of historical Japanese works – from clay and ceramic, to woodblock printing and painting, to architecture– inviting visitors to fully explore Japanese cultural aesthetics that collectively contribute to NEO-JAPONISM,” said Yuko Kaifu, president, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. “This intangible but consistent ‘Japanese-ness’ underpins Japan’s historical cultural output and represents Japan’s contribution to global culture and entertainment.”
In recent years, NHK and its subsidiary NHK Enterprises (NEP) used three-dimensional computer graphic (3DCG) technology to create high resolution 3D scans to build a library of Japanese cultural artifacts. Previously only accessible by visiting a museum where they would be displayed behind glass, the artifacts vividly come to life in this exhibition as 3DCG objects, allowing visitors to explore the objects as interactive video experiences – close up, viewed from typically inaccessible angles, and augmented with audio and graphical annotations.
The exhibition is presented in four distinct zones:
- NEO-JAPONISM and NHK: This section introduces NHK, its 100th anniversary of broadcasting in Japan, and the NEO-JAPONISM project. A behind-the-scenes video features insight into the process of 3D scanning, photography, and CG modeling, showcasing the innovative technology that has made the exhibition’s remarkable 3DCG artwork reproductions possible.
- The World of the Samurai: The world of Japan’s medieval samurai is presented through a combination of ultra-high-definition video 3DCG content of historical artifacts and an expansive projection of simulated castle architecture developed for NHK’s “Taiga” drama. Interactive artworks include 3DCG presentations of 15th century samurai armor (“Dōmaru”), an 800-year-old tea bowl prized by the samurai, and a dazzling 17th century screen painting featuring scenes from Kyoto 400 years ago.
- Art Icons of the Edo Period: This zone features work from two prominent figures in Edo-period culture, Itō Jakuchū, a Kyoto painter and Tsutaya Jūzaburō, a publisher who popularized art and literature in Edo with ukiyo-e woodblock prints and printed books designed by artists. Visitors can view a 3DCG realization of Itō Jakuchū’s work, Hyakka no zu (One Hundred Flowers), a series of wall paintings which adorn the upper room of the Oku-shoin at Kotohira Shrine in Kagawa prefecture. Tsutaya’s legacy is represented through large-format projections of several of his most popular ukiyo-e by Utamaro and Sharaku and interactive 3DCG scans of these works.
- Cultural Artifacts and Architecture: The exhibition culminates in interactive experiences with two important pieces of cultural heritage from the northeastern part of Japan including showcasing the beauty of Iwate prefecture’s 900-year-old Golden Hall of Chūson-ji Temple, presented through both an interactive application and wide screen motion graphics projected using detailed digital data both painstakingly reproduced with 3DCG.
Shakōki Dogū, a cultural artifact and clay figure unearthed in Aomori prefecture from the late Jōmon-period (1,000-400 BCE) is also featured prominently in this zone. Visitors can manipulate a 3D application of Shakōki Dogū to view the piece from all angles, even into the interior of the hollow figure. As a special addition to the exhibition, the presentation of a 3D-printed replica – identical down to the exact size and weight – offers an opportunity to discover other secrets of the Shakōki Dogū including original color and the “Jōmon” rolled surface patterns.
Admission to the exhibition is free. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows and the gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Mon. – Fri.) and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Sat. – Sun.).
The exhibition will also include related programs throughout the duration of the exhibition. For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and LinkedIn.
ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE
JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs – London, Los Angeles, and São Paulo – conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is a place for new discoveries, offering experiences that showcase the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs. Occupying two floors at Ovation Hollywood, the second floor features an exhibition gallery and WAZA Shop while the fifth floor offers a variety of programs and events at the multi-purpose hall (Salon) and the library. UKA, a Michelin-starred, multi-course kaiseki restaurant, also offers exclusive dining experiences.
Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
Website: www.japanhousela.com