An IT specialist working to create a 3-D model of Naha's Shuri-jo castle before it was ravaged by fire in October is calling on people from around the world to submit 1 million photos and images of the site to help with efforts to reconstruct the main structures.

The red-hued castle, the home of royalty and the center of politics and culture for the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429-1879), was destroyed once before, during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, but was later restored to its former glory.

The feudal foundations are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Residents of Okinawa Prefecture are still mourning the loss of their treasured symbol, and Rei Kawakami is determined to help put things right.

Kawakami, an information science specialist and lecturer at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, intends to create a 3-D model of the castle using digital technology.

She is seeking input from Japan and overseas in the hope of securing a trove of photos and materials to create an accurate model of the gutted structures.

'COMPUTER VISION'

Kawakami, 39, is hardly alone in wanting to be involved in the restoration work, which the central government is committed to undertaking.

Koichi Inoue, a potter who was in charge of creating ornamental roof tiles for the castle when it was rebuilt after World War II, is also itching to pitch in, insisting he is the only person qualified for the task.

Kawakami specializes in image processing called “computer vision.”

This requires a vast number of images and footage shot from different angles and locations to digitally create a three-dimensional picture of the original colors and shapes of the structures with a high degree of precision.

3-D models can be rotated and viewed from any angle, and also enlarged.

Kawakami recalled her shock at news reports of local children so distraught by the Oct. 31 disaster that they couldn’t eat or go to school.

“It will take time to rebuild the castle, but with this technology I can please them instantly,” Kawakami said by way of explaining her motivation.

On the day after the fire, she and a group of graduate students created a 3-D prototype of the castle based on 50 or so images.

She decided to call the enterprise Our Shurijo: Shuri Castle Digital Reconstruction Project, and set up an official website for it on Nov. 5. By the end of the month, some 23,000 images had been submitted from around 2,300 viewers. Kawakami said 16,000 of the images are being used to create the first 3-D model that will be unveiled soon.

Project members are also calling on the public to submit their memories of Shuri-jo castle along with images so they can be incorporated into the finished design.

“I want to restore it not only as a 3-D model, but also as something filled with the feelings of people who cherish Shuri-jo,” Kawakami said.

Images can be posted to (https://www.our-shurijo.org/en/).

IRREPLACEABLE SKILLS

Inoue, the artisan who created “muna-kazari” ornamental tiles in the form of dragon heads to grace the roof of the now-destroyed Seiden main hall, now lives in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.

Inoue, 67, recalled his sense of devastation after learning of the castle fire on TV on the morning of Oct. 31 and is now desperate to be a part of the reconstruction process.

“I want to get involved in the production again and reciprocate the Okinawan people’s feelings,” the potter said.

As Inoue watched flames engulfing the Seiden main hall, he stayed glued to the screen, praying his precious dragon heads would not be destroyed.

Inoue, a native of Fukuoka Prefecture, studied pottery at college and went on to land a job at a company that specialized in producing ceramic monuments.

At age 36, he moved to Takayama to work as an instructor at a vocational school for youngsters trying to hone their artisan skills.

Around that time, the Shuri-jo reconstruction project got going. Inoue recalled he received a call out of the blue from a colleague in Okinawa Prefecture asking if he was interested in creating “kazari-gawara” ornamental tiles for the castle in Naha.

Regarding the prospect as a rare opportunity, Inoue took leave of absence from the school and began traveling back and forth between Takayama and Okinawa Prefecture.

A team of five or so artisans, including Inoue, was tasked with the production of three dragon- and four lion-shaped ornaments for the roof of the Seiden.

Based on models created by a college professor, the artisans shaped mounds of clay into numerous designs, such as jaws, lion manes and scales, before firing them in a kiln. The work involved hundreds of separate pieces.

The group holed up in a studio in Okinawa's Ishigakijima island for six months or so to fire the parts.

For the actual reconstruction of Shuri-jo, the group members gingerly lifted parts by crane onto the roof of the hall. They spent about two months engaged in the task before finally deciding the finished work featuring 3-meter-long dragons and 1-meter-tall lions was perfect, dynamic and in harmony with its surroundings.

“Shuri-jo was a symbol for Okinawans as it was full of their thoughts. The job was demanding, but also rewarding and fun,” Inoue said.

These days, Inoue crafts ceramic houseware in his Takayama studio.

He proudly noted that a colleague from the old days had mentioned that they might be asked to work together again when it comes to rebuilding the castle.

“I take pride in my work, knowing it can only be done by me,” Inoue said. “If I am asked to be part of the reconstruction, I definitely want to help.”

Inoue said he has no problems recalling the production process of fashioning roof tiles in the restoration of Shuri-jo castle around 1990.

In Tokyo, meantime, the government decided at a Dec. 2 ministerial meeting to set up an an expert panel to study technical issues related to reconstruction of Shuri-jo castle.

Officials are working to establish an agenda for the panel’s first meeting, slated to be held in Okinawa Prefecture possibly as early as before the year-end.

Specialists in history, culture and other fields will sit on the panel to discuss the materials needed for the restoration project, such as lumber and tiles, and how to assemble the gifted craftsmen to get the task done.

(This article was compiled from reports by Kentaro Yamano and Shuhei Yamashita.)