Damaged Horyu-Ji Temple Wall Paintings Restored with Digital Tech

Researchers in Japan digitally restored the vibrant colors of wall paintings from Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, which suffered fire damage in 1949. The paintings, considered a treasure of East Asian Buddhist art from the late 7th to early 8th centuries, will be displayed at a special exhibition starting March 18 at the Nara National Museum.

Before the fire, the temple’s walls depicted a colorful Buddhist world. Fortunately, Kyoto’s “Benridō” art workshop photographed the 12 wall sections on glass plates before the disaster, preserving detailed monochrome and four-color separation prints.

Fujifilm used its photographic expertise to restore color data from the glass plates and combine it with the monochrome images. This process resulted in high-definition color images revealing subtle color variations and fine details like individual strands of hair.

This marks the first time the original colors have been scientifically restored, as previous attempts relied on artists’ interpretations. The restoration may provide clues about the paintings’ creators and creation date.