Fuji Xerox Reproduces Daigoji Temple's Important Cultural Property by Bringing Together Its Technologies

Online, June 5, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Contributes to Cultural Inheritance by Reproducing Historical Documents

Utilizing its multifunction devices and color management technologies, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. has reproduced a national important cultural property, the Daigo Hanami Tanzaku-a collection of Waka, Japanese poems written in 16th century. This property is owned by Daigoji Temple, Kyoto, Japan, which is itself designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The presentation ceremony takes place at the temple today.

The Daigo Hanami Tanzaku has its own color tones and gloss specific to historical documents, as well as the textures acquired over the years. Advanced technologies are required to accurately reproduce such delicate colors on Washi, traditional Japanese paper that has different qualities and tones from the plain paper used for multifunction devices.

To create the replica, Fuji Xerox's unique color management technologies were utilized: Digitalized the documents' image information and converted it into color data suitable for printing to deliver the colors and tones faithful to the original. For printing, the company used its high-resolution, full-color multifunction device* for the graphics arts market customizing it to fuse the regular toner onto Washi, which has a rougher surface and different moisture level.

"Thanks to Fuji Xerox's advanced technologies, The Daigo Hanami Tanzaku was reproduced really faithfully to the original," said REV. Junna Nakada, ARCHBISHOP (the head priest) of Daigoji Temple. "We have been working to digitally reproduce quality replica such as sliding screen paintings of Sanbo-in. We asked this task to Fuji Xerox because of their capabilities to analyze detailed colors and gloss, as well as print them. We hope that more people can enjoy The Daigo Hanami Tanzaku."

Since historical documents could be damaged due to deterioration through aging, opportunities to access such documents owned by temples, shrines, educational institutions, and first families are limited for their own protection, presenting a challenge in preserving them for a long period of time. In response to the demands for passing down such historical culture and tradition in Kyoto - an ancient capital of Japan - to the next generation, Fuji Xerox Kyoto Co., Ltd., a sales subsidiary of Fuji Xerox, commenced reproduction of historical documents as a social contribution activity in 2009, and has donated approximately 140 items to date.

Fuji Xerox expanded this activity - previously conducted solely by Fuji Xerox Kyoto - to a company-wide scale in April 2014, setting up a project office in the company's major research and development center, Fuji Xerox R&D Square in Yokohama, Japan. Five staff members in Kyoto and Yokohama will handle 50 projects per year to reproduce historical documents across Japan.

The project office reinforces the collaboration with the technical divisions to improve the document reproducibility. Further, it will generate new ideas to utilize information: For example, SkyDesk Media Switch, Fuji Xerox's cloud service that links paper documents to multimedia, enables users to view multimedia contents such as videos and Web information related to the historical documents by taking pictures of the replicas with their smartphones.

In its Mission Statements, Fuji Xerox commits itself to "Contribute to the advancement of the global community by continuously fostering mutual trust and enriching diverse cultures." By integrating its technologies to reproduce historical documents, the company continues to contribute to the preservation and inheritance of valuable culture and information that could be vanishing.

About Daigo Hanami Tanzaku, a National Important Cultural Property
In March 1598, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, then ruler of Japan, held his historically famed cherry blossom- viewing party in Daigoji Temple. Prior to this grand party, Hideyoshi planted 700 cherry trees and reconstructed the Sanboin building that stands alongside the garden. More than 1,300 guests were invited including Hideyoshi's formal wife, Kita no Mandokoro, concubine, Yodo-dono and other wives, as well as Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori. It is said that the guests wrote Waka (Japanese poems) about the cherry blossoms, hanging the Tanzaku (strip of paper) on which their poems were written from the branches of the cherry trees. Later these Tanzaku were compiled into a book and kept in the temple to the present day. The collection of these 131 poems is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

* Commercially available models were used for the work; However, the device is customized to ensure accurate reproduction of the original.