Matsumoto-jo:

A view of Matsumoto Castle situated amidst Japan’s central mountain range

A Virtual 16th Century Japanese Castle is a web-based history interactive that utilizes the kind of real time 3D graphics seen in video games but not often in interactive media that present cultural heritage or educational content. Matsumoto-jo centers on an accurate virtual reconstruction of Japan’s Matsumoto castle as it might have appeared during the feudal era. Participants have the ability to explore the castle and learn about this architectural wonder--a state-of-the art fortress in 16th century Japan. Feudal era characters inhabit areas of the castle and demonstrate various aspects of feudal Japanese society and culture.

When I originally set out to make Matsumoto-jo two years ago, my aim was to create a 3D history interactive integrating a wide range of source material. In effect I set out to create a portal to a historical subject. Since my days as a college history major and artist, I had been interested in exploring history through visual media. For a while, I considered studying documentary film. While in graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University I located the optimal medium in real-time 3D, and the rest is history.




The Lord’s Sitting room

Real-time 3D

acts as an ideal platform for exploring history and cultural heritage. The medium allows for the integration of a full ensemble of source material from architecture to artifacts to history and culture. Essentially, artifacts can be viewed in an environment approximating their original context. In this way, real-time 3D media is both truer and more meaningful than the traditional object-in-a-glass-box archetype. After all, artifacts did not always exist in a void but were objects that inhabited a broader cultural environment.

While Matsumoto-jo primarily revolves around the castle itself, the true focus of the interactive is Japan’s feudal era known as the Age of Warring States. During the 16th century, Japan disintegrated into numerous warring feudal states resulting in constant war and conflict among samurai and feudal lords. The period was also incredibly dynamic—marked by new technological innovations used for constructing houses and fortifications. Additionally, this age brought important cultural developments in the arts such as the Tea Ceremony, Pottery and Noh Theater. In fact, much of what is today considered quintessentially Japanese originated during this period. Within the interactive, Matsumoto castle serves as both an example of the era’s achievements and a portal through which to explore important aspects of the age.

I began my project by selecting a subject that could best utilize the medium of virtual reality. Historical architecture was a natural choice because it involved 3 dimensional space. I also looked for a visually compelling subject with access to sufficient source material. In the case of Matsumoto-jo, the original castle keep (or central tower) still stands in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. During my research phase, I was able to locate architectural plans and surveys of the castle. I then used these plans to build an accurate reconstruction of the castle.

In addition to choosing a subject for my project, another key decision involved choosing a 3D engine in which to build the interactive. Until recently, the use of real-time 3D in cultural heritage projects has been rare. With a high cost of production and a scarcity of 3D developers, real–time 3D remained beyond the means of smaller content providers—especially those in the business of presenting cultural heritage. However, improvements in the field of 3D authoring software and graphics hardware have made real-time 3D more accessible.




Samurai in armor

Real-time 3D Authoring

At present there is a small number of real-time 3D authoring programs available for independent developers. These programs facilitate the creation of a navigable and interactive 3D project by providing a ready-made game engine and tools for programming. Unlike other design areas, no one program dominates the field because the market is simply too small at the moment. For Matsumoyo-jo’s game engine, I chose Adobe Director (Macromedia Director at that time). A Key factor in this decision was Director’s ready online accessibility. At present, the Shockwave plug-in, which enables browsers to play Director-made content, is said to be installed on 59.2% of internet-enabled PCs (according to Adobe’s Shockwave site). In addition, the Shockwave plug-in is quick and easy to install and is free of charge.

On the downside, Director’s game engine is less advanced than others. Some of its less refined features are its shaders, lighting features and inability to cast real-time shadows. I found, however, that these constraints were in some ways beneficial to helping me achieve a cohesive aesthetic look. For instance, instead of having the game engine generate shadows, I painted the shadows into the texture. Because I was aiming for a stylized look, reminiscent of Japanese wood-block prints, this process actually allowed for greater consistency between the shadows and other textures (when representing immobile objects). Although I would like to see Adobe introduce shadows and more advanced shaders, I believe that this experience illustrates how technological constraints can play a positive role in the creative process.

In creating Matsumoto-jo, I sought to model the vast capabilities of real-time 3D for world cultural heritage projects. I can envision a genre of small yet richly focused real-time 3D interactive “documentaries” attracting the kind of audience that has been drawn to cable networks like the Discovery Channel and History Channel. As far as my work is concerned, Matsumoto-jo will be the first in a series of online interactives on world cultural sites. In the near future, look for 3D interactives on the Maya, Rome’s Colosseum, Masada, Dun Aengus, and Alhambra.

Matsumoto-jo: A Virtual 16th Century Castle was selected as a New Tech Demo for SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles and will be demonstrated from August 11 until August 15 in Hall H. For more information visit the site www.ajapanesecastle.com or email Jon Amakawa at jamakawa@studioamakawa.com.

About the Author

Jon Amakawa

teaches Game Art and Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He is also a Pittsburgh-based real-time 3D artist and developer who specializes in museum exhibits and educational media. In addition to the Matsumoto-jo interactive, Jon is the creator of a virtual reality-based permanent exhibit on Negro League baseball in Pittsburgh for the Heinz History Center, a Smithsonian affiliate. The exhibit was supported by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Jon has recently begun production for an exhibit on the Underground Railroad for the Heinz History Center.