Virtual Yamahoko parade with vibration

With the development of computer graphics and virtual reality technologies, extensive researches have been carried out on digital archiving of cultural properties. For decades, tangible cultural heritage contents including historical crafts, archaeological sites, and historical buildings have been digitally archived. Recently, digital archiving of intangible culture heritage contents, such as traditional festivals and behaviors of participants in cultural events have attracted more and more attention. Yamahoko Parade of Gion Festival, one of the most famous festivals in Japan, becomes a symbolic landscape in Kyoto. During the festival, 32 floats (yama and hoko) representing each local neighborhood parade in the city center. We conduct researches to restore and represent this exciting event, full of Kyoto’s tangible and intangible culture and tradition, with cutting-edge technologies such as laser scanning, CG modeling, motion capture system, 4D-GIS, high fidelity sound recording, and vibration system.

References:

1. Choi, W., Fukumori, T., Furukawa, K., Hachimura, K., Nishiura, T., and Yano, K. Virtual yamahoko parade in virtual kyoto. In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2010 Posters.
2. Yano, K., Nakaya, T., and Isoda, Y. 2007. Virtual Kyoto: exploring the past, present and future of Kyoto. Nakanishiya.