Japanese Now Worshipping 3D
Printed Statues
by Whitney Hipolite · June 4, 2015 3D
Print.com
One of the major religions in Japan is Buddhism, a
religion that differs quite a bit from what most of us in the
Western World believe. While they don’t exactly worship a god,
there is one figure who Buddhists look up to for “enlightenment”,
and that is Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha, who is most frequently
referred to as just simply “Buddha”, has a presence in most
Buddhist temples in the form of a statue. Most of these statues,
however, are extremely old and valuable, and as with anything of
value, theft tends to occur. In fact, between 2007 and 2009 there
had been 105 reported thefts of statues in Japan, most of these
occurring in sparsely populated, low population areas of the
country. This has led various groups around Japan to begin using 3D
printing technology in order to create replicas of
their Buddhist statues.
One example was a group of students from the
Prefectural Wakayama Technical High School, who used 3D scanners to
create a virtual copy an Aizen Myoo statue which measured 51cm in
height. It took 6 months for them to complete the model, before
they set out to make a 3D printed replica of it. This has allowed
the original to be moved into a secure location while the copy,
which is made of plastic, has replaced the original in the temple.
This removes the fears of theft, as the original is now in a very
safe place. At the same time, the museum also has a 3D printed copy
on display so that the visually impaired can touch and feel the
statue. Previously this was not possible, as the original had been
enshrined in glass, meaning no one was able to lay their hands on
it.
The students at the Wakayama Technical High School
have been encouraging other temples around Japan to do the same as
they did, and virtually create “backups” of their valuable Buddhist
statues. Many temples have begun taking this advice.
In Jiangjin City, which is located in Shimane,
Japan, a large 90cm tall statue of Amitabha Tathagata has stood for
years. The statue is sculpted in accordance with the Kamakura
period. The abbot of the temple was concerned about possible theft,
so he took the valuable statue to a nearby museum, and after
learning about 3D printing technology, he elected to also have a
copy made of the original.
“There really is no other way to be able to
permanently guard the statue (Buddha),” said the temple’s abbot.
“With this 3D printed replica, as long as it is enshrined in the
temple, people can feel at ease.”
Temple goers now have the ability to look up to the
statue for guidance, without the worry that someone will end up
stealing something extremely valuable to their temple and their
religion in general.
It should be interesting to see if other Buddhist
Temples in Japan and around the world begin following this model
put forth by these students and this abbot in Japan. What do you
think? Is this the solution to protecting cultural and religious
heritage?