The use of 3D printing technology has grown enormously over the last few years. From printing prosthetic limbs to car parts, the technology has proven both cost effective and flexible. Now Japan is taking its virtues to new levels, with 3D-printed models standing in for Buddhist statues that have embellished its shrines for years.
3D-printed replica Amitabha Tathagata statue in a Japanese temple. From 3dprint.com
The initiative was taken due to the ongoing theft of the statues, 105 such thefts being reported between 2007 and 2009 alone. Most of the statues were old, and were stolen from temples in remote locations. Buddhism is one of the major religions of Japan, being introduced to the region by at least the 6th century.
The technology is helping to preserve and safeguard the precious objects. For instance, a group of students from Prefectural Wakayama Technical High School has created a model of a 51-centimeter Aizen Myoo, enabling the original to be taken to a safe location. It took six months to complete the 3D scan of the statue, build a model online, and complete the virtual copy before printing. The 3D-printed deity now stands in the temple in place of the antique.
Moreover, while the original statue was contained within a glass box, the printed copy is uncovered, and can be touched by visitors who are visually impaired.
Other temples in Japan are following suit. For example, a 90-centimeter statue of Amitabha Tathagata that formed the centerpiece of a temple in Jiangjin City has now also been replaced with a 3D-printed version. “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” (3dprint.com). The original has been placed in a museum nearby.
The technology is growing popular in China as well. In order to facilitate government-funded restoration work, 3D printing was employed to create a replica of an 800-year-old Buddhist statue on Mount Baoding in Dazu County, Sichuan Province. The original, 7.7-meter Qianshou Guanyin (Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara) forms part of the Dazu Rock Carvings, which date to the Southern Song (1127–1279) and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This time, however, the model did not replace the original, and was only a third of the size. According to Chen Huili, deputy director of Dazu Cultural Relics Protection Project, the model provided “a scientific reference for restoring the main statue,” and was the first use of the technology in a cultural relics restoration project in China (3ders.org). The restoration of the statue has now been completed, and it will reopen to the public on Chinese “Cultural Heritage Day,” which falls on 13 June.