National Treasure “Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku” reproduction

The National Treasure “Shotoku Taishi E-Den” is a large shoji-e (sliding door) painting that once adorned the picture hall of Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan. Sun-M Color worked on the reproduction of this work, which is considered the oldest and largest of the pictorial biographies depicting the life of Prince Shotoku. In order to approximate the real thing from the material, UV inkjet printing was applied to the silk book (artificial) to reproduce the skin of the painting as it has aged. The screen was handcrafted with the help of a master craftsman qualified as a first-class hyogu (tableware) craftsman, thanks to the unique local connection of a printing company in Kyoto. The reproduction in SUNM color was made in 2023, and the 10 panels were made into five four-panel screens.