From September 14th to 15th, three students from the Faculty of Policy and Information Studies used a 4K3D high-definition stereoscopic camera to take photographs of the Shibuya Family Residence*, a nationally registered tangible cultural property owned and managed by Kamagaya City, and create a digital twin of the property before restoration in order to record and preserve its condition.
A digital twin is a means of recreating architecture, culture, and lifestyles by creating life-size digital models of real buildings and cultural assets through 3D photography and other means, and using them in conjunction with AI and various digital media.
Kamagaya City plans to carry out preservation and restoration work by 2027 to preserve and utilize the Shibuya Family Residence, which was registered as a national tangible cultural property in August 2020. This time, they have requested our university's cooperation in preserving records before and after the restoration.
The Faculty of Policy and Information at our university has a student-run "Digital Twin Creation Project" to create a digital twin of the university campus. This project was made possible by three students with experience in creating digital twins offering to cooperate.
The students were required to select two to eight photo spots in each room, and took photos at approximately 100 locations over the two days, including the exterior.
Photography of the restored building is scheduled to take place in 2027, after the restoration work is completed, and our university will continue to contribute to the preservation of the Shibuya House.
Creator of the digital twin of the Shibuya House before restoration
Kotoha Hayashi, 3rd year student in the School of Policy and Information Studies (graduated from Senjyodai High School)
Aya Nakajima, 3rd year student in the School of Policy and Information Studies (graduated from Nagareyama Otakanomori High School)
Ryuka Sugiura, second-year student in the School of Policy and Information Studies (graduated from Tokyo Gakuen Funabashi High School)
I participated because I thought it would be a valuable experience to photograph a historical building. During the shoot, everyone on site worked together to decide and prepare the shooting location, and we were able to proceed smoothly by working together. The most difficult part was setting up the camera. You can't take good pictures unless the camera is set up horizontally, so in places that were not flat, such as tatami mats and dirt floors, I had to repeatedly check the spirit level to make it level. In the future, I would like to edit the data so that it can be easily viewed and understood by anyone.
Kotoha Hayashi
※ Shibuya Family Residence
This is the house of the Shibuya family, who served as the headman of Satsuma village for generations during the Edo period. The Shibuya family became the mayor of Kamagaya village during the Meiji period. It is also the birthplace of Shibuya Soji, a grassroots patriot of the late Edo period and a member of the Sekihoutai corps. The main house is said to have been built in 1826 (Bunsei 9), and still retains an appearance befitting an old house in the area.
