Unfolding the landscape drawing method of Rakuchū Rakugai Zu screen paintings in a GIS environment

In this paper, I propose a new methodology for analysing landscape drawing methods using a GIS. The subject of my analysis is the genre of Japanese screen paintings known as rakuchū rakugai zu, created between the 16th and 18th centuries. Rakuchū rakugai zu provide bird’s-eye views of the then-capital city of Kyoto, including buildings, natural features, and human activities. The methodology introduced here uses GIS spatial analysis functions to scan the painting surface onto a survey coordinate grid based on the relative positions of landmarks in the painting. The analytic sequence is as follows: (1) derive coordinate values for landmarks both on the painting and on a survey coordinate grid; (2) generate a link table from these two point-data sets; (3) use the projective transformation and rubber sheeting techniques to project the painting surface onto the survey coordinate grid; and (4) project the areas of the rubber sheet-derived polygons onto the painting. This process gives visual representation to differences between real space and the depicted space. Results show that rakuchū rakugai zu painted in the seventeenth century and later distorted real space more than those painted in the sixteenth century, indicating a decrease in adherence to conventional perspective-based painting.