Matsumoto-jo: A 16th Century Japanese Castle
     
Virtual Matsumoto-jo is a detailed, interactive 3D reconstruction of a 16th century Japanese castle, currently being developed by Jonathan Amakawa. The version being submitted is a demo version and a work in progress. Viewers can navigate through the interior and exterior of the castle and interact with figures inside the castle such as samurai, retainers, and commoners. The experience is designed to provide a compelling introduction to castle architecture and feudal society. Upon completion, the virtual reality site will be distributed via the Web, CD, and/or DVD.

 

 
Jonathan Amakawa is an experienced interactive 3D media designer/programmer who specializes in creating virtual reality-based historical environments for museum exhibits and educational media. He has a Masters degree in Interactive Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in History from Vassar College. Over the last four and a half years, Jonathan has been working in the cutting-edge field of virtual reality and educational media. His virtual reality work is among the first to incorporate fully interactive 3D media in museum exhibits, and the first in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area museum.

As a former history major with a strong fine arts background, Jonathan has long been interested in exploring how interactive visual media can enhance the presentation of history. His professional work involves virtually reconstructing historical architecture, artifacts, and historical characters, and integrating them into interactive historical exhibits. In a project that was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, he created a virtual reality-based permanent kiosk exhibit for the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The exhibit represents the history of Negro League baseball in Pittsburgh and features a detailed interactive reconstruction of Greenlee Field--the city's 1930s-era, black-owned baseball stadium. In 2003, he produced a companion educational CD-ROM for the WQED Public Television science show Brainfood. Currently, he is working with curators at the Carnegie Museum of Art to develop a virtual reality-based kiosk exhibit for that museum's 100-year-old Hall of Architecture.