In many temples in and around Kyoto, sets of wall and slide door paintings and folding screenpaintings, which are designated either national treasures or important cultural properties of Japan,have been replaced in situ by high-quality digital reproductions. The original paintings, in turn,are now largely out of sight, placed in storage spaces within temples and museums. Vanguardprojects of this nature were conducted in the mid-1990s. Since the mid-2000s, however, andwithout adequate review of the merits and demerits of such replacement, the practice hasaccelerated, and numerous sets of slide door paintings have been replaced by reproductionsproduced for the most part by two competing corporations. The process and implication of suchdigital replacement require far greater attention and discussion than has to date taken place.Accordingly, this article seeks to clarify the current status of, and problems arising from, thedigitization projects taking place in and around Kyoto
