Ukiyo-e prints, Japanese multicolor woodblock prints, is a traditional Japanese art that has been flourished since Edo period. To surmise the production technologies of woodblock prints, such as materials, carving technologies, and printing technologies, detailed analysis of color pigments that are one of the most important essential materials used in woodblock prints is required. In this study, we proposed a noninvasive analytical method of color pigments by means of Raman spectral-imaging. Pigment species and its molecular structures were clarified via Raman spectra of pigments. Raman imaging of woodblock prints revealed pigment distribution in plane and cross-section, which provided adhesion states of pigments on paper fibers. We also visualized a different pigment distribution on paper depending on glue content in pigment mixture. Our results indicated that Raman spectral-imaging would be a promising technique for evaluating a production technologies of ancient ukiyo-e prints that was still unknown at present.

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　Linked Open Data (LOD) have attracted much attention as a method for publishing data using Web technology. However, since many information resources on the Web are organized for human reading, they are not well structured for LOD. In this study, we investigate how to create LOD from complex information resources with different types of elements, achieving interoperability without any information loss. We found that by analyzing the structure and vocabulary based on the description of the information resource, it is possible to structure information efficiently to create LOD. Furthermore, we propose an approach for applying the appropriate LOD structure that compensates lack of information with linking other resources when using information resources designed for human reading.

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