Comparison of Outlines by Image Analysis for Derivation of Objective Validation Results: “Ito Hirobumi’s Characters on the Foundation Stone” of the Main Building of Bank of Korea
Woo Sik Yoo
Abstract
There have been reports that the "jeongcho ()" letters of the foundation stone at the historical site No. 280 of the "Main Building of the Bank of Korea in Seoul" were written by Prince Ito Hirobumi (), the first Resident-General of Japan in Korea. An on-site investigation by an advisory group consisting of three experts in calligraphy; revealed that the two characters of '' inscribed on the foundation stone are the characteristics of Ito Hirobumi's handwriting, judging from the writing style and habits observed in the collections of the Central Library of Hamamatsu City, Japan. It was reported that his writing was confirmed by the experts, but no basis was provided. To provide more objective and quantitative supporting data, rather than qualitative judgment based on feeling, it is necessary to present the basis for judgment through quantitative image comparison results through image analysis. In this paper, using image analysis software, Ito Hirobumi's calligraphy writing and the inscribed characters of the foundation stone were compared and analyzed to confirm the contents of the press release. The character comparison process and character area measurement results are a good example showing that if objective judgment basis data are needed in a similar situation, an objective judgment basis can be prepared through quantification using image analysis.