I have met few days ago InuYasha Meiji,the builder of Shuri castle, for few questions.
Eumelos : Can you present yourself ?
InuYasha Meiji : Konnichiwa, I am InuYasha Meiji, Builder, and medium range scripter in Second life. I joined Secondlife. just about the time my many years of Insulin dependant Diabetes started to cause other related medical problems. I really needed a way to let out my artistic side, and do some of the things I could no longer do in real life, as well as, show that I still had some usefulness. I joined Secondlife and started to learn to build. As the same time, I began to watch Japanese Anime and my favorites always seemed set during the Sengoku to early Edo periods. InuYasha, Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai Champloo, just to name a few.
My favorite storyline was in InuYasha. The Half Dog demon considerrd diluted by his mother being human. There was so many characters, that the others met along the story line, based on ancient Japanese and Chinese mythology, it sparked my interest in finding out even more about the Asian Culture.
E : why have you choosen to reconstruct Shuri Castle on SL ?
I M : Back in 2005 I joined SL and after doing research to figure out what I will be creating first, I joined an event in an Asian building contest. On the off chance I might win some lindens. I took a chance and tried to build a small Japanese home. My computer wasn't as good as it is now, and I didn't see the crack in my floor. I did not quite get it lined up. Between my graphics card and a recent eye surgery, the crack got me disqualified.
Lucky for me I met a wonderful woman who wanted to encourage more Asian builders in Secondlife. She also thought I had a lot of promise. Her name is Snakekiss Noir. She has been in Secondlife since it started. Snakekiss joined in 2003, back when Linden Labs still offered lifetime membership. She gave me a deal I could not refuse. She would buy me 9000+ square meters of land and pay the tier if I would build her a Japanese Castle. I chose Shuri Castle because it fit the criteria as well as gave me room to not be limited to purely Japanese.
I am triing to keep the story short, but Shuri Castle was built in real life in Naha. Shuri-jo was the seat of power of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Before the year 1609, it was the kingdom's golden era. Naha port was the center of Asian trade for many centuries before. Tokogawa, who controlled mainland Japan, sent the Setsune samurai clan, to take control of the Ryukyus, in 1609. So, Ryukyu was trading with China, Taiwan, Korea, India and others all that time. Leaving me open to try my hand at building items from all over Asia. As time has gone on, I have learned much more about Ryukyu, its religions, and culture. I have a lot more detail work to go. On another note; This is only the Seiden. The most important building of the Castle. But, it is not the entire castle. I would need at least two fairly flat sims for that. The real castle is at an angle facing almost Southwest. To get it all correct it would take more then two sims because of the angle. The full size, including sotne walls is around 250m x 450m at that Southwest angle. Snakekiss and I choose a beautiful spot overlooking a bay in Butler sim, and I started my constuction.
E : How many are you in order to build Shuri Castle ?
I M : I built the Castle Structure of the Seiden myself. Before I got the Dragons on the roof, I met a woman who I became great friends with. She had been building a line of litle avatars and objects that go with her own internet comics, called Furfire. She had been drawing for years. They were called Yappitys. She does really nice animal faces including dragons. She also has a talent for drawing textures like Asian dragons and symbols by hand on a tablet. She is the creator of the golden dragons on my Seiden's roof. You have told me you want me to stick to the castle, so I won't get into the other things, in the area, that she has helped with. She does do other textures and will be doing some amazine stuff. She has given me full permision to use on my products. She has been paying for the rest of the sim tier, I can not pay for, out of my disability check.
E : Which is your own favorite work ?
I M : I am not sure if you mean what kind of work in SL is my favorite, or what finished product is my favorite? I really enjoy doing research and trying my best to get the details right, on real life objects from Asian history. If you ment what product, I have to say my boats. I have been getting lots of feedback on them and will eventually get a whole new boat out adding many of the request to the boat, including using SL wind, more riders, movable seating positions and so on. Especially being able to anchor them, for fishing tournaments and such.
E : What do you think about the tourism on SL ?
I M : Funny Question, I really did build the Castle for the people who wanted to see a place like it. And made it relaxing and away from the noise of clubs and malls for that reason. I also included a few things to make it a great place to bring a date. A little roamntic place to go horse back riding, see animals and watch the second life nightly fireworks. I never really knew about SL tourism that much. I didn't know there was a market until I tried it. Unlike a club or mall, there don't seem to be loads of people here, 24 hours a day. People tend to trickle in and out. We get lots of compliments on the place and return visitors. The main rules of the sim are simple; be respectful of others. If you intend to roleplay, it is allowed, but try not to bother others who are not involved in the roleplay, you and your friends are into. You or they can ask to join. Meaning if you see a couple on a date watching fireworks, don't run up to them and go hitting them with a weapon or something. I do have a dance ball system with 34 danses in the throne room. The rest of the land plays Classical Chinese and Japanese music to relax and even meditate to. If someone wants to come see the Castle as part of a listed tourist site, that is a great idea. Everyone is welcome to see it and come back anytime. Butler sim is a living sim in a way. It will never be completed, there is always changes coming. We have more plans for it and changes coming.
E : What are your projects on SL ?
I M :Really my only project is Butler sim. It takes up much of my wakeing hours. Because in this one sim I have the Seiden, the dock with boats, the forest, Ryukyu style homes, and as time goes on I learn more about the late Sengoku and early Edo periods of Ryukyu. As I learn more, I will replace items that don't belong with more items that did. Plus I want to replace items I have bought from others with those of my own. Making more detailed and correct versions for my time period. This covers everything from simple rice paper lanterns totrees and animals. This is why I said I have a long way to go. All this and I will be using opensim software to work on my own home grid so I can build the entire Castle and let those interested come see it when it is complete. But as far as having other projects in SL goes, I have no extra time for them. I have to much to build and replace only in Butler sim. Plans are to create a simple village, full Shinto Shrine, Castle Seiden update, SL wind sailing boats as well as full sized junk ships and trade vessles of the early Edo periods in Ryukyu, I have one person in the one rental we have here, plans are to include three more.
E : Thanks for your time
