What's in a face? Artificial intelligence deciphers the emotional mysteries of ancient Buddhist statues - Asia News Center

For centuries, the three faces of the Ashura Buddha have looked out from inside the Kofukuji Temple in the ancient Japanese city of Nara. But when devotees and scholars gaze back, what do they see? Or, at least, what do they think they see? Long and thin with six arms and three heads, the 1,200-year-old masterpiece is both revered as an object of faith and admired as a work of art. It's even been officially classified as a national treasure.