A novel spatiotemporal database for recognition and spatial analysis of Chinese inscriptional rubbings

Ancient Chinese inscriptional rubbings contain valuable historical and cultural information, but existing collections still rely mainly on manual interpretation, image browsing, and basic keyword retrieval. This study proposes a database-centered framework that integrates candidate character recognition, lexical re-recognition, spatiotemporal database construction, web-based visualization, and descriptive GIS analysis. Using more than 4500 rubbings from the Kyoto University Rubbing Database, the framework links rubbing images, recognized textual information, historical periods, and regional attributes within a unified structure. The recognition-assisted workflow provides usable textual candidates for database construction, while the database supports structured management, keyword retrieval, regional comparison, and interactive visualization. The GIS-based analysis indicates macro-level spatial distribution tendencies of CIRs across historical periods. Overall, this study provides an initial database-centered digital framework for the preservation, retrieval, exploratory analysis, and future utilization of Chinese inscriptional rubbings.