Curriculum Vitae
Kotaro Yamafune was born in Japan 1984. Yamafune received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Hosei University in Tokyo in 2006. He entered the Nautical Archaeology Program in the Anthropology Department at Texas A&M University in September 2009 and received his Master of Arts degree in August 2012. He continued his studies in the Texas A&M University Nautical Archaeology Program and earned his doctorate in May 2016.
His research interests include shipbuilding in Medieval Europe and the European Age of Discovery, and ship reconstruction both manually and through the use of digital tools such as 3D modelling software. He also focuses on photogrammetric recording of submerged cultural heritage, including shipwreck sites. He also expands his study interest to museology for nautical and maritime archaeology.
In September 2016, he founded A.P.P.A.R.A.T.U.S. LLC. and became its president. In April 2018, he also became a lecturer at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Up to know, he directed and participated in terrestrial and underwater archaeological projects using his skills of photogrammetry in 20 different countries and recorded more than 73 underwater cultural heritage sites, mainly shipwrecks. Also, he provided photogrammetry and underwater archaeology workshops/field schools in 13 countries, 24 times.
Leadership and participation in the projects (last three years)
2020 Chuuk Lagoon WWII Underwater Cultural Heritage Project (Micronesia). Principal Investigator Dr. Kotaro Yamafune
2019 Cauhita Bay Danish Slave Ship Underwater Survey (Costa Rica). Principal Investigator Andreas Bloch.
2019 Phoenix I Underwater Mapping Project (the United States). Principal Investigator Dr. George Stewart and Chris Sabic
2019 Salina Bay Underwater Survey Project and University of Malta Field School (Malta). Principal Investigator Dr. Timmy Gambin.
2019 Yenikapi-24 Timber Recording Project (Turkey). Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Jones
2018 Harmann Steamboat Underwater Mapping Project (Japan). Principal Investigator Takahiko Inoue.
2018 Nesebar Underwater Mapping Project and Balkan Heritage Field School (Bulgaria). Principal Investigator Nayden Prahav.
2018 and 2019 Porto Cristo Underwater Excavation Projects (Spain). (Principal Investigator Sebastia Llabres and Javier Pandozi
2018 Expedition Isla Margarita (Mexico). Principal Investigator Dr. Roberto Junco
2017 Kume Island Underwater Mapping Project. Principal Investigator Dr. Hironobu Kan and Dr. Kotaro Yamafune
Publications
Radić Rossi, I. Casaban, J., Yamafune, K., Torres, R., Batur K. 2019. Systematic Photogrammetric Recording of the Gnalić Shipwreck Hull Remains and Artefacts, in: J. K. McCarthy, J. Benjamin, T. Winton, W. van Duivenvoorde (eds), 3D Recording and Interpretation for Maritime Archaeology, Springer, Cham, 45-65.
Dostal, C., Yamafune, K. 2018. “Photogrammetric Texture Mapping: A Method for Increasing the Fidelity of 3D Models of Cultural Heritage Materials”. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 18: 430-436.
Aragóna,E., Munarb, S., Rodríguezb, J., Yamafune, K. 2018. Underwater Photogrammetric Monitoring Techniques for Mid-depth Shipwrecks. Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 January 2018.
Torres, R., Yamafune, K., Castro, F., Ferreira, S. 2017. Mapeando em Profundidade: A integração de técnicas digitais para a pesquisa arqueológica de sítios de naufrágios históricos” in Vestígios – Revista Latino-americana de Arqueologia Histórica 11.1: 107-134.
Yamafune, K., Torres, R., Castro, F. 2017. Multi-Image Photogrammetry to Record and Reconstruct Underwater Shipwreck Site. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory (2017) 24.3: 703-725.
Castro, F., Yamafune, K., Eginton, C., Derryberry, T. 2011. The Cais do Sodré Shipwreck. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 40.2: 328-343.