YONEZAWA, Yamagata Prefecture--A multiple-institute effort using computer graphics and DNA technology reproduced the assumed features of a woman who was likely a person of noble birth 1,600 years ago.

Admired by John F. Kennedy, Uesugi Yozan transformed the fortunes of the struggling Yonezawa Domain. Peter Barakan visits Yonezawa, once called "an Asiatic Arcadia," to explore Yozan's legacy.