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The Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is pleased to announce that a one-year Special Display at the British Museum in London is currently showcasing the research outcomes of the international joint research project 'Creative Collaborations: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka 1780-1880 (上方文化サロン：人的ネットワークから解き明かす文化創造空間 1780-1880),' supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

This research project, led by the Principal Investigators (PI) Prof. Ryo Akama (Director of the ARC/College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University) and Dr. Akiko Yano (Curator, Department of Asia, British Museum), aims to investigate the cultural and social impact of art and literary salons and the collective creation of art (gassaku) in early modern Japan, particularly in the Kyoto-Osaka region circa 1780-1880 by analysing over 5,000 objects in collections at the British Museum and in Japan.

During the course of this project, these works have been digitally archived and their textual inscriptions transcribed into an extensive online research database--the 'Kamigata Bunkajin Sogo Database' (「上方文化人総合データベース」)--established and operated by the ARC, providing a new portal for research on early modern Japanese culture with the possibility of incorporating other collections on different themes in the future.

→ARC Virtual Institute: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka

Addressing the challenges presented by COVID-19, the project has been exemplary in how a Japan-UK collaborative research project, comprised of a team of researchers from the Art Research Center (ARC), Kansai University (KU), the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the British Museum (BM), and SOAS, University of London, can be conducted efficiently using digital online technologies for remote collaboration.

The project has also fostered early-career researchers in Japanese studies by providing an opportunity for them to gain hands-on experience in the fundamental aspects of digital humanities within an international research environment.

This project was supported by the JSPS International Joint Research Programme (JRP-LEAD with UKRI) [JPJSJRP 20211708].

Project duration: December 1, 2021 - November 30, 2024 (3 years).

Related article: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/projects/making-art-together-japan

We are pleased to announce the Call for Manuscript Submissions for the Art Research Center's journal ART RESEARCH vol. 25-1, 25-2, 25-3.

As an academic journal specializing in arts and culture, the purpose of ART RESEARCH is to widely publicize the results of the research projects and activities conducted by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, and its partner institutions and collaborative researchers.

Since its establishment in 1998, the Art Research Center (ARC) has been selected for several national grants as a center of excellence for research in culture, art, and information science. In FY2019, the center assumed the role as the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art & Culture (ARC-iJAC) upon its accreditation by the MEXT as an International Joint Usage/Research Center. The ARC is highly regarded as a leading hub for the digital archiving of Japanese art and culture.

Our online journal will be published several times a year, and at the end of the fiscal year, a print booklet compiling all contributions will be distributed, as we hope to increase the submission opportunities for researchers.

We look forward to receiving your manuscript.

募集は終了しました。

Dr. Monika Bincsik, Visiting Collaborative Researcher of the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is one of three curators who have been awarded the 2024 Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for their exceptional work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The three awards of $100,000 each are bestowed by the Vilcek Foundation on foreign-born art history and museum professionals whose work has had an impact on museum culture and curatorial practices in the United States and in their respective fields of study.

According to the Vilcek Foundation, Dr. Bincsik received the Marica Vilcek Prize for her curatorial approach to Japanese decorative arts and textiles that highlights the complex interplay of the Japanese and international art market, trade, social, and political circumstances over the past five centuries.

Born in Hungary, Dr. Bincsik is the Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She undertook research work in Japanese lacquer and other decorative arts at Ritsumeikan University, where she earned a Ph.D. for a dissertation focusing on Japanese lacquerware, supervised by ARC Director Prof. Ryo Akama (Graduate School of Letters), and subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the ARC.

Related links

The Vilcek Foundation "Announcing the Marica Vilcek Prizes in Art History": https://vilcek.org/news/announcing-the-marica-vilcek-prizes-in-art-history/

Every year in autumn, The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office organizes an event called An Evening of Noh and Kyogen to give people an opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture.

In FY2023, with the easing of measures against COVID-19, the event resumed performances with an audience for the first time in four years.

In cooperation with the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, the event was recorded again this year for everyone outside Kyoto to enjoy. The video recording is available for one year (free of charge) on the YouTube channel of the Japan Foundation.

Please enjoy the video.

Organizer: The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office

In cooperation with: The Kongo Noh Theatre Foundation; Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe; Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University

For details, please visit the website of the Japan Foundation: https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/world/kyoto/2023/12-01.html

The Art Research Center (ARC) to Exhibit at the BKC Well-being Campus Day 2023

Date: November 4 (Sat), 10:00-16:30

Venue: Ritsumeikan University Biwako Kusatsu Campus (BKC)

Entry is free of charge (advance reservation required).

→ Advance registration & details

The Art Research Center (ARC) is delighted to exhibit at the BKC Well-being Campus Day 2023, a day full of fun activities for both adults and children which attracted over 5,000 visitors last year.

In 2023, the ARC is marking the 25th anniversary of its establishment. In addition to exhibiting the results and achievements of 25 years of research activities, original ARC ukiyo-e merchandise will be available for purchase. Furthermore, we have prepared an Edo-period quiz for parents and children to enjoy. Those who answer all questions correctly will receive a gift.

We look forward to seeing you at the BKC Well-being Campus Day 2023.

The Art Research Center (ARC) to Exhibit at the Asia Week--A Festival of International Exchange

Date: October 22 (Sun), 10:00-16:00 (Between October 16 (Mon) and October 21 (Sat), mainly student-organized permanent exhibitions are held.)

Venue: Ritsumeikan University Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC)

Entry is free of charge (no reservation required).

→ For details, please refer to the event website

In 2023, the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is marking the 25th anniversary of its establishment. In addition to exhibiting the results and achievements of 25 years of research activities, original ARC ukiyo-e merchandise will be available for purchase. Furthermore, we have prepared an Edo-period quiz for parents and children to enjoy. Those who answer all questions correctly will receive a gift.

We look forward to seeing you at the Asia Week.

The Ritsumeikan University Game Archive Project (GAP) was launched by Prof. Koichi Hosoi, Deputy Director of the Art Research Center (ARC), when he was searching for a way to research games.

The GAP--an industry-academia collaboration between Kyoto Prefecture, Nintendo, and Ritsumeikan University--aims to organize and digital-archive games and game-related materials to preserve game culture and establish a system for public use

A story on this project has been featured in English in Issue #18 of Ritsumeikan University's Research Report RADIANT.

>> Read full article on the RADIANT-website (in English).

We are pleased to announce the Call for Manuscript Submissions for the Art Research Center's journal ART RESEARCH vol. 24-3.

As an academic journal specializing in arts and culture, the purpose of ART RESEARCH is to widely publicize the results of the research projects and activities conducted by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, and its partner institutions and collaborative researchers.

Since its establishment in 1998, the Art Research Center (ARC) has been selected for several national grants as a center of excellence for research in culture, art, and information science. In FY2019, the center assumed the role as the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art & Culture (ARC-iJAC) upon its accreditation by the MEXT as an International Joint Usage/Research Center. The ARC is highly regarded as a leading hub for the digital archiving of Japanese art and culture.

Our online journal will be published several times a year, and at the end of the fiscal year, a print booklet compiling all contributions will be distributed, as we hope to increase the submission opportunities for researchers.

We look forward to receiving your manuscript.

The Takeuchi Dokei Collection, held by the Kunitachi College of Music Library, is the world's largest collection of materials related to Edo-period Japanese music. The Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is pleased to announce the online release of a number of ukiyo-e prints, banzuke theater programs, nagauta lyric booklets (shohon), and gidayu-bushi lyric booklets (shohon) from that collection.

At this time, 2,025 Tokiwazu-bushi lyric booklets (shohon) have been released. You can search for these by entering 常磐津 in the "genre" (ジャンル) search box at the following link:

https://www.dh-jac.net/db1/books/search_kunishohon.php?lang=en

Because Tokiwazu-bushi developed chiefly within the field of Edo kabuki, most of the Tokiwazu-bushi lyric booklets in the Takeuchi Dokei Collection were published in Edo. However, the collection also includes 196 items published in Nagoya.

A commentary on Tokiwazu-bushi lyric booklets by Takeuchi Yuichi (Research Institute for Japanese Traditional Music, Kyoto City University of Arts) can be found under「竹内道敬文庫の世界」→ 「C 資料解説」at the following link: https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/lib/vm/kunitake/2023/06/C3.html