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ARC-iJAC Activities

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The International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC),
Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, presents:

Training Course to Decipher Japanese Cursive Script (Kuzushiji) with the ARC Transcription Support and Archiving System

<Tutor guidance provided>

We are pleased to announce that the Training Course for the ARC Transcription Support and Archiving System for Japanese Cursive Script (kuzushiji) with tutor guidance will be held in FY2023.

This training course will be conducted online using the ARC databases of early Japanese books, ukiyo-e, and old documents, as well as the ARC Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System, allowing participants to practice reading kuzushiji anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace. Features include an AI-enabled function to read kuzushiji and online guidance provided by experienced tutors.

Unlike one-off kuzushiji courses, you can improve your transcription skills while you read through the books and materials independently.

We welcome applications from beginners and intermediate-level participants and those who wish to support a project to transcribe a specific work or group of works.

Participation is free of charge.

This training course is supported by the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies FY2023.

If you would like to participate, please apply using the form below.

↓↓↓

Application form

Deadline: December 11 (Mon), 2023, 12:00 JST

[Details of the Training Course]

Period: December 20, 2023, to March 15, 2024

Language of Instruction: Japanese

Target:

1. Beginners to intermediate level users who wish to transcribe documents written in kuzushiji (capacity: 25 people).

2. Individuals and groups who would like to advance their own projects using the ARC Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System (individual correction is not provided, but consultation for difficult-to-read characters is available (capacity: 5 people).

[Schedule]

Dec 15: Notice of acceptance (tentative)

Dec 20: Overview of the training course and introduction to the system at 9:00 and 20:00 JST (online/video on demand available)

Jan, Feb: Mini training sessions shall be held as needed

Late March: Closing meeting


Inquiries:

Office of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC)

Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University

E-mail: r-darc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp

Tel.: +81 75-465-8476 (ext. 2832)

On November 20, 2023, Prof. Makoto Goto and Prof. Masakatsu Nagai of the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

JA13158.jpgSupported by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC) "International Joint Research with Research Fund B. International Open Theme" of the Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, a research team at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain, led by Dr. Pilar Cabañas, has since FY 2022 been conducting an international joint research project to digitally archive ukiyo-e held by the Complutense University.

As one of the project outcomes, we are pleased to announce that a digital exhibition on shini-e (memorial prints), In memoriam. Japanese shinie prints, has opened. It can be viewed at the following link:

https://patrimoniodigital.ucm.es/s/shinie-en/page/welcome

The purpose of this exhibition is to explain the meaning and offer a socio-cultural contextualization to the shini-e genre, which became popular in the mid-19th century, based on the shini-e in the UCM Collection.

The complete ukiyo-e collection of the UCM is available in the →ARC Ukiyo-e Portal Database.

Access to the UCM collection for researchers in both Japan and abroad, including metadata and analysis of the artworks, is facilitated through the established link between both institutions.

The 125th International ARC Seminar will be held as a webinar on Wednesday, November 8, from 18:00 JST.

The program is as follows:

Speaker: Ellis Tinios (Honorary Lecturer, University of Leeds, United Kingdom and ARC Visiting Researcher)

Topic: Hokusai the Alchemist: an exploration of sources for his book illustrations (held in English)


Date: Wednesday, November 8, 18:00 - 19:30 JST

Participation: online via Zoom, free of charge (no reservation required)

*This webinar is open to everyone, and non-ARC members are also invited to participate via YouTube.

On November 7, 2023, Prof. Chih-Ming Chen (Director, Research Center for Chinese Cultural Metaverse in Taiwan, National Chengchi University) and Prof. Shi-Chi Mike Lan (Deputy Director, Research Center for Chinese Cultural Metaverse in Taiwan, National Chengchi University) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

[イベント情報]
November 6, 2023(Mon)

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On November 6, 2023, Prof. Graeme Earl (Head of the College of Humanities, SOAS University of London) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on collaboration in digital humanities research and education took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC) and Prof. Keiji Yano (College of Letters/Deputy Director of the ARC).

Ako City Chushingura Digital Exhibition Room:
https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/lib/vm/akochushingura/

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The Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is pleased to announce that the 3rd digital exhibition in the Ako City Chushingura Digital Exhibition Room, Chushingura Ukiyo-e from Kamigata, is available.

Based on the special exhibition Chushingura Ukiyo-e from Kamigata held at the Ako City Museum of History in 2022, this digital exhibition includes works in the Ako City Chushingura Ukiyo-e Database, along with works in the collection of the ARC.

Single-page ukiyo-e prints began to be published in the Kamigata region of Osaka and Kyoto in the Kansei period (1789-1800). Over a period of 70 years from then until the end of the Edo period, plays related to Chushingura were staged more than 200 times. In conjunction with these productions, large numbers of actor prints were created.

Kamigata-e has distinctive characteristics that differ from Edo-e, and the unique world of these artworks is highly appreciated in Europe and the United States. Our exhibition showcases some aspects of the development of Chushingura culture in the Kamigata region, mainly depicted in yakusha-e, shibai-e, and omocha-e.

We also recommend you view this exhibition together with the first digital exhibition, Aspects of Images of the Raid, held in 2019, and the second exhibition, Head of the Loyal Warriors: Oboshi Yuranosuke, held in the following year.

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On November 2, 2023, Russell Kelty (Curator, Art Gallery of South Australia) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and facilities, discussions and an exchange of opinions on a collaboration in research activities in digital archiving took place with Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters/Director of the ARC).

[イベント情報]
October 31, 2023(Tue)

With the establishment of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC) in 2019, the Art Research Center strives to push the internationalization of research activities that transcend disciplines and geographic boundaries.

NEWS

The Shochiku Otani Library released a digital archive of Kabuki bromides (photographic portraits of Kabuki actors) through the Theater Photos Search and Browsing System developed by the ARC-iJAC.
With the online release, users can search and view Kabuki stage photographs from the Meiji era to the prewar period and photographs of famous actors of the past in costume.
We hope this release will enable users to experience the appeal of Kabuki and contribute to the development of research by scholars and those associated with the theatre.
>> Read more.
On the occasion of the release of 4,233 ukiyo-e prints and 74 Japanese old books from ROM's collection in the ARC database, Dr. Takesue shares her thoughts on ROM's extensive and unique ukiyo-e print collection that includes Hiroshige's Meisho Edo Hyakkei and Ogata Gekko prints, as well as actor, landscape, war, and catfish prints, amongst others. >> Read interview.
As part of the ARC research project Visual Culture Studies in the Domestic Sphere Utilizing the ARC Database, an open workshop will be held on Kinugasa Campus.
The project aims to study arts and visual culture in East Asia related to the concept of Ie, which encompasses housing, households, family, and family genealogy within the Domestic Sphere juxtaposed to the Public Sphere.
→ Program
The ARC held an international symposium commemorating the 25th anniversary of its establishment under the theme Liberal Arts Innovation in Digital Humanities and Digital Archives--Exploring Further Possibilities.
Discussing the Center's achievements and future direction, particular emphasis was placed on the concept of public humanities, facilitated through digital archives.
>> Read more.
A joint colloquium of the Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) and the ARC was held at UC Berkeley under the theme Theory and Methods in the Japanese Humanities: Research Using Visual Sources and Archives.
As part of the research collaboration of more than 15 years, the ARC research team, led by Prof. Ryo Akama (Director of the ARC), continued with digital archiving activities of the Japanese collection held by UC Berkeley's C.V. Starr East Asian Library. >> Read more.
The research project, a collaborative scholarly enterprise among researchers and institutions in Japan and the UK led by Prof. Ryo Akama (Director of the ARC) and Dr. Akiko Yano (Curator, The British Museum), aims to analyze 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. This project is supported by the JSPS International Joint Research Program (JRP-LEAD with UKRI). >> Read more.
Video on demand! 123. International ARC Seminar

Speaker: Toshiyasu KAMOGI (Curator & Manager of Curatorial Division, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum)

Topic: The Achievements and Future Outlook of a Homemade Database by a Liberal Arts Computer Enthusiast Curator--From the Frontline of Digital Archive Operation for Streamlining and Enhancing Museum Curatorial Services-- (held in Japanese)

Upcoming Events

November 8 (Wed), 2023, 18:00-19:30 JST
125. International ARC Seminar
Speaker: Ellis TINIOS (Honorary Lecturer, University of Leeds, United Kingdom and ARC Visiting Researcher)
Topic: Hokusai the Alchemist: an exploration of sources for his book illustrations
(held in English)
Live stream available via >> YouTube.

November 16 (Thur), 2023, 13:00-18:00 JST
Open Workshop:
Surface and Depth of the Domestic Sphere in East Asian Art

Venue: Seminar Room 1, Gakujikan Hall 2F, Kinugasa Campus, Ritsumeikan University
Language: Japanese (with English abstract) and English (with Japanese script)

>> Program

November 29 (Wed), 2023, 18:00-19:30 JST
126. International ARC Seminar
Speaker: Timon SCREECH (Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken))
Topic: New Light on Nikkō: Thoughts on the Dutch Lanterns at the Shrine-Mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (held in English)
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Related article → The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Collection of Ukiyo-e Prints and Japanese Old Books has been released

Related databases → Royal Ontario Museum Ukiyo-e Database / Royal Ontario Museum Japanese Old Books Database

Background:
Dr. Akiko Takesue joined the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in 2021 as the Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture, an endowed position, and is in charge of researching and developing the ROM's collection of Japanese art and culture that comprises approximately 10,000 objects.
Dr. Takesue holds a doctorate in Art History from York University and Master's degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of New South Wales. In addition to the ROM, she has broad curatorial experience at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Dr Takesue, thank you very much for your time today. What sparked your interest in Japanese art history?

ROM2021_18174_57_3.jpgTakesue: It is a long story since I left Japan almost 25 years ago. When I was younger and living in Japan, I was more interested in Western than Japanese art. Hence, I went to Sydney, Australia, to study art. At that time, I had the idea to work in an art gallery dealing with Western contemporary art.

Then, while I was doing an internship at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney under a Japanese curator, I discovered the beauty and excitement of studying and dealing with Japanese art. Interestingly, I realized the Japanese art collection there was different from what I thought of Japanese art, which was sort of a trigger for me to research the global circulation of Japanese art since the Meiji period.

As the Japanese collections overseas consist of many export arts, i.e., made in Japan but only for the Western market, I discovered many things I never knew about when I was in Japan. So, I became fascinated with the fact that Japanese art in Sydney was indeed different from my understanding of Japanese art. This interest continues even now.

I also investigated in my PhD dissertation how objects stay the same while their meanings shift from time to time, place to place.

How did you first connect with the Art Research Center (ARC)?

Takesue: It was through my predecessor, Dr. Rosina Buckland, who is now at the British Museum. In 2020, she started the digitization project of the ROM's Japanese art collection with Prof. Akama whom I met when he and his team was taking photographs of the collection. So, after Dr. Buckland left in 2021, I continued to complete this project, and I feel fortunate and grateful that she started it.

Comprising approximately 10,000 objects, the Japanese art collection of the ROM is the largest of its kind in Canada. Considered to be particularly comprehensive is the ukiyo-e print collection. What do you find fascinating about it and why?

Takesue: Over 2,000 ukiyo-e prints and surimono of Sir Byron Edmund Walker, one of the founders and the first chairman of the ROM, were bequested to the ROM in 1926, which became the core of our entire Japanese print collection.

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The ROM already had some woodblock prints since 1916, but at that time, no one knew much about Japanese art at the museum. With the Walker Collection and the earlier prints, our print collection expanded, comprising over 4,000 prints today.

Furthermore, there is a variety in the genres of the prints. The ROM's collection consists of actor prints, prints of beautiful women, landscape prints, including those of Hokusai and Hiroshige, as well as prints from the Meiji period and war prints. So not only the sheer number of prints but the range of subjects make our collection quite valuable and unique.

For example, we have an almost complete set of Hiroshige's Meisho Edo Hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo). It may not be well-known, but our set is almost like a 'first edition'. 'First edition' may be a tricky term, but our set is in a very good condition, and you can see the highly skilled printing techniques used. While everyone knows about the first edition at the Brooklyn Museum, hardly anybody knows about our set.

When I recently went to the Brooklyn Museum, I compared their set with printouts of some of our prints with the curator there, and we realized that both of our sets are almost identical. So, I was glad I could confirm that our set is also a high-quality series.

You also have a rare collection of Ogata Gekko prints. What are your thoughts on this collection?

Takesue: This collection is very unique, too. Although Gekko was quite well-known in his lifetime in the Meiji period and produced many prints, paintings, and book illustrations, he became somewhat of a forgotten artist.

A Toronto-based collector and former law librarian of York University, Balfour Halévy, accumulated over 600 of Gekko's works and donated the whole collection to the ROM in 2016. According to him, another extensive collection of Gekko prints exists in New Zealand. Since these two collections seem to be the only comprehensive collections dedicated to Gekko outside of Japan, we are very fortunate to have one of them at the ROM.

In June this year, 4,233 ukiyo-e prints and 74 old Japanese books from the ROM's collection were released in the ARC portal database. What is the significance of this database?

Takesue: The contents and quality of our print collection are good, however, not many people, including researchers, seem to be aware that we have such a comprehensive collection of prints. So, we are grateful for this ARC digitization project to make our collection available to researchers and the public for their studies, research, and pleasure. Otherwise, those prints remain just hidden in our storage. Except for a few notable research efforts, the whole collection has not been studied extensively.

Our goal is that many scholars and researchers will take note of the prints in the ROM's collection so we can contribute to the development of ukiyo-e research. The release of our collection marks a significant starting point.

What are your thoughts on the importance of digitization for museums, and how does it play a part in your plans at the ROM?

Takesue: Digitization of the collection is crucial to provide the public access to what we have. The ROM is a huge museum with 13 million objects in total in its collections. So, I believe that anyone can find at least one favorite object.

We try to exhibit as many in the museum as possible, but space is limited. Only less than 5% of our collection is publicly displayed. The rest is in our storage, with many objects never being on public view.

While, as a museum curator, I believe in the power of objects when you see them with your eyes, if a collection is available online, people have another way to enjoy the collection. Availability and accessibility are crucial particularly since we have no permanent Japanese gallery at the ROM right now.

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I have recently completed an online exhibition on catfish prints. COVID has, in a way, accelerated the development of virtual channels. Digitization has become essential to showcase the Japanese collection at the ROM.

Finally, could you share a few of your personal favorites within the ROM's ukiyo-e print collection?

Takesue: I like ukiyo-e prints with some layers of meaning behind them, for instance, parodies (mitate-e) or complex ideas, which I realized when I did the online exhibition on the catfish prints. They are not just funny prints but encompass emotions and thoughts of people about society at that time. This is why I am fascinated with this kind of print.

Hiroshige's Meisho Edo Hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo) is also one of my favorites, mainly because of its composition. Hiroshige uses very striking, innovative perspectives of having something huge at the front with other elements kept smaller at the back, which, at that time, was quite innovative and a reason why Western artists, including Impressionist artists were so fascinated with the Japanese prints.

Images credit: Courtesy of ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), Toronto, Canada. ©ROM

(This interview was conducted by Yinzi Emily Li)


Related article → The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Collection of Ukiyo-e Prints and Japanese Old Books has been released

Related databases → Royal Ontario Museum Ukiyo-e Database / Royal Ontario Museum Japanese Old Books Database

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