ARC-iJAC Activities

Professor Ryo Akama (College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University)--Deputy Director of the Art Research Center--was a guest speaker in the academic exchange webinar Scenic Views and Supernatural Beings: New Themes in 19th-century Ukiyo-e Prints, held on April 20, 2021.

Together with Hollis Goodall, Curator of Japanese Art at the Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA) and advisor to Scripps College, Claremont, Professor Akama discussed new themes in the ukiyo-e prints (woodblock prints) of the 19th century, with particular focus on the growth in prints featuring demons, ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural creatures.This event was organized by JAPANHOUSE Los Angeles, a project of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to showcase and foster awareness of Japanese culture.

Professor Akama constructed and manages the Art Research Center's extensive Ukiyo-e Portal Database that comprises over 560,000 ukiyo-e prints.

More than 400 people from 10 countries attended this webinar.

For more information, please visit the JAPANHOUSE Los Angeles website: https://www.japanhousela.com/events/scenic-views-and-supernatural-beings/.

The Art Research Center (ARC) is delighted to announce that the restoration of the third volume of the Shuten-doji picture scrolls is completed.

Background

Previously in private possession in the US and Europe, where it escaped the fires of World War II, a set of five volumes of damaged picture scrolls depicting the folktale of Shuten-doji returned to Kyoto for the first time in 130 years.

The tale of Shuten-doji, a mythical demon leader, thought to be residing in Mount Oe northwest of Kyoto, has often been featured in noh and kabuki plays.

The picture scrolls are estimated to date back to around 1650 when the production technology of picture scrolls was at its most advanced level.

ARC's Crowdfunding Project

Entrusted with its restoration, the ARC started a crowdfunding project two years ago for the third volume of the picture scrolls which depicts the most dramatic scenes of the folktale but was particularly damaged and considered difficult to restore. We have since been able to beautifully revive this picture scroll thanks to our many supporters.

Oka Bokkodo Co., Ltd., a Kyoto-based company with over a century of experience preserving cultural heritage, was in charge of its restoration.

To mark the project's completion, Iwataro Oka--company director of Oka Bokkodo Co., Ltd.--handed over the restored picture scroll to Professor Ryo Akama, Deputy Director of the ARC.

In the next step, the ARC will digital-archive the third volume and make it publicly available in the center's database.

We express our deepest gratitude to Oka Bokkodo Co., Ltd. and all the supporters of the Shuten-doji crowdfunding project.

Project Overview →

Professor Gerstle, thank you for your time today.

As the leader of the FY2020 ARC-iJAC project "Cultural Salons and the Visual Arts in Kyoto and Osaka, 1750-1900: Digitizing Kamigata Surimono and Paintings", could you please tell us the reason why you started this project?

Prof. Gerstle: I have been fascinated over the years by discovering how common it was in the Edo period for men and women of all ages and statuses to be active in cultural pursuits (遊芸) for pleasure.

I first realized this in researching gidayū amateur performance, where I found that until World War II gidayū as a hobby was popular all over Japan. I then saw how kabuki actors circulated among patrons and fans via haikai gatherings. Pursuit of the arts also importantly was a way for women as well to socialize outside their neighbourhood, and for individuals of different status (身分) to interact.

I still find it intriguing that individuals often had several pen names for their different activities. Under a pen name, everyone was nominally equal as a devotee of the particular art they were participating in. In contemporary Japan, we still see that it is common to socialize through cultural or other organized activities, like the clubs at university.

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The Art Research Center (ARC) co-organized the special exhibition Kimono no Mushiboshi (「着物の虫干し展」) at the Nagae Family Residence, a tangible cultural property designated by Kyoto City, on March 20 and 21, 2021.

Due to COVID-19, this was the first time since the byobu matsuri (folding screen festival) in summer 2019 that the residence was open again to the public, and it welcomed a total of 50 visitors.

About the Event

The Nagae family were merchants of the kimono fabric, and their family residence served as both a working and living space for many generations.

During this exhibition at the residence, kimonos from the family collection were taken from the storehouse and air-dried--a traditional Japanese practice called mushiboshi--to prevent the clothes from insects and mold.

These kimonos were worn by the seventh generation of the Nagae family during the early Shōwa period. The head of the seventh generation was very fond of the Gion Festival, participating in the festival's preservation society and as a musician for the Gion bayashi (orchestral music accompanying the festival). He wore the summer haori on display to attend various events of the Gion Festival.

Furthermore, tools, goods, and trading documents were exhibited, providing a glimpse into the daily life and business of a merchant family in the rakuchu (in the capital) of that time.

The items from the family collection displayed at this event were made available to the public for the first time after they had remained in the storehouse for a long time.

In a separate room, visitors could learn about the ARC's research outcomes in digital-archiving the Nagae family collection.

About the Nagae Family Residence

Designated as a tangible cultural property by the City of Kyoto, the Nagae Family Residence was built between the late Edo period and the Taishō period and is located in the center of Kyoto.

The main building is a two-story traditional wooden townhouse--also referred to as kyo-machiya--which consists of a north wing constructed in 1868 (closed to the public) and a south wing constructed in 1905.

Although some parts of the building have been restored in recent years, most parts of the residence, including the glass windows, remain the same as built more than a century ago.

With the office space at the front and private rooms at the back, including one for ceremonial occasions, each room had a clearly defined function.

Furthermore, a family business trademark is found throughout the residence that differs from the kamon (family crest) printed on their kimonos for the Gion Festival.

About the ARC's Research

The ARC has been involved in the research on the Nagae Family Residence for many years. After receiving a donation of their collection, including hanging scrolls, folding screens, kimonos, and daily life tools, we have been researching and digital-archiving those items.

In recent years, some kimonos and design pattern books have been discovered in the storehouse, revealing new aspects of the Nagae family's business as kimono fabric merchants. We also introduced these new findings at this exhibition.

In the future, the ARC strives to continue to research and digital-archive the remaining items in the storehouse to enrich the Nagae family collection database and preserve Japanese cultural heritage.

Nagae Family Residence Links: Official Website Facebook Page Instagram

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Organizer: Hoosiers Corporation

Co-organizer: Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University

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Professor Nishiura, thank you for your time today. Can you please tell us more about your area of research?

Prof. Nishiura: I joined the College of Information Science and Engineering at Ritsumeikan University in 2004. My research focuses on acoustic signal processing, acoustic systems, and sound interfaces, amongst others.

I conduct integrated research on the analysis, understanding, reproduction, and synthesis of a sound environment to improve society through sound. My goal as a researcher is to create a sound environment for people to live comfortably.

Could you please elaborate on this?

Prof. Nishiura: A practical example may be the visit to the dentist. Many people feel uncomfortable with the dental drilling sound. I have researched and developed a technology of sound esthetics, also called noise-masking so that people are not bothered by the unwanted noise by overlapping it with a pleasant sound.

Furthermore, I have been investigating audio spot technology, a technique to transmit sound only in a specific area. Loudspeakers utilizing ultrasound waves have a higher directivity and can form a narrow audible area to a particular listener, i.e., the audio spot.

This is useful for exhibitions at museums, for example, when you would like to give visitors information relevant to each exhibited object.

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As part of our project to digital-archive overseas artworks, the Art Research Center (ARC) is pleased to announce that all of the digitized Japanese cultural materials in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden (the Netherlands), including ukiyo-e prints, copperplate prints, and early Japanese books, have been released with the approval of the museum. This time, the published materials comprise mainly paper-based printed and painted materials.

https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/lib/vm/RV/

As is well-known, the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology), Leiden, is home to an extensive collection of Japanese artifacts comprising the collections of Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, Jan Cock Blomhoff (Head of the Dutch East India Company in Dejima), and others. Since the Netherlands was the only country in Europe that traded with Japan during the Edo period, many Japanese collections have been accumulated there. Hence, many researchers of Japanese culture visit the museum to study its collection.

While the museum's collection is also available through the collection database of the Dutch Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, organized along with two other Dutch museums, the ARC's database now provides centralized access for the Japanese to the materials of Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden. For each of the materials, there is a button to access the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen directly so that explanatory data in the original database can be viewed with a single click. At the same time, the materials can be accessed via the ARC's Portal Database, allowing you to compare them with those from other institutions.

We hope that you will find this information useful.

The Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, is delighted to announce the release of its PV, introducing the center's diverse international research activities in Japanese art and culture since its establishment in 1998.

Please enjoy the video and feel free to share it.

[Short version]

[Long version]

The FY2020 Annual Report Meeting of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC) & Program for Supporting Research Center Formation, Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, was held on February 19 (Sat) & 20 (Sun), 2021.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the event was held online via Zoom and YouTube.

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Program

February 19 (Fri)
13:00-13:05	Opening Remarks
13:05-14:35	Report Session/ Program for Supporting Research Center Formation　(15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 1. A Project on the Intellectual Linkage of Large-Scale Cultural Information Project Leader: Ryo AKAMA, Professor, College of Letters, RU 2. Playing in the City of Kyoto - Construction of a Virtual Kyoto Using VR and AR Project Leader: Naomi KAWASUMI, Assoc. Professor, College of Letters, RU Presenter: Hirotaka SATO, Asst. Professor, College of Letters, RU 3.Construction and Transmission of a Kyoto Street Culture Archive Project Leader: Shinya SAITO, Assoc. Professor, Coll. of Image Arts and Sciences, RU 4. A System Development Project for Exhibition of Images Such as Ukiyo-e Through the Means of Games - Encourage Players to Smile While Playing Games Bring More Enjoyment Project Leader: Ruck THAWONMAS, Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU Presenter: Sunee SAE-LAO, M2 (Graduated in Sep 2020), Coll. of Information Science and Engineering 5. Acoustic sound reconstruction and playing-support with traditional instruments Project Leader: Takanobu NISHIURA, Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU 6. Project of developing evaluation datasets for ARC collection databases Project Leader: Akira MAEDA, Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU Presenters: Jiayun WANG, D3, Grad. School of Information Science and Engineering, RU Yuting SONG, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Grad. School of Information Science and Engineering, RU Biligsaikhan BATJARGAL, Senior Researcher, Kinugasa Research Org., RU
14:35-14:50	－Break (15 mins)－
14:50-15:20	Report Session/ Program for Supporting Research Center Formation(15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 7. Play between creativity and learning Project Leader: Akinori NAKAMURA, Professor, Coll. of Image Arts and Sciences, RU Presenter: Yasuo KAWASAKI, Visiting Researcher, Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies 8. Collaborative Project ①「The Construction of a "Playable Kyoto Cultural Resources Archive" using AI and a Time Travel Game System Project Leaders: Ruck THAWONMAS, Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU Presenters: Shinya SAITO, Assoc. Professor, Coll. of Image Arts and Sciences, RU Naomi KAWASUMI, Associate Professor, College of Letters, RU
15:20-16:20	Report Session/ARC-iJAC(15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 9. Infrastructure Development of Digital Research Environment for Modern Woodblock-printed Kuchi-e (Frontispieces) Project Leader: Tomoo ASAHI, Independent Researcher Presenter: Kana TSUNEKI, Ph.D. Candidate, Grad. School of Letters, RU / Assistant Professor, National Institute of Technology, Kurume College 10. A Study on the Construction of a Theater Material Image Search System that Utilizes the Theater Performance Record Database Project Leader: Sachiko MUTO, Chief Librarian, Shochiku Otani Library 11. Fundamental research for digital reproduction of Kabuki in Genroku era　　 Project Leader: Masami IWAI, Professor, English and Int'l Studies, Meijyo University 12. A Database Construction of Old Japanese Manuscripts and an Analysis Using Machine Learning Project Leader: Toshiaki AIDA, Lecturer, Grad. School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health System, Okayama University
16:20-16:35	－Break (15 mins)－
16:35-17:50	Report Session/ARC-iJAC (15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 13. A Study on the Construction of "The Kamo River Old Photograph GIS Database" and Analysis of River Environment Transitions Project Leader: Takafusa IIZUKA, Associate Professor, Faculty of Regional Policy, Aichi University 14. A Study of a System to Support Community Study on Kyoto's Townscape and its Changes Project Leader: Akira TAKAHASHI, Visiting Researcher, Cyber Media Center, Osaka University 15. Digital Archive of the Techniques, Processing and Enjoyment of Manga and Anime with its Focus on International Spread and Propagation of Culture　 Project Leader: Ryosuke YAMANISHI, Assoc. Professor, Faculty of Informatics, Kansai University Presenters: Dr. Ryosuke YAMANISHI, Susumu NAKATA, Professor, Yoko NISHIHARA, Assoc. Professor, College of Information Science and Engineering, RU 16. Digital Archive Project of Japanese Arts in the Collection of Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India Project Leader: Shinya MAEZAKI, Associate Professor, Dept. of Apparel and Space Design, Kyoto Women's University 17. Cultural salons and the visual arts in Kyoto and Osaka, 1750-1900: Digitizing Kamigata surimono and paintings Project Leader: Andrew GERSTLE, Emeritus Professor, SOAS University of London

February 20 (Sat)
13:00-14:15	Report Session/Program for Supporting Research Center Formation (15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 1. Research project on the Japanese cultural resources using the concept of "Metahistory" or "Les lieux de mémoire" Project Leader: Koichi HOSOI, Professor, College of Image Arts and Sciences, RU Presenter: Hitomi Mori, D2, Yuji MIYATA, D1, Toshinari Tsuji, M1, Graduate School of Letters, RU 2. Play and Discovery in Kanji Characters Project Leader: Lin MENG, Assoc. Professor, College of Image Arts and Sciences, RU 3. Visualization for Re-experiencing the Psychology/Festival using VR Technology Project Leader: Kyoko HASEGAWA, Lecturer, College of Information Science and Engineering, RU 4. Generation Z Web Content Archiving Project Project Leader: Yumi TAKENAKA, Professor, Grad. School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, RU Presenter: Shunsuke Mukae, D7, Grad. School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, RU 5. Collaborative Project ② Learning about Kyoto Ukiyo-e landscapes by Playing Minecraft. Project Leaders: Prof. Koichi HOSOI, Prof. Ruck THAWONMAS, Prof. Akinori NAKAMURA Presenter: Toshinari TSUJI, Graduate School of Letters, RU
14:15-14:30	－Break (15 mins)－
14:30-15:00	Report Session/Program for Supporting Research Center Formation (15mins. each incl. Q&As) 6. Collaborative Project ③ About the Digitization, Preservation and Organization of the Shirakawa Shizuka Collection Project Leaders: Lin MENG, Associate Professor, College of Information Science and Engineering Akira MAEDA, Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU Fumio GOTO, Associate Professor, The Shirakawa Shizuka Institute of East Asian Characters and Culture/Grad. School of Professional Teacher Education Presenter: LI Kangying, Ｄ2, Grad. School of Information Science and Engineering, RU 7. Collaborative Project ④ Visualization of Mind of Generation Z Project Leaders: Prof. Yumi TAKENAKA, Dr. Kyoko HASEGAWA Presenters: Takahiro MORI, D4, Grad. School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, RU
15:00-16:00	Report Session/ARC-iJAC (15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 8. Research of Kyoto-based Global Development of Printing Techniques and Designs Project Leader: Aya UEDA, Part-time Lecturer, Kwansei Gakuin University/ Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts 9. Construction of a 3D Model Database of Japanese Armor in the Collection of the Tokushima Castle Museum, Tokushima City Project Leader: Akihiro TSUKAMOTO, Associate Professor, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Tokushima University 10. Automatic Extraction of Personal Information of Historical Characters from Nihon Jinmei Jiten by Yaichi Haga and Creation of Structured Data Project Leader: Fuminori KIMURA, Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Management and Information Science, Onomichi City University 11.「Developing Online Education and Research Using the Holdings of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley」 Project Leader: Jonathan ZWICKER, Assoc. Professor, University of California, Berkeley Presenter: Prof. Ryo AKAMA, Professor, College of Letters, RU
16:00-16:15	－Break（15mins.）－
16:15-16:45	ARC-iJAC Technical Support Board Workshop
16:45-17:45	Report Session/ARC-iJAC (15 mins. each incl. Q&As) 12. A Comprehensive Online Catalog of the Japanese Artworks in Europe and North America: Its Construction and Application　 Project Leader: Monica BINCSIK, Assistant Curator, Department of Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art Presenter: Prof. Ryo AKAMA, Professor, College of Letters, RU 13. Digital Archiving of Indonesian Cultural Heritage and Development of 4D High-Definition Visualization Contents Project Leader: Dr. Fadjar I. THUFAIL, Researcher, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Presenters: Dr. Fadjar I. THUFAIL, Liang LI, Assoc. Professor, Coll. of Information Science and Engineering, RU 14. 「Edo Period Map Goes Digital - The O Edo ezu as an Interactive Resource」 Project Leader: Michael KINSKI, Professor, Japanese Studies, Frankfurt University Presenters: Prof. Michael KINSKI / Leo BORN, MA Student, Heidelberg University / Koray BIRENHEIDE, MA Student, Frankfurt University 15. Using Digital Archives to Create a Research Network of Japanese Cultural Resources in the UK and Utilizing Digital Resources for Japanese Studies　 Project Leader: Ryoko MATSUBA, Senior Digital Humanities Officer, SISJAC
17:45-17:50	Closing remarks

The 10th Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities took place on Saturday, February 13, 2021, co-organized by the Kansai Division of the Japan Art Documentation Society and the Kansai Division of the Japan Society of Information and Knowledge in cooperation with the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the event was held online via Zoom. Participation was free of charge.

The Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities was launched in 2011 as a platform for presentations and exchange mainly among postgraduate students and young researchers interested in the digital humanities research in arts, culture, and other related fields.

The event offered an opportunity for participants to discover new research themes and methods through human interaction in different fields, and we also welcomed exploratory and adventurous presentations that are slightly different from conventional conference presentations.

Facilitators (in alphabetical order): Ryo AKAMA (Ritsumeikan University), Naoki TAKUBO (Kindai University), Takehiko MURAKAWA (Wakayama University)

→Japan Art Documentation Society

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Program：　→Presentation abstracts (in Japanese)
12:50	Opening Remarks
12:55	Presentation１ 「情報処理科目を対象とした選択式問題生成支援システムの改良」 山口　晶啓（和歌山大学システム工学部）
13:20	Presentation２ 「遺跡に関するデータベースの位置情報修正の検討」 武内　樹治（立命館大学大学院文学研究科）
13:45	Presentation３ 「自治体史等の地域資料のデジタル化・オープン化の進展状況　-　神奈川県市域部と町村域部とにおける相違点」 長塚　隆（鶴見大学名誉教授）
14:10	Break
14:25	Presentation４ 「系図コンテンツの効果的な閲覧の支援に関する研究」 東　涼介（和歌山大学大学院システム工学研究科）
14:50	Presentation５ 「ソーシャルVRサービス"VRChat"を用いたバーチャル展示制作システムの開発 －立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター閲覧室を事例に－」 江﨑　笙吾（立命館大学文学部）
15:15	Presentation６ 「3次元計測で得られる大規模ポイントクラウドを用いた有形文化財の衝突可視化」 Li Weite（立命館大学大学院情報理工学研究科）
15:40	Break
15:55	Presentation７ 「日本文化資源としての「時代劇」関連資料アーカイブの構築と活用 ～書き込み脚本を例に～」 辻　俊成（立命館大学大学院文学研究科）
16:20	Presentation８ 「演劇アーカイブ研究：現代演劇を中心とした理論と実践」 村上　佳奈子（立命館大学大学院文学研究科）
16:45	Break
17:00	Presentation９ 「深層学習モデルに基づく浮世絵画像検索システムの開発」 王　嘉韻（立命館大学大学院情報理工学研究科）
17:25	Presentation１０ 「浮世絵レコードのクロスモーダル多言語横断検索に向けて：Multilingual-BERTによる作品情報の特徴埋め込み抽出の試み」 Li Kangying（立命館大学大学院情報理工学研究科）
17:50	Closing Remarks
18:00	Get-together