ARC-iJAC Activities

The 12th Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities took place on Saturday, February 18, 2023, 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.

About the Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities:

Along with the rapid development of the digital and information environment in recent years, we are seeing more and more cross-disciplinary research in academic fields with an awareness of "information" and "digital". This trend is gaining momentum in higher education and research activities as well, and educational programs and course activities related to this trend are being enhanced.

The need for opportunities for academic exchange among undergraduate and graduate students and young researchers studying in such programs under new research themes in line with the times is ever increasing.

For this reason, the Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities was established in 2011 as a place for presentation and exchange, with a focus on graduate students and young researchers interested in information and knowledge research in arts, culture, and other related fields in mind. 11 research meetings have been held to date.

This meeting is positioned as a place where participants can mutually discover new research themes and methods through human exchange in different fields, and we also welcome exploratory and adventurous presentations that are slightly different from conventional conference presentations.

■ Date: February 18 (Sat), 2023, from 13:00 JST
■ Participation method: Online (via Zoom)

・Please note that the 'Call for Presenters' had stated that the event will be held in a hybrid form. However, it has been decided to hold the event entirely online due to the spread of COVID-19.
・ The details how to join the event will be sent by email to the presenters and those who have registered to attend.
・ The event will be held remotely and not at a venue.

Organizer: The Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities

Facilitators: Ryo Akama (Ritsumeikan University), Mamiko Sakata (Doshisha University), Naoki Takubo (Kindai University), Takehiko Murakawa (Wakayama University)

Co-organizers: The Kansai Division of the Art Documentation Society and the Kansai Division of the Japan Society of Information and Knowledge

In cooperation with: International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University.

■ Registration method:

Please register via the <registration form for participants>. (registration closed)

※ There is no participation fee.
※An online get-together (free of charge) will be held after the research presentations. We would like to make it a place for exchange beyond the boundaries of universities and research fields, so please feel free to join.

　JSIK 情報知識学会

The 12th Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities will be held online on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

We are now accepting registrations to join the event as a participant. This event also serves as a conference for young researchers of the ARC-iJAC.

About the Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities:

Along with the rapid development of the digital and information environment in recent years, we are seeing more and more cross-disciplinary research in academic fields with an awareness of "information" and "digital". This trend is gaining momentum in higher education and research activities as well, and educational programs and course activities related to this trend are being enhanced.

The need for opportunities for academic exchange among undergraduate and graduate students and young researchers studying in such programs under new research themes in line with the times is ever increasing.

For this reason, the Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities was established in 2011 as a place for presentation and exchange, with a focus on graduate students and young researchers interested in information and knowledge research in arts, culture, and other related fields in mind. 11 research meetings have been held to date.

This meeting is positioned as a place where participants can mutually discover new research themes and methods through human exchange in different fields, and we also welcome exploratory and adventurous presentations that are slightly different from conventional conference presentations.

■ Date: February 18 (Sat), 2023
■ Participation method: Online (via Zoom)

・Please note that the 'Call for Presenters' had stated that the event will be held in a hybrid form. However, it has been decided to hold the event entirely online due to the spread of COVID-19.
・ The details how to join the event will be sent by email to the presenters and those who have registered to attend.
・ The event will be held remotely and not at a venue.

Organizer: The Forum for Knowledge, Arts, and Culture in Digital Humanities

Facilitators: Ryo Akama (Ritsumeikan University), Mamiko Sakata (Doshisha University), Naoki Takubo (Kindai University), Takehiko Murakawa (Wakayama University)

Co-organizers: The Kansai Division of the Art Documentation Society and the Kansai Division of the Japan Society of Information and Knowledge

In cooperation with: International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University.

■ Registration method:

Please register via the <registration form for participants>. (Deadline: Wednesday, February 15, 2023)

※ There is no participation fee.
※An online get-together (free of charge) will be held after the research presentations. We would like to make it a place for exchange beyond the boundaries of universities and research fields, so please feel free to join.

　JSIK 情報知識学会

A workshop with the Association for the Preservation of Ukiyo-e Woodblock Engraving and Printmaking Techniques (浮世絵木版画彫摺技術保存協会) will be held on February 17, 2023, co-organized by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center.

There has been a longstanding cooperation between the ARC and the association, and workshops have been previously organized in February 2011, February 2015, June 2019, and February 2022.

The purpose of the workshops is to exchange information and opinions with experts, deepen the understanding of the ARC Collection and facilitate the sharing of knowledge concerning ukiyo-e woodblock engraving and printmaking techniques.

Date: 17 February (Fri), 2023, 14:00-17:00

Method: Online (Zoom)

Program

1. Speaker: Akama Ryo (Professor and Director of the Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University)

Topic: 海外の浮世絵コレクション紹介　欧州ドイツ編

2. Speaker: Takaaki Kaneko (Associate Professor, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University)

Topic: 立命館大学アート・リサーチセンターの板木コレクション

3. Speaker: Ryoko Matsuba (Lecturer in Japanese Digital Arts and Humanities, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of East Anglia)

Topic: Connecting Present to Past: Re-evaluating Japanese Traditional Printmaking プロジェクト報告および葛飾北斎作品の彫、摺の疑問点

Co-organizers: International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center; Association for the Preservation of Ukiyo-e Woodblock Engraving and Printmaking Techniques

→ Website of the Association for the Preservation of Ukiyo-e Woodblock Engraving and Printmaking Techniques

For inquiries, please contact:

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

E-mail: r-darc (at) st.ritsumei.ac.jp (replace "at" with @)

On February 4 (Sat), 2023, Professor Ryo Akama--Director of the Art Research Center (ARC)--delivered a special lecture on The ARC Research Space: Aiming at Perfecting a Comprehensive Digital Research Space at the digital humanities conference Materials, Media, and Methods: Digital Issues in East Asian Studies.

The hybrid conference, which focused on the problems, challenges, and breakthroughs with digital technologies in East Asian Studies research, was hosted by the Institute of East Asian Art History (IKO) and the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies (HCTS), Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg and organized in cooperation with Nanjing University of the Arts.

Poster design: Xiaojie Chang. Poster image: Xiaojie Chang, via AI image generator DreamStudio, 2023.

In response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of disseminating information to international researchers on the availability of digital research tools and resources provided by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University, we are pleased to release the promotional video Custom-Built Online Research Databases with MyDB.

This video was produced in English for the Comprehensive Digitization and Discoverability Program (CDDP) of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) and showcases how to custom-build an online research database using the resources in the ARC portal databases and one's own research materials with the My DB-function in the ARC Research Space.

Related links:

→ Read the news article CDDP Video Series Highlight: Custom-Built Online Research Database with 'My Database' (NCC website)

→ Watch our promotional video ARC Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System.

The International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, is pleased to announce the International Online Symposium 'Tracing the Reception of Japanese Art in the West: As Seen through Case Studies in Central Europe'.

This event is held in English with live simultaneous interpretation in Japanese available.

Date: January 28 (Sat), 2023

Time: 16:00 - 18:00 JST / 8:00 - 10:00 CET

Topic: 'Tracing the Reception of Japanese Art in the West: As Seen through Case Studies in Central Europe'

<Click here to register>

<Program>

1. Opening Remarks: Prof. Ryo Akama (Director of the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University) & Emily Li (University Research Administrator, Ritsumeikan University)

2. Keynote Speech: Professor Hans B. Thomsen (Chair for East Asian Art History, University of Zurich)
Title: 'Academia and Museums: The Importance of Collaborative Projects'

3. Individual Presentations

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

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.

Background:
Kelly Midori McCormick is an assistant professor of Japanese history at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, specializing in the history of the material and visual culture of modern Japan.
Carrie Cushman is the Edith Dale Monson Gallery Director and Curator at the Hartford Art School. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Columbia University and is a specialist in postwar and contemporary art and photography from Japan.
Supported by the ARC-iJAC, their project team has created and launched the bilingual website Behind the Camera--part database, part educational tool--spotlighting a diverse range of international experts on the history of Japanese photography from the perspective of gender and power.

Thank you very much for your time today. Could you please tell us about your motivation to start your FY 2021 ARC-iJAC project Expanding the Study of Japanese Photography and Gender: Modules for Teaching and Public Access?

Prof. McCormick / Prof. Cushman: Conceived in 2017, Behind the Camera was established to address the lack of scholarship and access to primary sources on the histories of Japanese women in photography. The idea for Behind the Camera was sparked with a simple question: what resources existed on the roles that women have played in the history of Japanese photography?

Since the introduction of the first camera to Japan in 1848, women have been integral to the social constructions of photography as a visual technology, art form, and commercial practice.

Women photographers require a history that intersects social and political history with the close analysis of their work and its implications for visual culture in Japan.

Beyond accounting for historical omissions, we sought ways to interrogate the overwhelmingly male-centered historiography of Japanese photography and to address the ideologies that have consistently reinstated gendered hierarchies within the photography world.​​ We knew that these efforts could not be individual but would require a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach.

To that end, in 2019, we brought together a multidisciplinary group of scholars from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel for a two-part panel at the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference, sponsored by the Japan Art History Forum. The conversations generated at the AAS made clear that the histories of Japanese women in photography required a sustained platform that would allow for research to develop organically and collaboratively.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the project transformed into a website where specialists share carefully researched arguments and source materials made available to the public in both English and Japanese. In times when travel to archives and conferences is difficult, this website seeks to bring photographs, scholarly perspectives, and historical resources directly to you.

We are delighted about the launch of your digital humanities website Behind the Camera: Gender, Power, and Politics in the History of Japanese Photography.

Can you share some of your experiences with us during the implementation of this project? Have you come across any particular challenges?

Prof. McCormick / Prof. Cushman: The Art Research Center at Ritsumeikan is an incredible resource for researching Japanese visual culture and producing new information about it. We were thrilled at the opportunity to work with the ARC but the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that our initial goals of using the recording facilities to conduct interviews with current Japanese women photographers were not possible.

We were able, however, to use the generous funding to produce an interview between the photographer Nagashima Yurie and art historian Handa Yuri. This interview will be the first to introduce a wide range of audiences to Nagashima's scholarly work on the history of the Japanese women photographers who gained recognition for their work in the 1990s and Nagashima's critical interpretation of the male photo critics who shaped the way the world saw this generation of women photographers.

Is there anything particularly fascinating you found while implementing this project?

Prof. McCormick / Prof. Cushman: To create the modules for the site, we approached historians of photography to present an issue from the history of Japanese photography from a gender studies perspective. One of the most gratifying things about this project is how many new angles scholars have approached and created their modules from. Many have seen the new format of a video lecture paired with an image archive as a structure that allows them to explore new topics or synthesize larger projects in a compelling and captivating way.

For instance, Dr. Elena Creef drew on networks of Japanese war brides that her mother is a part of to create a collection of family photographs that illustrate their experiences as they moved from Japan to the United States in the postwar period.

While the majority of the modules are focused on historical events, a selection of the modules has been created by curators who reflect on exhibition practices in relationship with the gender histories of Japanese photography.

Maggie Mustard's module on the exhibition she curated, The Incomplete Araki: Life, Sex, and Death in the Work of Nobuyoshi Araki, held at the Museum of Sex, New York in 2018, examines the many challenges with presenting work by the very controversial photographer in the context of the MeToo movement.

Do you have plans to expand this website, for example, by adding new modules? If possible, could you please tell us more about them?

Prof. McCormick / Prof. Cushman: We will be adding a new collection of modules to the website in 2023. We are excited to present lectures by Ayelet Zohar on Ishikawa Mao; Kerry Ross on marketing cameras to women in the Taisho and early Showa period; Judy Legewood on May Ebihara's anthropological photographs in Cambodia; Phillip Charrier's lecture, Shigeo Gocho, women, and everyday resistance in 1960s Japan; Miryam Sas on Rethinking Japanese media theory, and interviews with Eileen Smith on photographing Minamata; and an interview between Komatsu Hiroko and Franz Prichard.

How did you first connect with the Art Research Center (ARC) at Ritsumeikan University? / How did you hear about the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC)?

We saw a call for applications and after investigating the resources at the ARC were excited to partner with Ritsumeikan in the hopes of spreading the word about the project and collaborating with Japanese scholars.

Is there anything else you would like to comment on or highlight?

We are actively seeking contributors in Japan and around the world who would like to contribute new modules on the history of Japanese photography from new perspectives. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have a proposal for a module.

(This interview was conducted by Yinzi Emily Li.)

The 114th International ARC Seminar will be held as a Webinar on Wednesday, January 18, from 18:00 JST.

The program is as follows:

1. Session

Speaker: Nozomu ATAKA (Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Letters, Ritsumeikan University)

Topic: The Reality of Temples and Shrines in Nara in the Late Edo Period, Seen from Neifu kiji, a Diary of Kawaji Toshiakira, a Magistrate of Nara

2. Session

Speaker: Shiori Totsuka (Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Letters, Ritsumeikan University)

Title: On Some Problems of Censor's Seals as Seen in the Katsukawa School's Ukiyo-e

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 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.