From May 31 to June 12, 2026, the Art Research Center (ARC) at Ritsumeikan University is hosting the special exhibition "Kabuki and Media--In the Context of the Film Kokuhō."

For further details, please visit the link below.

https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/j/news/pc/027090.html

KINUGASA ART VILLAGE FESTIVAL

アート・リサーチセンター 特別展覧会「歌舞伎とメディア ―映画「国宝」を背景に―」

 会期　：2026年5月31日（日）〜2026年6月12日（金）　※期間中は土日も開館
時間　：10:00～17:00（最終入室16:30）
入場料：無料
場所　：立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター 多目的ルーム
　　　（京都市北区等持院北町56-1 立命館大学衣笠キャンパス）

 アート・リサーチセンターは、25年を超える活動の中で、国内外の文化資源を数多くデジタルアーカイブしてきたのと同時に、研究活動の中で、さまざまな原物資源も収蔵してきました。その中でも、設立当時からの大きな柱であるのが、歌舞伎資料です。
昨年公開された映画「国宝」は、歌舞伎俳優の激動の半生を描いた作品で、高い評価を得て、邦画実写興行収入の記録を更新する大ヒットとなりました。「国宝」効果により、歌舞伎は再び注目を集めるコンテンツとなっています。
今回、この映画「国宝」も意識しつつ、アート・リサーチセンターの歌舞伎資料を代表する作品により、歌舞伎やそれを記録してきたメディアの魅力を展示します。

ヴァーチャルミュージアム入口はこちら　➡　 2026AVF 歌舞伎とメディア
展示会の解説をご覧いただけます。

※5月31日（日）限定イベント
「VR歌舞伎体験　お岩さんと喋ろう！」（協力：株式会社ハイシンク創研）
VRゴーグルを装着し、歌舞伎の名作『東海道四谷怪談』の二幕「伊右衛門浪宅」の場面を再現した仮想空間で、
お岩のAIキャラクターと会話することができます。

 ----
展覧会初日の5/31は、衣笠キャンパスで第2回衣笠アートヴィレッジ フェスティバル開催日です。

第2回衣笠アートヴィレッジフェスティバル　
HP　　https://kinugasa.ritsumei.ac.jp/artfes/
展覧会ご案内　https://kinugasa.ritsumei.ac.jp/artfes/2026/574/

展覧会フライヤー➡　アートヴィレッジ展示2026ご案内

 - International Research Exchange on Visualization of Cultural Heritage and Analysis of Measurement Data -

Prof. Tanaka, Director of the Art Research Center, was invited to Poznań University of Technology in Poland, where he delivered an invited lecture on March 5. The lecture attracted a large audience of researchers and students specializing in architecture, measurement engineering, and cultural heritage studies, and the venue was filled to capacity.

In his lecture, Prof. Tanaka introduced the Center's ongoing research on three-dimensional measurement and visualization technologies for cultural heritage. In particular, he presented concrete case studies on the visualization of the Yamahoko floats of the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the relief sculptures of Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, demonstrating the potential of advanced digital technologies to open new avenues in cultural heritage research. The detailed understanding of form and innovative visualization methods enabled by measurement data drew considerable interest not only for the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, but also for their applications in interdisciplinary research and education.

Following the lecture, an active question-and-answer session took place, during which participants exchanged views on methods for evaluating measurement accuracy, data analysis processes, and the prospects for future international collaborative research.

During this visit, Prof. Tanaka also surveyed Gniezno Cathedral, one of Poland's most important historical monuments, as a potential subject for future joint research. Deeply connected to the history of the formation of the Polish state, the cathedral represents a significant cultural heritage site.

Through this invited lecture and related research exchange, the Center was provided with a valuable opportunity to disseminate its research achievements internationally and to further strengthen collaboration with research institutions in Europe. We look forward to potential collaborations with Poznań University of Technology for academic research based on the analysis of measurement data.

Gniezno Cathedral, a potential subject for joint research on measurement data analysis.

Students and researchers gathered for the lecture.

Prof. Tanaka showing images of the stone reliefs at Borobudur Temple.

The Shochiku Otani Library Modern Book Search and Viewing System digital archive was developed and made publicly available by the Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, based on an agreement between the Shochiku Otani Library and the Art Research Center.

On April 10, data for approximately 700 pre-war materials related to performances at the Osaka Shochiku-za, held by the Shochiku Otani Library, was released.
https://www.dh-jac.net/db1/mbooks/search_shochiku.php

◆ Further information on the Shochiku Otani Library website (in Japanese):
https://www.shochiku.co.jp/shochiku-otani-toshokan/news/20260410/

The Art Research Centre accepts requests for photographic reproductions of rare materials, such as woodblock-printed books, manuscripts, or other historical or rare materials, that have not yet been digitally imaged.
For more information, please consult the User Guide at: https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/e/database/guide.html

As part of the 2025 ARC-iJAC project "Study on Theater-related Pictures Retrieval System using Record of Theater Play Database," pre-war performance programs from the Shinbashi Enbujo Theater, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, have been made public since December 23, 2025.

The digital archive "Shochiku Otani Library's Shibai Banzuke Browsing System" was developed and made publicly available by the Art Research Center of Ritsumeikan University, based on an agreement between the Shochiku Otani Library and the Art Research Center.

◆Shochiku Otani Library Theatrical Programs Viewing System
https://www.dh-jac.net/db1/ban/search_shochiku.php

◆ The theatrical programs in the Shochiku Otani Library Database can also be viewed in the ARC's larger Shibai Banzuke (Kabuki Playbills) Portal Database alongside those held by other institutions:
https://www.dh-jac.net/db1/ban/search_portal.php

Please click below for the announcement on the Shochiku Otani Library's website:
「新橋演舞場」戦前のプログラムをデジタルアーカイブで公開！ | 公益財団法人松竹大谷図書館

"FY 2025 Program for Fostering Artists and Others in Universities"

Programme for the Support of Human Resource Development through the Construction of a Comprehensive Archive & Talent-Development Programme Linking Traditional Woodblock Printing and the Arts　

Date: Friday, 19 December, 9:30-17:30
Venue: Ritsumeikan University Art Research Centre / Online (Zoom)

           ※If you wish to attend in person at the venue, please register via the form.
　　　※Online participation is available via the Zoom link below.
Zoom：https://ritsumei-ac-jp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V7UBxtVbTO2hYwhNMYVquw
ウェビナーID     ：954 4522 3588
パスコード         ：890604

Programme　※Please click here for the programme details.
9:20-9:30 Opening remarks
Session 1: Keynote
9:30-9:55 Ryo Akama & Ryoko Matsuba
 "The Current State and Future of Woodblock Print Digital Archives: Connecting Research and Creative Practice" (provisional title)

Session2:Film Screening
10:00-12:00 Screening of Paper by Washi＋
        Commentary: Ayumi Hamada (Director, Washi＋)

---------------------

Session 3: Research Presentations（Workshop Report Session）
13:00-13:10 -- Introduction
13:10-13:30 Myosai (online)
13:30-13:50 Miki Sawanaga (online)
13:50-14:10 Michika Noda (online)
---------------------
14:20-14:40 Keiko Kobayashi (on-site)
14:40-15:00 Tomomi Furukawa (on-site)
15:00-15:20 Eriko Fujita (online)
---------------------
15:30-16:00 Mia O (online)
16:00-16:20 Nobuto Ogawa (online)
16:20-16:50 Natasha Norman Moodley (online)
16:50-17:20 Lucy May Schofield (online)

17:20-17:30 Closing remarks

  Visit our website

The Art Research Center (ARC) at Ritsumeikan University is pleased to announce that digital images of ukiyo-e prints in the collection of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University have now been made publicly available in the ARC Database System.
These works can be found in the ARC Japanese Prints (Ukiyo-e) and Paintings Portal Database:
https://www.dh-jac.net/db/nishikie/search_portal.php?lang=en.
Select「早稲田大学演劇博物館(演博)」from the pull-down menu for the "Collection" search field to find the works from the Theatre Museum collections.

 Beginning with the personal collection of the museum's founder, Tsubouchi Shoyo, the Theatre Museum's collections today include some 48,000 ukiyo-e prints. Most are actor prints (yakusha-e) or prints otherwise depicting subjects related to Kabuki or other theatrical forms, and comprise the world's largest collection of theatre-related ukiyo-e prints. The collection is available to view online through the Waseda University Theatre Museum Ukiyo-e Database (part of the Waseda University Cultural Resource Database).

 Through the linking of the Waseda University Theatre Museum Ukiyo-e Database and the Art Research Center Database System, prints in the Theatre Museum's collection can now be searched for and viewed alongside prints from museum collections around the world. The relevant prints are labeled in the database with 「早稲田大学演劇博物館(演博)」in the Collection field. Digital tools incorporated into the ARC Database system, such as ImageNote and Similar Image Search, can also be used with the materials from the Theatre Museum.

 A portion of the ukiyo-e prints from the Theatre Museum collection are accompanied by bibliographical data (explanations, chronology data, etc.) compiled by the Theatre Museum Actor Prints Research Group, a collaborative research project of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC).

 We hope that this resource will be widely used by researchers and others interested in ukiyo-e and kabuki.

 Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University Homepage:
https://enpaku.w.waseda.jp/