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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)
Previous issues:
Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Winter 2022, Autumn 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Winter 2021, Autumn 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2020, Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020view this email in your browser Copyright © 2021 Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. All rights reserved.
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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
Save the date! ARC Days to be held on Aug 3 (Thurs) & Aug 4 (Fri)
We were delighted to welcome Dr. Akiko Takesue, Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art & Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), to the ARC.
The ARC, in collaboration with the ROM, is pleased to announce that 4,233 ukiyo-e prints and 74 Japanese old books from ROM's collection are now available in the ARC database. >> Read more.ARC-iJAC Project Spotlights: An Interview with Masami Yamada (Curator, Asia Department, Victoria & Albert Museum)
Supported by the ARC-iJAC, Masami Yamada, Curator in the Asia Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has been leading the research project Re-thinking Japonisme: Digitization of the V&A's collection of Japanese illustrated books and researching its formation in the late 19th century. 
As part of this collaborative project, Dr. Ryoko Matsuba (SISJAC) regularly organizes hands-on workshops at the V&A for students & young researchers to learn about best practices in digitizing museum collections. >> Read more. 
The release comprises 1,541 ukiyo-e prints held by the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Particularly noteworthy are 134 surimono (摺物) and 120 pillar prints (柱絵), for which the opening of this database provides a foundation for further research. >> Read more. Video on demand! 116. International ARC Seminar Session 1: Simon KANER (Executive Director, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, UEA)
Topic: Stonehenge and prehistoric Japan--Archaeological exchanges between Japan and the UK: Current and future trends
Session 2: Ryoko MATSUBA (Lecturer in Digital Japanese Arts and Humanities, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, UEA), Joseph BILLS (MPhil, Univ. of Cambridge), Bori KO (MA Student, SOAS Univ. of London), Liam HEAD (MA Student, UEA)
Topic: Implementing the ARC Model in the UK: Digitising Sword Ornaments at the British Museum
The late Mukai Nobuo (向井信夫) was known as a collector and researcher of Edo-period Japanese books and also collected ukiyo-e prints and albums of the same period, including a sizeable collection of 690 works by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年). >> Read more. 
The Takeuchi Dokei Collection is the world's largest collection of materials related to Edo-period Japanese music. Search for the Tokiwazu-bushi lyric booklets by entering 常磐津 in the "genre" (ジャンル) search box at the following >> link.
For a commentary by Takeuchi Yuichi (Research Institute for Japanese Traditional Music, Kyoto City University of Arts), >> click here.
Faculty News! We are pleased to welcome Dr. Travis Seifman as Research Manager / Associate Professor to the ARC faculty.
Originally from New York, he completed MA degrees in Japanese Studies at SOAS, University of London, and in Art History at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa before earning his Ph.D. in History at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Before joining the ARC, he worked as a postdoctoral Project Researcher at the University of Tokyo Historiographical Institute. Dr. Seifman specializes in Okinawan Studies and researches in particular the embassies dispatched by the Okinawan kingdom of Lūchū (Ryūkyū) to Edo in the 17th to 19th centuries. Upcoming Events
July 26 (Wed), 2023, 18:00-19:30 JST
122. International ARC Seminar
Speaker: Travis SEIFMAN (Associate Professor & Research Manager, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University)
Topic: Visual, Material, and Performance Culture Aspects of the Ryukyu Kingdom's Embassies to Edo (held in Japanese)
August 3 (Thurs), 2023, 14:00-16:45 JST
August 4 (Fri), 2023, 10:00-17:35 JST
ARC Days 2023
An annual event where faculty members of the ARC and international collaborative researchers introduce their research projects in Digital Humanities (DH).
>> Click here for the program.
Live stream available via >> YouTube.Previous issues:
Spring 2023, Winter 2022, Autumn 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Winter 2021, Autumn 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2020, Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020view this email in your browser Copyright © 2021 Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
56-1 Toji-in Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577 JAPAN
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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
Keynote speech by Prof. Hans B. Thomsen (University of Zurich) on Academia and Museums: The Importance of Collaborative Projects.
>>Program & Registration
We were delighted to welcome Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa, and Professor Emeritus Henry Smith (Columbia University) to the ARC.
HIH Princess Akiko of Mikasa was previously a postdoctoral researcher at the ARC while Professor Emeritus Henry Smith is a member of the ARC-iJAC External Evaluation Committee.
ARC-iJAC Project Spotlights: An Interview with Kelly Midori McCormick (University of British Columbia) and Carrie Cushman (Hartford Art School)Supported by the ARC-iJAC, a team led by Dr. Kelly Midori McCormick and Dr. Carrie Cushman has been conducting research under the theme Expanding the Study of Japanese Photography and Gender: Modules for Teaching and Public Access.
Resulting from this, they have 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.
>>Read full interview.This project is actively seeking contributors in Japan and around the world for new modules on the history of Japanese photography from new perspectives. If you have a proposal for a module, please reach out. 
On November 28, 2022, a signing ceremony for the MoU was held at Akita International University. The MoU provides a stable framework to advance collaborative projects in digital humanities, such as integrating AIU's Akita Folkloric Performance Art Archives with audiovisual records of more than 300 folkloric performance arts in the ARC Portal Database System. >>Read full article.
In November 2022, we were pleased to welcome Prof. Adam Habib to the ARC where he discussed the possibility of establishing a partnership in digital humanities with Prof. Ryo Akama. >>Read full article. 
Supported by the ARC, the Japan Foundation Kyoto Office organizes the annual event to provide an opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture. The performances, filmed by the ARC, are available online for a year.Upcoming Events
January 28 (Sat), 2023, 16:00-18:00 JST
International Online Symposium
Topic: Tracing the Reception of Japanese Art in the West: As Seen through Case Studies in Central Europe
<<Program & Registration>>
<<Flyer>>
January 31 (Tue), 2023, 9:50-18:00 JST
Graduate Student Colloquium
Topic: Arts and Culture Studies of East Asia in the Post-Media Era: Themes and Perspectives
<<Zoom URL>>
(no registration required)
Previous issues:
Autumn 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Winter 2021, Autumn 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2020, Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020view this email in your browser Copyright © 2023 Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
56-1 Toji-in Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577 JAPAN
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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 ARC received the Digital Archive Japan Award (DAJ) 2022 on Aug.25
The ARC is enormously honored to be one of the first recipients of the Digital Archive Japan Award (DAJ).
The DAJ is an award system newly established by Japan Search, a platform operated by the National Diet Library, for aggregating metadata of digital resources.
Regarding this award, Prof. Ryo Akama, Director of the ARC, expressed:
"The ARC faculty would like to take this award as an opportunity to further respond to the needs of users worldwide by disseminating information on cultural resources in Japan which go beyond areas such as ukiyo-e, early Japanese books, and banzuke-related contents."
As a curator at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum, Murakami is leading a joint research project with the ARC on digital-archiving the extensive collection of sports materials of the museum in cooperation with the ARC. 
She also reflects on her internship experience at UC Berkeley, facilitated by the ARC, while she was a graduate student at Ritsumeikan University. >>Read full interview. 
Prof. Hosoi took on a pioneering role when he founded the Game Archive Project (GAP)--a collaboration between Nintendo, Kyoto Prefecture, and Ritsumeikan University. 
In the interview, Prof. Hosoi reflects on the early days of his game research and discusses the social impact of games, the acceleration of the metaverse amid COVID-19, and future directions for game research. 
On August 21, 2022, ARC faculty member Prof. Satoshi Tanaka (College of Information Science and Engineering, RU) presented the research outcomes of his project on the ultra-high-quality see-through 3D visualization of Taimadera Temple at a roundtable event, held as part of its special exhibition 'Researching Cultural Heritages' at the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex. >>Read more.
Mikiharu Takeuchi took home top honors at the award ceremony for the 11th Young Scholar Award sponsored by ESRI, a major geographic information system (GIS) software company based in the US. 
Takeuchi is a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Letters and is supervised by Prof. Keiji Yano, Deputy Director of the ARC. >>Read more. [Video available] Prof. Koichi Hosoi & Prof. Keiji Yano Presented Research Activities at the WEB 3.0/ Metaverse Study Meeting
The WEB 3.0/ Metaverse Study Meeting was held by Kyoto Chiesangyo Sozonomori on August 29, 2022.
Prof. Hosoi (College of Image Arts and Sciences, RU) held a keynote speech on the next-generation internet world as seen through the XR/ metaverse. Prof. Yano (College of Letters, RU) presented his research with the case study on the construction of Virtual Kyoto using GIS. >> Watch full video.
Upcoming Events
November 16 (Wed), 2022, 18:00-19:30
110th International ARC Seminar
Speaker: Dr. Ellis TINIOS (Honorary Lecturer in History, School of History, University of Leeds, UK)
Topic: 'After native drawings': the books that introduced nishiki-e and ehon to Western audiences: Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan (1859) and Japanese Fragments (1861).November 19 (Sat) - December 19 (Mon)Special Exhibition
Kamigata no Chūshingura Ukiyo-e
Ako City Museum of History
(co-organized by Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University)
Details: http://www.ako-rekishi.jp/guide-planning/
Previous issues:
Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Winter 2021, Autumn 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2020, Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020view this email in your browser Copyright © 2021 Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
56-1 Toji-in Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577 JAPAN
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You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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
Important Notice:
The ARC will be closed from Aug 11 to Aug 17 due to the Obon holiday break. Please note that we will not be able to respond to your inquiries or visits during this period. Thank you for your kind understanding in advance.
Recently, we welcomed Prof. Monte Cassim, the President of Akita International University (AIU), and Prof. Akitoshi Seiyama, the Director of AIU's Creative Design & Data Science Center, to the ARC.
Furthermore, we were delighted to meet Ms. Pei Liu, Senior Partnerships Manager at Nottingham Trent University, UK.We created this video for the Comprehensive Digitization and Discoverability Program (CDDP) of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC).
Are you interested in using our Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System for your research or classes?
Please contact us!
Prof. Hans B. Thomsen, the Chair for East Asian Art History at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has been conducting two ARC-iJAC projects under the theme of 'Tracing the Reception of Japanese Art in the West' by investigating the collections of Freiburg im Breisgau and Monte Verità. >> Read the interview.
Pre-war Programs (sujigaki) of the Kabuki-za Theater, Tokyo, have been released in the Shochiku Otani Library's Shibai Banzuke Browsing System 
The Shibai Banzuke Portal Database, developed and made available by the ARC, allows users to simultaneously search the ARC's banzuke collection and that of the Shochiku Otani Library and other institutions. 
Along with the release of the digitized pre-war theater programs (筋書; sujigaki) of the Kabuki-za (歌舞伎座) held by the Shochiku Otani Library, the pre-war sujigaki of the Imperial Theater (帝国劇場) held by the ARC are also available. >> Read more. Explore 'The Kyoto News Archive' in the ARC Virtual Institute 
In collaboration with the Toy Film Museum Kyoto, the ARC has built a digital archive of Kyoto News, newsreels produced by Kyoto City and shown in movie theatres between 1956 and 1994.< ARC Virtual Institute: The Kyoto News Archive > 
As one of the earliest regional newsreels, it represents a valuable historical testimony of Kyoto. On July 2, the public symposium 'The Kyoto News Archive' was held to commemorate the launching of the archive.
>> Read more.
>> Watch the full video.Special Exhibition at the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex Showcases Research Outcomes of the ARC from July 23 to Sep 19 
Based on a research cooperation agreement with Nara Prefecture, the project outcomes on the digital archiving and 3D visualization of Taimadera Temple in Nara, led by Prof. Satoshi Tanaka (College of Information Science and Engineering, RU), are showcased at the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex.
Free entry! >> Read more.The Byobu Matsuri (Folding Screen Festival) was held at the Nagae Family Residence 
The Byobu Matsuri, or Folding Screen Festival, was held at the Nagae Family Residence--designated by Kyoto City as a tangible cultural property--from July 14 to July 16, 2022. The ARC has been digital-archiving the collection of the Nagae Family after it was donated to Ritsumeikan University. >> Read more. Upcoming Events
July 23 (Sat) - Sep 19 (Mon)
Special Exhibition 'Researching Cultural Heritages'
Location: Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex
>> Details
>> Official website of the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture ComplexSAVE THE DATE!September 16 & 17 (Sat/ Sun)ARC Days 2022
Details will be announced on the ARC website shortly.Previous issues:
Spring 2022, Winter 2021, Autumn 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2020, Autumn 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020view this email in your browser Copyright © 2021 Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
56-1 Toji-in Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577 JAPAN
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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
ARC is delighted to announce the conclusion of an MoU with the Research Center for Area Studies, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (P2W-LIPI).
Building upon our first MoU signed in 2017, this MoU provides a stable framework to advance our collaborative projects in digital humanities, including the ultra-high-quality 3D see-through visualization of Borobudur Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Indonesia. >>Read more.
"Bringing people together in international, interdisciplinary projects like this is of utmost importance," says Prof. Kinski.
'Edo Period Map goes Digital - The On Edo ezu as an Interactive Resource' served to strengthen the intrinsic motivation of students in Germany to explore Edo Japan.
>>Read full interview.
With the release of the online database of the Teiji Kojima Collection--a treasure trove of sumo banzuke and old sumo documents--the ARC launched the Sumo Digital Institute. It also links to well-preserved sumo paintings held by Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden (NL). >>Read more.
>>Go to Sumo Digital Institute.
