国際共同利用・共同研究拠点関連

文化資源の2D、3Dデジタルアーカイブとデジタル資料の管理・可視化に関するワークショップを開催いたします。本ワークショップでは、３日間かけて、文献・古典籍のような資料の撮影手法、データベースの登録と管理手法、写真測量による3Dモデルの作成手法、360度画像の取得・展示手法、GISを用いた地図作成手法などについて、演習形式で解説します。

日程・内容

本ワークショップは、11/22-24の3日間の日程で、次の内容・スケジュールで行います。

11/22（金）

13:00〜17:00　「文献・古典籍の撮影」

11/23（土）

9:00〜12:00　 「ARCデータベース機能を用いたデジタルアーカイブ①」

13:00〜17:00　「ARCデータベース機能を用いたデジタルアーカイブ②」

11/24（日）

9:00〜10:30　 「写真測量などを用いた3Dモデルの作成とデータの編集・可視化」

10:30〜12:00　「360度カメラによる全天球画像の撮影とバーチャル展示」

13:00〜15:30　「ArcGIS onlineと景観写真を活用したWeb地図の作成」

15:30〜16:00　「情報共有・意見交換」

講師：赤間　亮（文学部・教授）、山内啓之（衣笠総合研究機構・准教授）、堀池理生（衣笠総合研究機構・研究員）、平野理紗子（文学研究科・博士課程）、戸塚史織（文学研究科・博士課程）

対象者：日本文化資源デジタル・アーカイブ国際共同研究拠点（ARC-iJAC）または、「日本文化デジタル・ヒューマニティーズ拠点」プロジェクトにて活動する研究代表者および研究分担者

対面参加：10名（定員）

オンライン参加：定員なし　※演習の様子をZoomにて中継しますが、当日は会場の進行・補助が優先されることをあらかじめご理解のうえ、ご参加ください。

会場：立命館大学アートリサーチセンター 3F
アクセス：https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/j/aboutus/access.html

言語：日本語

持ち物：PC（Windowsが望ましい）を持参してください

主催：立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター 文部科学省 国際共同利用・共同研究拠点「日本文化資 源デジタル・アーカイブ国際共同研究拠点」（ARC-iJAC）

参加希望者は、→ グーグルフォームから参加登録を行なってください。申し込み期限は、2024年11月8日です（対面は定員に達し次第、募集を終了します）。

本ワークショップに関するお問い合わせは、ml-tech-support (at) ml.ritsumei.ac.jp (at を @に変えてください) までお願いいたします。

2024年度 ARC-iJACプロジェクト「演劇上演記録データベースを活用した、演劇資料画像検索閲覧システムの構築に関る研究」の一環として、公益財団法人松竹大谷図書館は2024年10月18日より、歌舞伎の舞台で実際に使用された、竹本の「床本（ゆかほん）」をWeb上で閲覧できる「竹本床本検索閲覧システム」を公開いたしました。

床本とは、歌舞伎の義太夫狂言などで、浄瑠璃を語る竹本の太夫が舞台上で使用する台本のことです。義太夫の詞章や節付けのほかに、語り出しのきっかけとなる俳優の台詞や演技、竹本の三味線方の譜や演出などに関する書き込みなど様々な情報が書き込まれています。

松竹大谷図書館では、戦前から戦後にかけて活躍した歌舞伎の竹本の太夫、初世竹本鏡太夫と初世豊竹寿太夫が実際の舞台で使用した床本を所蔵しています。

これらの資料は、現在も歌舞伎座などに出演している竹本の実演家に上演の参考資料として使用されています。

デジタルアーカイブ「竹本床本検索閲覧システム」は、 松竹大谷図書館と立命館大学アート・リサーチセンターとの間で結ばれた協定に基づき、 システムの開発及びWeb公開をアート・リサーチセンターが行っています。

このデジタルアーカイブにおいて 590 件 のデータを公開することとなり、 Web 上で全ページご覧いただけます。
（※うち、 48 件は著作権保護期間が終了していないため画像は非公開です。）

本事業のデジタル化により床本原物の保存を図るとともに、アーカイブをWeb公開することで、竹本の実演家のニーズに応えることはもちろん、歌舞伎研究や歌舞伎愛好家の皆さま、また今後の歌舞伎義太夫狂言の上演等にも役立つことを願っております。

松竹大谷図書館公式プレスリリースは→こちらです。

2024年10月2日（水）18:00より、Web配信にて第138回国際ＡＲＣセミナーを開催いたします。

プログラムは下記となります。

講師：Lani ALDEN氏（カリフォルニア大学バークレー校日本研究博士課程大学院生）

タイトル：「New Approaches to Digital Humanities: Large-Language Models and Large-Scale Tokenized Personal/Public Databases of Primarily Japanese Sources」

日時：2024年10月2日（水）18:00～19：30

参加：Zoom配信（関係者のみ・予約不要）

※クローズドイベントのため、YouTube配信はございません。

この度、日本学術振興会（JSPS）および英国研究・イノベーション機構（UK Research and Innovation, UKRI）の助成による国際共同研究プロジェクト「Creative Collaborations: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka 1780-1880（上方文化サロン：人的ネットワークから解き明かす文化創造空間 1780-1880）」の一環として、大英博物館と立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター 文部科学省 国際共同利用・共同研究拠点「日本文化資 源デジタル・アーカイブ国際共同研究拠点」（ARC-iJAC）の共催シンポジウムが2024年9月10日、11日に開催されました。

立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター（ARC）センター長の赤間亮教授と大英博物館アジア部学芸員の矢野明子博士を研究代表者とするこの研究プロジェクトは、大英博物館、そして日本各地に所蔵されている5,000点を超える作品を分析することで、前近代日本、特に1780年から1880年頃の京阪神地域で発達した“上方文化サロン”や文化創生における集団制作（合作）システムの文化的・社会的影響を調査・分析し、高度な文化成熟が成立するメカニズムを解明することを目的としています。

本プロジェクトでは、ARCが構築・運営するオンライン型研究システム「上方文化人総合データベース」に、これらの作品を登載しました。このシステムは、研究活動に活用できる前近代日本文化研究の新たなポータルとして、複数のデータベースにより構成されています。将来的に同様の形で異なるテーマのポータルを追加することも可能です。

＜ARCバーチャル・インスティテュート：「上方文化サロンとネットワーク　1780年～1880年」＞

本シンポジウムは日本語と英語で行われ、一般公開されました。

全講演者の講演要旨集は→こちらからダウンロードできます。

プログラム
(※) は日本語での発表でした。

シンポジウム「Creative Collaborations in Kyoto, Osaka and Beyond, 1770-1900」
日時：2024年9月10日（火）9:00～17:00、9月11日（水）9:30～12:00
会場：イギリス・ロンドン RG01, SOAS University of London
主催（英国側）：大英博物館
主催（日本側）：立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター 文部科学省 国際共同利用・共同研究拠点「日本文化資 源デジタル・アーカイブ国際共同研究拠点」（ARC-iJAC）

ヘッダー画像クレジット：Tanida Sukenaga (artist, 1748-1825) and six haiku poets, Six poets (imitating the theme of 'Six Immortal Poets'). Surimono, colour woodblock print, 1808. British Museum, 1987,0729,0.2. 

2024年度「ＡＩ解読支援システムを使った　くずし字解読力錬成講座」をスタートします。

この講座は、ARCが運用する古典籍・浮世絵・古文献データベースの機能である「くずし字翻刻支援・教育システム」を使ってオンライン上で行われるものです。いつでも、どこでも、自由に時間を使って訓練ができます。
国内外の日本学研究者でくずし字解読の能力を身に着けたい方はだれでも参加できます。

特徴は、

１，熟練のチューターによって添削指導を受けられること

２，AIによるサジェスト機能が使えること

３，ARCの大規模なデータベースに登載されている作品から教材を広く選択できること。

４，データベース未搭載の作品も、追加できること。

単発で行われるくずし字講座や翻刻そのものが目的のシステムとは違い、自分のペースで自身で作品・資料を読み進めながら＜解読能力の訓練＞をしていくことができることです。
初級・中級レベルの方々が主に対象になります。

なお、本システムは画面単位でのOCRシステムMIWOも導入しています。MIWOによって解読された結果を保存したうえで、修正していくことで高速に翻刻プロジェクトを進めることができます。
個人・グループの研究プロジェクトで、特定の作品･作品群の翻刻プロジェクトへの支援を希望する場合も、この機会にプロジェクト登録してください。

参加費は無料です。
※なお、本講座は、令和 6(2024)年度「国際日本研究」コンソーシアム公募事業の支援を受けています。

参加希望の方は下記のフォームからお申し込みください。
↓↓↓
申込みフォーム

締切日：2024年10月4日（金）12時（JST)

【実施内容詳細】

実施期間：2024年10月14日から2025年3月15日まで

使用言語：日本語（日本語古文献の翻刻能力を身に着けるには日本語能力が必要です）

１、くずし字で書かれた文献を解読していきたい初心者から中級者（定員：25名）
　※熟練チューターの添削指導を受けられます。

２、AI文字単位解読支援・MIWO翻刻システムを使い、翻刻プロジェクトを展開したい個人・グループ
　※チューターの指導は受けられません。

なお、博士論文等や自身の研究論文に引用する文献の解読のみに特化した目的での参加はご遠慮ください。

【スケジュール】

10月14日頃 採択通知

10月17日（JST 20時）・18日（JST 9時） オンライン説明会（見逃し配信があります）

11月・12月に古典籍にかかわる講演（英語・日本語）
※また、期間中数回のシステム講習会を予定しています。

3月下旬 クロージング･ミーティング開催

【問合せ先】

立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター
国際卿共同利用共同研究拠点　事務局
Email: r-darc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
Tel： +81-75-465-8476

この度、日本学術振興会（JSPS）および英国研究・イノベーション機構（UK Research and Innovation, UKRI）の助成による国際共同研究プロジェクト「Creative Collaborations: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka 1780-1880（上方文化サロン：人的ネットワークから解き明かす文化創造空間 1780-1880）」の一環として、2024年9月10日と11日にシンポジウムが開催されます。

日時：2024年9月10日（火）9:00～17:00、9月11日（水）9:30～12:00
会場：イギリス・ロンドン RG01, SOAS University of London
主催（英国側）：大英博物館
主催（日本側）：立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター 文部科学省 国際共同利用・共同研究拠点「日本文化資 源デジタル・アーカイブ国際共同研究拠点」（ARC-iJAC）

本シンポジウムはハイブリッド・イベントで、一般公開されます。発表は日本語または英語で行われます。（Q&Aセッションは通訳あり）

申込み：Sophie Gong (YGong@britishmuseum.org) までご連絡ください。

プログラム（予定）
(※) は日本語での発表です。

2024年9月8日、Meng Changgong教授（大連大学 学長）がアート・リサーチセンター（ARC）を見学されました。

ARCの建物やデジタルアーカイブ施設を見学されたほか、Travis Seifman氏（現ARCリサーチマネージャー／立命館大学衣笠総合研究機構・准教授）によるARCのDH研究活動に関する紹介を行いました。

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new Shahon Mokuroku 写本目録/Manuscripts (Bibliographic) Database, which includes over 3,400 bibliographic records for Japanese handwritten manuscripts held by the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley. This database is now available through the Library's Japanese Special Collections portal, provided by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University.

For the convenience of users, the same bibliographic records have also been added to the Kotenseki 古典籍/Old and Rare Books database within the same portal. UC Berkeley's Japanese Manuscripts Collection comprises approximately 7,800 volumes and 4,200 single sheets, dating from the 14th to the 20th century, and was originally part of the Mitsui Bunko collection.

Japanese Special Collections at the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley
https://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/lib/vm/UCB/A0/

As most of these volumes have not yet been cataloged in OCLC WorldCat, scholars interested in this collection previously needed to consult three separate title lists provided by the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL): 「カリフォルニア大学バークレー校旧三井文庫写本目録稿」,「カリフォルニア大学バークレー校旧三井文庫写本目録稿追加」, and 「カリフォルニア大学バークレー校旧三井文庫御会関係資料細目稿」. Now, an additional tool is offered to facilitate the discovery of items of interest, with each record providing much more detailed information, including titles and creator names in romanization, as well as Naikaku Bunko classification terminology. To browse these titles in the Kotenseki 古典籍/Old and Rare Books database, please enter "ms" in the "object no." or "資料番号" box and click the "search" button.

The bibliographic information for these records was collected through careful examination of each manuscript by many researchers who participated in an extensive research project led by Prof. Motoi Katsumata of Meisei University, with generous funding from the Mitsubishi Foundation (2015), Meisei University (2016), KAKEN grants (2017-2021), and the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University (2023). Frequent participants in the onsite visits to the library over the years included Prof. Takahiro Sasaki of Shidō Bunko, Keiō University, and Prof. Atsushi Satō of Nihon University.

Prof. Katsumata received an honorable mention from NCC's Comprehensive Digitization and Discoverability Program Award in 2021 for his video presentation, "Connecting Books through Stamps." His project of examining seals stamped on these manuscripts has been completed, and the transcribed seal texts are now searchable in these databases (please use the "用語/other term" box for searching).

The integration of the bibliographic data for the Japanese Manuscripts Collection into the "Old and Rare Books" database has been realized through a long-standing collaboration between Prof. Motoi Katsumata (Meisei University), Toshie Marra (University of California, Berkeley), and Prof. Ryo Akama (Ritsumeikan University/Director of the ARC).

Greetings from the Art Research Center at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan.

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-iJAC Project Spotlights: An Interview with Toshie Marra (Librarian for the Japanese Collection, C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley) Toshie Marra introduces the outcomes of the nearly twenty years of research cooperation in digital archiving between the ARC and the C.V. Starr East Asian Library (EAL), UC Berkeley, which boasts one the world's largest collections of Japanese cultural resources. >> Read more. → ARC Virtual Institute: Japanese Special Collections in the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley) The 2nd Joint Colloquium with the UC Berkeley Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) was held on June 21, 2024 The colloquium comprised presentations from graduate students associated with each of the two Centers, with some presenting in English and some in Japanese. The papers explored a range of topics in Japanese Studies related to performing arts, including performing arts in geisha districts (kagai), gender identity among onnagata performers, and the representation of historical figures as heroes or villains in prewar modern theatre, as well as "new approaches to cultural studies," with one using the example of mango production in Miyazaki prefecture in a broader discussion of the establishment of tropical fruit cultivation in Japan. >> Read more. A Special Display at the British Museum Showcases Outcomes of the Joint Research Project 'Creative Collaborations: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka 1780-1880' The outcomes of this research project, supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and JSPS, are currently showcased at the British Museum as part of a Special Display. The research project, led by Prof. Ryo Akama (College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University) and Dr. Akiko Yano (Curator, Department of Asia, British Museum), aims to investigate 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. As part of this project, the 'Kamigata Bunkajin Sogo Database' (「上方文化人総合データベース」) has been established by the ARC, providing a new portal for research on early modern Japanese culture. >> Read more. Become an ARC-iJAC Project Member to Access ArcGIS Online! To support international joint research, we provide free accounts for ArcGIS Online, a web-based mapping software of Esri, Inc., to members of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC). >> Read more. Database News! The Shuichi Kato Collection held by the Ritsumeikan University Library is available Shuichi Kato (1919-2008) was one of the leading international intellectuals in post-war Japan. Established in 2015, Ritsumeikan University's Research Center for Shuichi Kato and the Japanese Contemporary Thoughts aims to research the vast number of books and manuscripts in the Shuichi Kato Collection of the university library. The ARC is pleased to announce the release of the digitally archived collection as follows: The Shuichi Kato Collection Database for Browsing Materials The Shuichi Kato Collection Material Retrieval System We were delighted to welcome Prof. Giovanni Molari (Rector, Bologna University) and Prof. Raffaella Campaner (Vice Rector for International Relations, Bologna University) to the ARC. Dr. Travis Seifman (ARC Research Manager) gave a tour of the ARC facilities to a group of faculty and students of National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Upcoming Events There are no upcoming events at this time. Notice of Office Closure during Obon Summer Holiday 2024 The Art Research Center will be closed from August 9 (Fri) to August 19 (Mon), 2024 due to the Obon summer holiday break. We will not be able to respond to your inquiries or visits during this period. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you very much for your kind understanding. Office of the Art Research Center Previous issues: Spring 2024, Winter 2023, Autumn 2023, 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 2020 view this email in your browser Copyright © 2024 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.

Background:
Toshie Marra joined the C. V. Starr East Asian Library (EAL), University of California, Berkeley in 2012 as the Librarian for the Japanese Collection. Her areas of responsibilities include developing EAL's Japanese language collections and providing instruction and reference services for Japanese studies. Previously, she worked at the Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for 22 years. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from UCLA with specialization in cataloging and preservation.

Thank you very much for your time today. What sparked your interest in becoming a librarian?

Marra: Marrying a scholar of Japanese literature brought me to UCLA in the late 1980s. At that time, UCLA East Asian Library had just begun cataloging Chinese, Japanese, and Korean materials in the OCLC CJK system. I was hired as their first copy-cataloger for Japanese materials. Soon I discovered a shortage of librarians in North America with expertise in the Japanese language, especially those knowledgeable about handling Japanese pre-modern books, or kotenseki. As a result, many unique holdings remained uncatalogued in library storages. This unfortunate situation motivated me to pursue a career as Japanese Studies librarian in the U. S.

UC Berkeley's C.V. Starr East Asian Library (EAL) boasts one of the world's largest collections of Japanese cultural resources. Could you tell us about the significance of your collection?

Marra: EAL's Japanese collection focuses on the humanities and social sciences. It includes a wide range of materials such as full-text electronic databases, books, periodicals, woodblock-printed maps and prints, and manuscripts. One of EAL's most noteworthy special collections from Japan is the Mitsui acquisition in 1950, which comprises over 100,000 items in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages. This includes the Gakken (Dohi Keizō), Motoori (Motoori Ōhira family), Sōshin (Mitsui Takatatsu), Sōken/Teihyōkaku (Mitsui Takakata), Imazeki (Imazaki Tenpō), and Asami (Asami Rintarō) collections, spanning from the pre-modern era to modern times. Other significant special collections include the Ho-Chiang collection, which contains over 110 Buddhist sutras in manuscript and print from the 8^th to the 19^th century, documenting the development of Buddhism in China, Japan, and Korea. Additionally, the Murakami Collection, acquired by the EAL in 1948, consists of approximately 9,100 volumes. This collection features many first editions of literary works from the Meiji through early Showa periods, some with illustrative kuchie frontispieces.

The research cooperation between the C.V. Starr East Asian Library (EAL) and the ARC in the field of digital archiving started in 2006 and has been ongoing for almost two decades. How did you first connect with the Art Research Center (ARC)?

Marra: In 2006 my predecessor Hisayuki Ishimatsu contacted Professor Ryo Akama of the ARC to digitize the Sugoroku collection, a part of the Mitsui acquisition, consisting of 155 sheets. After I joined UC Berkeley, the EAL Director, Peter X. Zhou, and I visited the ARC in December 2013 to discuss potential collaborations for creating more digital archives using EAL's Japanese special collections. Starting in the summer of 2014, the ARC began making regular visits to EAL to digitize our materials.

The ARC has digitized and created online databases of old and rare books, copperplate prints, sugoroku sheets, fine art auction catalogs and others in the Japanese Special Collections of the EAL. What is the significance of each of these collections?

Marra: Currently, the portal "Japanese Special Collections at the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley" contains five distinct databases:

1) Old and Rare Books: Includes printed books mostly from the Edo period (1603-1867) and manuscripts from the pre-modern to modern times

2) Copperplate Prints: Features over 2,400 images of individual prints from the copperplate prints collection, consisting of 472 physical items

3) Sugoroku Sheets: Contains 155 images, primarily from the Edo through the Meiji periods, with a few from the Taisho and early Showa periods

4) Fine Art Auction Catalogs: From the EAL's collection of approximately 800 volumes of art auction catalogs, mostly published between 1912 and 1941

5) Illustrations Surrounding Japanese Modern Books: From the Murakami Collection.

Among these, the first four databases are related to the Mitsui acquisition, though the "Old and Rare Books" database also includes a small number of Edo printed books from more recent donations, such as those collected by the late Prof. Ichiei Kishi and Dr. Frederic J. Kotas. This database also contains links to images converted from microfilm, provided by the National Institute of Japanese Literature through its Union Catalogue Database of Japanese Texts (Kokusho dētabēsu), allowing researchers to find digital images of the EAL's rare book holdings in a single database.

While the Copperplate Prints and Sugoroku Sheets databases are complete, the other digital archives are still growing as new materials are being digitized. The Copperplate Prints database resulted from the first digitization project that I sought assistance for from Prof. Akama, who tirelessly created metadata for each image after photographing them. The Illustrations Surrounding Japanese Modern Books database was designed by Dr. Kana Tsuneki, an ARC graduate currently teaching at the National Institute of Technology, Kurume College, and features kuchie frontispieces and other physical characteristics of bookmaking from the Meiji through early Showa periods.

Can you share your thoughts on how these digitized collections may facilitate research in Japanese art history, and provide an example or two of how researchers at UC Berkeley or elsewhere have utilized these digital archives, including the digital tools provided by the ARC, such as the Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System?

Marra: We owe a great deal to Prof. Akama and the ARC for enabling us to share EAL's digitized collections with researchers worldwide through the portal "Japanese Special Collections at the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley." However, the benefits of this portal extend beyond mere accessibility. It allows researchers to create their own databases for specific research purposes. Examples include the Copperplate Prints and the Illustrations Surrounding Japanese Modern Books databases. For the Copperplate Prints collection, EAL's online catalog provides a single collection-level record, whereas the Copperplate Prints database offers over 2,400 individual image records with corresponding metadata. This makes it easier for researchers to find specific images by searching the database, enabling them to create personalized research tools for analysis.

The portal also features the Kuzushiji Transcription Support and Archiving System, which allows researchers to attach transcription texts to associated images, facilitating full-text search. Several members of the UCB community and beyond have shown interest in using the portal for transcription. During the 16-month closure of EAL due to the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and July 2021, I began to collaborate with Prof. Shinji Konno of Seisen University. He wanted to use the digital images of EAL's Japanese rare book holdings for his online instruction. Even after in-person classes resumed, he continued using the portal for his teaching and provided transcribed texts prepared by his students. We acknowledge the contributions of Prof. Konno and his collaborators by creating the Seisen University Transcription Project page within the portal.

Can you share your thoughts on the importance of digitally archiving library collections and how it may play a part in the overall long-term goals of the EAL?

Marra: Digital archives have made it easier to access rare Japanese holdings in libraries worldwide and have opened up new avenues for research. With thousands of volumes of pre-modern Japanese books and manuscripts not yet digitized, EAL, along with many other libraries, should continue striving to make as many of these holdings digitally accessible to researchers globally. To this end, we have collaborated with many researchers from Japan in various ways.

Regarding the Japanese materials included in the Mitsui acquisition, I would like to clarify that some items remain uncatalogued due to a lack of expertise among EAL staff. This includes most of the Japanese Manuscripts Collection, which consists of approximately 7,800 volumes and 4,200 single sheets from the 14^th to the 20^th century. Thanks to the enormous efforts of Prof. Motoi Katsumata (Meisei University) and Prof. Akama, over 3,400 bibliographic records for items in this collection have recently been added to the Old and Rare Books database in the aforementioned portal. This will help numerous scholars worldwide discover what EAL has to offer, as these records contain titles and creator names in romanization, in addition to those in Japanese.

This achievement was the result of a multi-year research project led by Prof. Katsumata, with many collaborators, funded by the Mitsubishi Foundation, Meisei University, and JSPS's KAKENHI, in addition to ARC's support. Including these bibliographic records in this database will facilitate the process of adding images from this collection as they become available.

Finally, could you share a few of your personal favorites within the EAL collection?

Marra: One of my favorite items in the collection is the Kadenshū manuscripts, which consists of 146 volumes of kaden, or genealogical records of 135 kuge families from the mid-19^th century. Although these volumes are shelved at different locations in the Japanese Manuscripts Collection according to their family names, they were virtually compiled into a single collection, when digitized with funding support from the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources in 2018. After digitization, we enhanced the usability of the collection by creating a search tool for over 3,100 nobles' names listed in the manuscripts. This work was documented in the poster co-presented with Prof. Akama at the Jinmonkon conference in 2019. The Kadenshū collection is highlighted in the Online Exhibitions section of the aforementioned portal.

Other favorite items of mine include the manuscripts of literary works and essays by well-known modern writers, which seem to be holographs and allow readers to trace the authors' process of refining their texts. Examples include:

・Genkō monogatari, by Fukuchi Ōchi (1841-1906)

・Giwaku, by Chikamatsu Shūkō (1876-1944)

・Haha, by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892-1927)

・Kabukigeki no hozon ni tsuite, by Tsubouchi Shōyō (1859-1935)

・Nara o tatsu mae, by Mushanokōji Saneatsu (1885-1976)

・Sōka ni tsuite, by Kōda Rohan (1867-1947)

・Yoakemae, Osanai Kaoru (1881-1928)

Is there anything else you would like to comment on or any other aspect you would like to address in this interview?

Marra: I would like to highlight that Prof. Akama and the ARC also helped digitize the Ukiyo-e prints collection held by the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive. The images of these materials are accessible through a separate database, which is linked from the portal "Japanese Special Collections at the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley." I express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Akama and the ARC students for their support over the years. I look forward to working more closely with them in the coming years.

(This interview was conducted by Yinzi Emily Li)