国際共同利用・共同研究拠点関連

As part of the FY 2024 ARC-iJAC project 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 (A Study on the Construction of a Search and Browsing System for Theater Photo Materials using a Database of Theater Performance Records), as of Oct. 18, 2024, the Shochiku Otani Library has released a digital archive of Takemoto yukahon theatrical chanters' books.

Yukahon are theatrical libretto books from which Takemoto gidayu chanters, seated on stage, read and chant. They are used in gidayu kyogen and some other categories of Kabuki plays. In addition to the text to be chanted and markings for the melody, the text also includes notations indicating actors' words or actions that serve as chanters' cues, as well as notation and direction for shamisen players.

The Shochiku Otani Library holds yukahon used by Kabuki chanters from the pre-war through post-war periods, including ones used by chanters Takemoto Kagamidayu I and Toyotake Kotobukidayu I.

Takemoto performers who perform at the Kabuki-za and other theatres still refer to these materials today.

Online public access to the Shochiku Otani Library's Collection of Valuable Materials "Theater Photos Search and Browsing System" is provided by the Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University based on an agreement with the Shochiku Otani Library.

The digital archive includes 590 yukahon books, which can be viewed online in their entirety (the copyright period has not yet expired for 48 items in the collection; the images for these are not being made public).

We hope that the preservation of the original yukahon manuscripts through digitization and publicly available online database for these materials will be beneficial not only for the needs of active Takemoto performers, but for Kabuki researchers, enthusiasts, and future generations of performers as well.

You can read the Shochiku Otani Library's official press release (in Japanese) → here.

The 138th International ARC Seminar will be held as a webinar on Wednesday, October 2, from 18:00 JST.

The program is as follows:

Speaker: Lani ALDEN (PhD candidate, Japanese Studies, University of California, Berkeley)

Topic: New Approaches to Digital Humanities: Large-Language Models and Large-Scale Tokenized Personal/Public Databases of Primarily Japanese Sources

Date: Wednesday, October 2, 18:00 - 19:30 JST

Participation: online via Zoom, free of charge (affiliated parties only, no reservation required)

*This is a closed event and YouTube livestream is not available.

On September 10 and 11, 2024, the British Museum and the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, hosted a symposium at SOAS University of London as part of the 3-year international joint research project '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),' supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

The research project, led by the Principal Investigators (PI) Prof. Ryo Akama (Director of the ARC/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 circa 1780-1880 by analysing over 5,000 objects in collections at the British Museum and in Japan.

During the course of this project, these works have been digitally archived and their textual inscriptions transcribed into an extensive online research database--the 'Kamigata Bunkajin Sogo Database' (「上方文化人総合データベース」)--established and operated by the ARC, providing a new portal for research on early modern Japanese culture with the possibility of incorporating other collections on different themes in the future.

<ARC Virtual Institute: Salons and Networks in Kyoto and Osaka>

The symposium was held in Japanese and English, and open to the public.

The book of abstracts of all the speakers' presentations is available for download →here.

Program
Presentations marked with (※) were held in Japanese.

Symposium 'Creative Collaborations in Kyoto, Osaka and Beyond, 1770-1900'
Date: September 10, 9:00-17:00 & September 11, 9:30-12:00 (BST)
Venue: RG01, SOAS University of London
Organizer (UK): British Museum
Organizer (Japan): International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University

Header image credit: 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. 

This course will be held online, using the ARC's AI Kuzushiji Transcription Support System and databases of early Japanese books, ukiyo-e, and old documents. Users can practice reading kuzushiji anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace. Japanese Studies researchers who wish to learn to decipher kuzushiji are encouraged to apply, whether they are based in Japan or overseas.

The key features of this course include:

1. Receiving corrections and guidance for your transcriptions from expert tutors

2. The usage of the ARC's AI system to suggest correct transcriptions

3. The ability to select works from the ARC's extensive online databases on which to practice one's skills

4. The ability to upload and work with materials not already in the ARC databases

Differing from one-off courses or systems designed simply for transcription itself, the ARC Transcription System and Training Course is designed to allow researchers to practice their skills and develop their abilities at their own pace, working with the materials they choose.

We welcome applications from beginners as well as intermediate-level participants.

The miwo system, which uses OCR to transcribe text one full page at a time, is also integrated into the ARC system. Transcription projects can be advanced quickly by using the ARC's system to review and correct transcriptions produced by miwo.
Researchers engaged in projects transcribing a particular set of materials, whether working individually or as a research group, are also encouraged to apply.

Participation is free of charge. This training course is supported by the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies FY 2024.

If you would like to apply to participate, please submit the form linked below.
↓↓↓
Registration Form

Application deadline: Friday, Oct 4, 2024 (12pm Japan Standard Time)

Course Details:

Dates: Oct 14, 2024 - March 15, 2025

Course will be conducted in Japanese. (Japanese language ability is required for learning to transcribe Japanese paleographic texts.)

Modes of participation:

1. Researchers from beginner to intermediate level seeking to decipher works written in kuzushiji. (Participants will receive guidance and corrections from expert tutors; max. 25 participants)

2. Individuals or research groups seeking to use the miwo and ARC transcription support systems to advance their own transcription projects. (Guidance or corrections from expert tutors is not provided.)

We request those looking to only transcribe small sections for the purposes of inserting quotations into a doctoral dissertation or other academic papers to please refrain from applying.

Course Schedule:

Oct 14 (tentative): Participants will be informed of acceptance into the program.

Oct 17 (20:00 JST), Oct 18 (9:00 JST): Overview and introduction to the course and transcription systems (held online; live-streaming at those times, or on-demand afterward)

Nov / Dec : Lectures on early Japanese books (some lectures in English, some in Japanese), and training sessions for the transcription systems (held in Japanese)

Late Mar: Closing meeting.

For questions, please contact:

Office of the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC)
Art Research Center (ARC), Ritsumeikan University
E-mail: r-darc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
Tel.: +81 75-465-8476

We are pleased to announce that a symposium will be held as part of the international joint research project '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),' supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Date: September 10, 9:00-17:00 & September 11, 9:30-12:00 (BST)
Venue: RG01, SOAS University of London
Organizer (UK): British Museum
Organizer (Japan): International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University

This symposium is open to the public and will be held both online and in person. It will be held in Japanese and English. Interpretation will be available during the Q&A session.

Registration: Please contact Sophie Gong at (YGong@britishmuseum.org).

Program (tentative)
Presentations marked with (※) are held in Japanese.

On September 8, 2024, Prof. Changgong Meng (President, Dalian University) visited the Art Research Center (ARC).

Besides a tour of the ARC building and digital archiving facilities, Dr. Travis Seifman (ARC Research Manager/Associate Professor, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University) gave an introductory presentation on the DH research activities of the Center.

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.

Day 1: Thursday, August 1, 2024 13:00-17:10（tentative）
Day 2: Friday, August 2, 2024 10:00-15:00（tentative）

Hybrid event (ARC, ZOOM, YouTube)

ARC members will be informed of the ZOOM URL via e-mail.

Non-ARC members can participate von YouTube via the following link.（※一部配信出来ないプログラムもございます）

For inquiries, please contact the Office of the Art Research Center: arc-jimu@arc.ritsumei.ac.jp

Organizer: International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University and Program for Supporting Research Center Formation, Ritsumeikan University