2018

Research resources and standardization : in the digital age

The establishment of the Japan Centre for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) enabled us to search millions of primary sources online. On the other hand, in Estonia, digitalization of the materials of the Estonian National Archives (ERA) is proceeding as well. The combination of the newly available online sources created a synergy in terms of the research of the Interwar Baltic-Japanese relationship.

The Japanese collection of manuscripts and block-printed books was replenished by a substantial number of xylographs transferred from Moscow Library For Foreign Literature to the IOM RAS in 1980s and until recently has not been investigated. It includes more than 50 titles in approximately 150 volumes.
In my opinion, all books are related to the kokugaku tradition and form a thematically united and complete collection that once belonged to some unidentified collector or scholar.

Result of the questionnaire on library systems and cataloging rules in European libraries

Chiune Sugihara museum is a public institution primarily functioning as a memorial site for Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara. Nevertheless, the Sugihara foundation – Diplomats for Life have also an objective to gather intellectual potential, not only the people from scientific and cultural spheres of life, for the mutual effort analyzing the manifestations of tolerance and hate but also the published materials. This objective is mainly carried out by creating a specialized collection, functioning as a reading room in the museum.

After Germany had been defeated in May 1945, Japanese documents and books in Germany were seized by the Allied Powers such as the United States and Britain initially for military intelligence and military tribunals, then for other purposes. Some of them were brought to the United Sates and were microfilmed in Alexandria near Washington D.C. The largest collection of those confiscated Japanese materials in Germany is sometimes described as the Library of Japanese Embassy, Berlin which had contained the Embassy’s books and documents, but also books and private materials of the Japanese nationals who were living in Germany, mainly in Berlin, during the War.

The earliest Japanese books known to have reached Europe in the seventeenth century and still to be found there are mostly in libraries in England and Ireland. How did they get there and what connection did they have with the English Factory (trading outpost) in Hirado, which was operating from 1613 to 1623? What was the subsequent fate of those books and what impact did they have? What other Japanese books reached Europe in the seventeenth century and what happened to them?

東京文化財研究所は、2016年2月にゲッティ研究所（米国、ロサンゼルス）と取り交わした日本美術の共同研究に関する協定書に基づき、現在、明治・大正・昭和戦前期博覧会・展覧会資料のデジタル化、オンライン公開、および美術史分野の電子リソースへのアクセスプラットフォーム「ゲッティ・リサーチ・ポータル」への掲載の準備を進めている。対象資料は、当研究所が『日本美術年鑑』編纂事業、明治大正美術史編纂事業などを取り組むなかで収集してきたものであり、近代以降の日本美術研究、とりわけ欧米における日本美術・文化財受容に関する研究、あるいは美術家の経歴調査を遂行するうえでも、必須の基礎資料である。これまでもこれらの資料の重要性は認知されており、今回のオープン・アクセス化は、国内外の日本近現代美術史研究者にとって待望のものであるといえる

日本学関連データベースリストをみんなでつくろうプロジェクトを２０１８年からはじめました。
日本学関連データベースと一口にいうと簡単に聞こえますが、オンラインデータベースやオンラインで閲覧できる資料が次々と誕生している昨今、これをすべて網羅し、学生や研究者に提供するのは難しいことです。そしてこれを、各大学、研究所にある日本学関連の図書館員が把握し何らかの形で提供するのはおそらく不可能でしょう。そこで、こうした情報をみんなで書いて、集めた情報はCC0（パブリックドメイン） として共有し、みんなが好き勝手に使ってもらおう、というのがこのプロジェクトの趣旨です。

This presentation describes the purpose and methods of the "Kuzushi-ji seminar" held in France and Germany funded by JSPS. The purpose of this seminar is to train young researchers in Europe how to decipher Japanese manuscripts, picture scrolls and printed books archived at European libraries and museums.