Illustrated books from the Duret collection (2022)

Castel, Coralie

The Prints and Photographs department of the French National Library (BnF) holds several thousands of old Japanese items, including prints and illustrated books. Among those is the Duret collection, after the name of Theodore Duret (1838-1927), art critic and japonesque collector who donated over 500 illustrated books from the Edo period. They cover a wide variety of literary genres (novels, epic chronicles, poems, oraimono, kabuki plays…), some written by renowned authors such as Saikaku, Bakin or Chikamatsu Monzaemon, and illustrated by the finest artists of their time.

Shaman-shaped haniwa? (2022)

Colla, Elisabetta

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the anthropomorphic haniwa (jinbutsu haniwa 人物埴輪), with a special focus on the shaman-shaped clay figures (miko haniwa 巫女埴輪) and their paraphernalia. Haniwa are not only important as part of the burial ceremonies, but also representative of the cultural context of protohistoric Japan.

Unpinning Japanese History (2022)

Corbett, Rebecca

Rare Taisho period posters from the USC Libraries collection include works promoting tourism in Japan’s Asian colonies, areas such as the Shandong Peninsula and Manchuria. This presentation will introduce a student curated digital exhibit of posters from 2020 and specifically draw attention to those posters which represent areas beyond the Japanese archipelago, highlighting their use as propaganda.

RITOJA.LT: the history of Japan-Lithuania relations (2022)

Didvalis, Linas
Kumpis, Arvydas

This presentation will be dedicated to share the insights of the implementation of the RITOJA.LT project, to discuss its importance and to present the usage of Japanese resources for wider audience.
One of the main features of RITOJA.LT is that it contains scholar research presented popularly. There were no designated sites for this matter and while the bilateral relations keep developing, the need for such a tool kept on growing as well.

The hurdles of properly presenting Japanese handscrolls online (2022)

Dunkel, Christian

The collection of early modern Japanese books and manuscripts in the East Asia Department of Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin also contains about fifty handscrolls dating from the Edo-period. They were digitized during a project running from 2010 until 2014 and are freely available online to the public in the Digitized Collections of the library.

How can we deliver digital archive contents? (2022)

Kamiya, Nobutake
Egami, Toshinori
Magnussen, Naomi Yabe
Fukusima, Yukihiro
Iino, Katsunori

We would like to continue the panel discussion we had last year. This year, the invited panelists and European librarians will discuss on the theme “how to deliver digital archive contents to the people who need them”.
The reach-out of digital archive contents is very important for European librarians, and although the panel discussion will not present any results, we believe that it will be the germ of some new thoughts and ideas for the listener.

Past, Present and Future of Japanese Studies in Spain (2022)

Falero, Alfonso
Rodriguez, Jorge

In recent years, the emergence of new undergraduate and graduate studies specializing in Japanese studies has been a constant. An updated study on the situation of Japanese Studies in Spain has recently been published. Since our intervention at the EAJRS Congress in 2004, many things have changed and others not so much. It is time to take stock.

Japan in the Historical and Diplomatic Archives at Portuguese Foreign Affairs (2022)

Fernandes Pinto, Ana

This paper brings to light the most representative documents and images of the relations between Portugal and Japan from 1854 to 1952 at the AHD, the most of them never studied neither published. In particular, it will be highlighted how the sources testimonies the Japanese approach to the historical relations with Portugal, for the construction of an identity discourse.

How can we deliver digital archive contents? (2022)

Kamiya, Nobutake
Egami, Toshinori
Magnussen, Naomi Yabe
Fukusima, Yukihiro
Iino, Katsunori

We would like to continue the panel discussion we had last year. This year, the invited panelists and European librarians will discuss on the theme “how to deliver digital archive contents to the people who need them”.
The reach-out of digital archive contents is very important for European librarians, and although the panel discussion will not present any results, we believe that it will be the germ of some new thoughts and ideas for the listener.

How can we deliver digital archive contents? (2022)

Kamiya, Nobutake
Egami, Toshinori
Magnussen, Naomi Yabe
Fukusima, Yukihiro
Iino, Katsunori

We would like to continue the panel discussion we had last year. This year, the invited panelists and European librarians will discuss on the theme “how to deliver digital archive contents to the people who need them”.
The reach-out of digital archive contents is very important for European librarians, and although the panel discussion will not present any results, we believe that it will be the germ of some new thoughts and ideas for the listener.

Japan up close: prefecture by prefecture (2022)

Ivanova, Tsvetomira Hristova

The newly designed course "Japan up Close: Prefecture by Prefecture" at Sofia University acquaints students in depth with the main administrative-territorial unit of Japan - a historical overview of its formation, as well as its contemporary socio-economic image. The relationship between local and central government in Japan as well as the specifics of each prefecture are a good starting point for studying the development of social relations in Japan, much needed to complement, enhance and contextualize the language skills of students and lay the foundation of their future a Japanologists.

How can we deliver digital archive contents? (2022)

Kamiya, Nobutake
Egami, Toshinori
Magnussen, Naomi Yabe
Fukusima, Yukihiro
Iino, Katsunori

We would like to continue the panel discussion we had last year. This year, the invited panelists and European librarians will discuss on the theme “how to deliver digital archive contents to the people who need them”.
The reach-out of digital archive contents is very important for European librarians, and although the panel discussion will not present any results, we believe that it will be the germ of some new thoughts and ideas for the listener.

The Specific Limits of Library Scholarship on Japan (2022)

Kelly, Michaela

With a glut of Ph.D. trained researchers seeking ever-fewer tenure-track positions in Japan and the U.S., open access and online, digital resources made available to researchers without regard to their academic affiliation have become ever more crucial to all fields, but the field of Japan studies in particular. In many ways, researchers today have more access to Japan studies materials for free and from anywhere than ever before. Despite this increasingly varied set of resources however, in interviews with 10 unaffiliated researchers, I found that they struggled to conduct research and often felt stymied in the confines of the open-access digital realm.

How the Use of Illustrated Books Helped Japanese Studies (2022)

Koyama, Noboru

Henri L. Joly (1876-1920) was an electrical engineer, with particular expertise in the development of batteries for electric vehicles. He lived in France in the first half his life and lived in London in the latter half. He was also an authority on Japanese art, especially Japanese sword fittings and he compiled catalogues of their major collections. He translated works of Arai Hakuseki and Inaba Tsūryū into English as well as published books and articles on Japanese art.

Compilation of Textbook for Japanese Speaking Guides in Lithuania (2022)

Kumpė, Simona
Takagi, Kayako

With the growing number of Japanese tourists coming to Lithuania there was a growing need for the Japanese speaking guides. While there are courses for people who want to obtain a guiding license, there are no specialized courses nor material in Lithuanian language to get the specific knowledge for guiding in the Japanese language. The responsibilities of a tourist guide go beyond mere introduction of touristic places, and include communication with the tour attendants, interpretation, handling troubles, etc. Given the specifics of the Japanese language and culture and the complexity of tourism-related vocabulary the need for a textbook for guides in Lithuania was felt.

RITOJA.LT: the history of Japan-Lithuania relations (2022)

Didvalis, Linas
Kumpis, Arvydas

This presentation will be dedicated to share the insights of the implementation of the RITOJA.LT project, to discuss its importance and to present the usage of Japanese resources for wider audience.
One of the main features of RITOJA.LT is that it contains scholar research presented popularly. There were no designated sites for this matter and while the bilateral relations keep developing, the need for such a tool kept on growing as well.

Digital Archives of the Shoho Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan (2022)

Kuroshima, Satoru
Suda, Makiko
Nakamura, Satoru

In December 2021, the Historiographical Institute at the University of Tokyo released high-resolution digital images of Shoho's Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan, which are included in the Shimazu Family Documents, a national treasure. In this presentation, we will introduce the Ryukyu Kuniezu and the Wako-zukan, as well as the system we have constructed.

How can we deliver digital archive contents? (2022)

Kamiya, Nobutake
Egami, Toshinori
Magnussen, Naomi Yabe
Fukusima, Yukihiro
Iino, Katsunori

We would like to continue the panel discussion we had last year. This year, the invited panelists and European librarians will discuss on the theme “how to deliver digital archive contents to the people who need them”.
The reach-out of digital archive contents is very important for European librarians, and although the panel discussion will not present any results, we believe that it will be the germ of some new thoughts and ideas for the listener.

Intelligence journey up the Amur: Mamiya Rinzo's observations in 1809 (2022)

McVey, Kuniko Yamada

In 1808, Mamiya Rinzo (1775-1844), cartographer, was dispatched by the Tokugawa shogunate to survey northern Sakhalin; he confirmed that Sakhalin was an island in 1809. In a second mission, Mamiya left Soya (northernmost point of Hokkaido) and sailed into the mouth of the Amur River; he reached the Qing Chinese trading post at Deren, and returned to Soya in November 1809. At the time, Sakhalin was receiving increasing geopolitical and imperial attentions from both Western and regional states. Mamiya himself had experienced a Russian attack when stationed in Iturup island in 1807.

Digital Archives of the Shoho Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan (2022)

Kuroshima, Satoru
Suda, Makiko
Nakamura, Satoru

In December 2021, the Historiographical Institute at the University of Tokyo released high-resolution digital images of Shoho's Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan, which are included in the Shimazu Family Documents, a national treasure. In this presentation, we will introduce the Ryukyu Kuniezu and the Wako-zukan, as well as the system we have constructed.

Ephemera collection in medieval Japan at Princeton University Library (2022)

Noguchi, Setsuko

In 2015, Princeton University East Asian Library acquired an ephemera collection from the Yoshino region of Nara Prefecture which contains various types of documents from the medieval to the Showa period. Princeton University and the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo (HIUT) conducted a joint research in 2018 and 2019 to investigate about 150 pieces of fragmentary leaves from 14th century to 17th century in the collection.

The Jesuits in Macau (2022)

Osswald, Cristina

This paper explores the leading role played by the Jesuits in Macau as intermediaries in the circulation of artistic taste and devotion during the Old Society. Alessandro Valignano conceived the College of Saint Paul in Macau to serve as the center of both China and Japan Missions. Accordingly, it should provide a Japanese environment preparing the future missionaries to this area.

Ukiyoe-e collections in Bulgaria and a Little Known Artistic Axis (2022)

Racheva, Plamena
Zhivkova, Stella

The Silistra Gallery collection is of special interest. It was obtained in China by a Bulgarian graphic artist Mircho Yakubov during his years at the Chinese Academy of art where he studied under the guidance of Professor Qi Baishi in the early 50s of the twentieth century. Great Chinese artist influenced Yakubov's artistic style, but another artistic influence cannot go unnoticed either – that of the Japanese artist Hide Kawanishi (川西英 1894-1965). His teachers' influence can be noted in Yakubovs artistic skills in ink painting and in the graphic techniques he adopts. 

Developing the Japanese Canadian Researchers Directory & Bibliography (2022)

Rocha, Fabiano Takashi

In this presentation, I would like to introduce the Japanese Canadian Researchers Directory & Bibliography – one of the key outcomes of the Ours to Tell Project whose primary goal is to ensure adequate representation of Japanese Canadians in the process of telling Japanese Canadian communities’ stories. The directory and bibliography can be used by anyone who expresses an interest in Japanese Canadian history (and other relevant disciplines), but it aspires to be a reference tool for outsiders, and individuals who are responsible for making decisions about policy and funding.

Past, Present and Future of Japanese Studies in Spain (2022)

Falero, Alfonso
Rodriguez, Jorge

In recent years, the emergence of new undergraduate and graduate studies specializing in Japanese studies has been a constant. An updated study on the situation of Japanese Studies in Spain has recently been published. Since our intervention at the EAJRS Congress in 2004, many things have changed and others not so much. It is time to take stock.

Searching for the primary sources on Ainu in Russia (2022)

Shchepkin, Vasilii

In 2011, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences started its collaborative project with Hokkaido University Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies on comparative study of "Higashi Ezo Iko", a Japanese manuscript on Ainu. The project resulted in publication of the manuscript and its study in Japan in 2014'. That project has led us to an extensive collection of written materials on Ainu, in both Japanese and Russian, collected by Alexander Grigoriev in 1879-1880 and preserved at several institutions in St. Petersburg, including the Research Archives of the Russian Geographical Society.

The Shibusawa Eiichi Photographs (2022)

Shigehara, Tōru

In 2004, the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation began work on the digitization of the Denki shiryo. The 57 main volumes were made available online in 2016 as part of the Shibusawa Eiichi Denki Shiryo Digital Version and in 2018 work began on making the 10 supplementary volumes available online as well.
Photographs of Shibusawa Eiichi from the 10th supplementary volume were made available online in March 2022 as a result of a research project (“Building a Crowdsourcing Platform for the Annotation and Utilization of Archival Photographs”) by the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation and the National Museum of Japanese History in collaboration with scholars in digital humanities.

Objects and Ideas from Japan (2022)

Shigemori Bučar, Chikako

The Department of Asian Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, under the leadership of Dr. Vampelj Suhadolnik started with the project “East Asian Collections in Slovenia: Inclusion of Slovenia in the Global Exchanges of Objects and Ideas with East Asia” in July, 2018. The project team is composed of Chinese-, Japanese- and Korean-Studies specialists. In cooperation with national and regional museums and libraries of Slovenia, the project examines East Asian collections and individual materials, in order to reconstruct the intercultural connections between the Slovenian and East Asian territories.

Digital Archives of the Shoho Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan (2022)

Kuroshima, Satoru
Suda, Makiko
Nakamura, Satoru

In December 2021, the Historiographical Institute at the University of Tokyo released high-resolution digital images of Shoho's Ryukyu Kuniezu and Wako-zukan, which are included in the Shimazu Family Documents, a national treasure. In this presentation, we will introduce the Ryukyu Kuniezu and the Wako-zukan, as well as the system we have constructed.

Compilation of Textbook for Japanese Speaking Guides in Lithuania (2022)

Kumpė, Simona
Takagi, Kayako

With the growing number of Japanese tourists coming to Lithuania there was a growing need for the Japanese speaking guides. While there are courses for people who want to obtain a guiding license, there are no specialized courses nor material in Lithuanian language to get the specific knowledge for guiding in the Japanese language. The responsibilities of a tourist guide go beyond mere introduction of touristic places, and include communication with the tour attendants, interpretation, handling troubles, etc. Given the specifics of the Japanese language and culture and the complexity of tourism-related vocabulary the need for a textbook for guides in Lithuania was felt.

Samurai: History and Legend (2022)

Williams, Kristin

'Samurai: history and legend' explored the historic roots of the samurai and the literary image of the samurai in manuscripts and woodblock-printed books from Japan. This exhibition of treasures from Cambridge University Library's collection of rare Japanese books opened in January 2022, nearly two years after the spring 2020 opening that was originally planned. This was the first major public exhibition based on the collection, more than 100 years after most of the UL's historic Japanese books and manuscripts arrived in 1911 and 1912.

Newly Discovered Private Ukiyo-e Collection in Bulgaria (2022)

Zhivkova, Stella

Beginning in 2020, the author worked on identifying a private collection owned by Turkey-based Italian architect Pietro Montani whose tenure as Chief Architect of Eastern Rumelia (presently – South Bulgaria) was the reason he started living in Bulgaria in 1885. 
The collection consists of 50 ukiyo-e paintings and a printed textile sample. For more than 150 years it has been in possession of Montani's grandchildren who vaguely knew details about the value of the leather-bound album that contains the collection.

Ukiyoe-e collections in Bulgaria and a Little Known Artistic Axis (2022)

Racheva, Plamena
Zhivkova, Stella

The Silistra Gallery collection is of special interest. It was obtained in China by a Bulgarian graphic artist Mircho Yakubov during his years at the Chinese Academy of art where he studied under the guidance of Professor Qi Baishi in the early 50s of the twentieth century. Great Chinese artist influenced Yakubov's artistic style, but another artistic influence cannot go unnoticed either – that of the Japanese artist Hide Kawanishi (川西英 1894-1965). His teachers' influence can be noted in Yakubovs artistic skills in ink painting and in the graphic techniques he adopts.