Agency For Cultural Affairs Research Articles

일본 향토박물관의 지역문화 전시재현과 지역사회 참여

This study aimed to examine the reproduction of local history and the participation patterns of residents in exhibitions at local Japanese museums. According to data from the Agency for Cultural Affairs under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, there are more than 5,700 museums in Japan. Japan's rapid growth after its defeat in World War II accelerated the establishment of museums that store local history and folklore materials. Around 1993, 452 local museums with history and folklore themes were built. This can be interpreted as a measure to respond to the standardization of existing centrally oriented museums due to the triggering of awareness of issues such as local population decline and regional crises. Unlike central or tourism-oriented museums, museums established in local areas tend to focus on residents living in the area. The local museum examined in this study also considers local ‘people’, who put the concept of ‘hometown’ at the forefront, as a significant element of museum operation, and their participation becomes the basis of the local museum's identity. As the leading case covered in this paper, the Urayasu City Local Museum promotes citizen participation by turning the results from various local participation programs, such as collaboration with local schools, student curator system, and regional competitions to transmit local cultural heritage, into exhibition contents. Japanese local museums provide many implications for today's Korean society, especially in the current era where there is talk of local extinction due to population decline, the direction in which the ‘region’ should move, and the social role that museums should take.

The Archive of manga original drawings: Focusing on the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Media Arts Project

The Archive of manga original drawings: Focusing on the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Media Arts Project

Reconstituting Communities: Localized Folk Performing Arts and Matsuri Festivals in Post-3.11 Japan

Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork primarily in Sendai, Japan, this paper focuses on matsuri festivals and folk performing arts, which have been documented as one of the earliest musical activities to reemerge in coastal areas of Tohoku, Japan following 3.11 because of their deep rooted history and regional distinctions. This paper presents the ways in which these cultural properties are being supported by government organizations such as the Agency for Cultural Affairs, as well as individual scholars and researchers of Tohoku’s folk performing arts. While localized folk performing arts practices have helped to rebuild local identity and given dispersed communities a reason to regularly reconvene, some post-3.11 festivals such as the Tohoku Rokkonsai (Six-Soul Festival) have developed to also showcase Tohoku’s folk performing arts as a means of demonstrating tenacity to a global audience and to try to boost post-disaster tourism and economic redevelopment. This paper considers how music making can contribute towards relief and recovery in the continuing crisis of disaster and advocates for further consideration of cultural heritage as integral to, rather than, separate from social and environmental contexts that foster human resiliency following catastrophic events. Keywords: ethnomusicology; folk performing arts; disaster relief; Japan

「アート市場活性化事業」構想についての一考察 ―「ミュージアム」が果たす役割の観点から―

「アート市場活性化事業」構想についての一考察 ―「ミュージアム」が果たす役割の観点から―

Report: The Annual Meeting of the Teachers of Japanese (Kyoto) Organized by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

Report: The Annual Meeting of the Teachers of Japanese (Kyoto) Organized by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

Childhoods as political projects: A comparison between cultural nationalism and minority activism in Japan

Recent studies in the social sciences have focused the attention on the role of children in cultural politics, in particular on children’s experiences in nationalism, as well as on their participation in inter-ethnic relations. In line with this research, this study aims to investigate the relationship between childhood and political action and to conceptualize “childhood” as a contested political notion. More specifically, it discusses variations in the definition of “childhood” in “majority” and “minority” like contexts with a special focus on Japan. This article compares the Agency for Cultural Affairs and its programs for the promotion of “Japanese culture,” with the Dōwa Education’s programs on the buraku issue, and discusses how the resulting definitions of “childhood” are based upon various representations of “group identities” and upon different conceptions of educational processes. In this sense, the notion of “childhood” reflects a variety of political projects based on various institutional agendas, upon which different understandings of children’s role in society depend.

Cultural heritage protection system in Japan: Current issues and prospects for the future

Japan has been modernizing for the past 150 years, wiping out the old for the sake of socio-economic progress. Since the end of World War II (WWII) in particular, Japan’s new constitution renounced war and Japan placed a strong focus on economic development. In many cases, the protection of cultural heritage was marginalized. However, in recent years, Japan’s society and economy have matured, and the national demand for a better quality of life has increased. Demand for non-material satisfaction has led to growing concern about social cohesion, local identity, and culture. On the other hand, due to structural changes in the economy and production, industries have also increased attention to the importance of utilizing culture for the creation of economic value. Thus, cultural heritage has been integrated into local communities and has gradually come to be considered an important component of a high-quality lifestyle as well as a precious resource for regional development through cultural tourism and the creation of high value-added products. Accordingly, the cultural heritage protection system has evolved to meet these socio-economic changes. The main purpose of this paper is to overview the major achievements of cultural heritage protection in general, which comprises the core of Japanese cultural policy. Also the underlying socio-economic changes will be addressed. Then, current issues and prospects for the future will be considered. This paper is largely based on GRIPS Discussion Paper 14-10, written by the author, and was revised for this journal with the support of JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 26380292. Except as otherwise cited, data used in this paper are based on Agency for Cultural Affairs (2001, 2016).

Jomon Terracotta Figurine Designated a National Treasure

In Japan, great reverence is paid to significant cultural forms of expression, such as important works of art or architecture. They are awarded the title of kokuhō, or National Treasure, by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, an office of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

日本における仏教考古学の研究現状と課題

This study examines the historiography of Buddhist archaeology, with particular emphasis on understanding the current state of research and challenges associated with Buddhist archaeology in Japan. Among the various publications on Buddhist archaeology, Shinpan bukkyō kōkogaku kōza, a comprehensive study of Buddhist archaeology in Japan authored by Ishida Mosaku, and Hakkutsu chōsa no tebiki: kakushu iseki chōsa hen, recently published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, differ markedly in subject matter. One point of departure: the latter publication predominantly focuses on materials excavated during formal surveys of Buddhist temple sites, consisting of architectural remains and objects. The current state of research in the field of Buddhist archaeology in Japan is believed to reflect scholarly achievements enabled by excavations conducted during the postwar period of reconstruction and land development. Such advances have allowed scholars to reconstruct historical developments through the interpretation of archaeological results, especially in the fields of cultural, social, economic, and political histories. However, in terms of elucidating the history of Buddhist doctrine, it appears that research in this field has been unexpectedly limited. As indicated by Ishida Mosaku, Buddhist archaeology is “archaeology that focuses on Buddhist architectural remains and relics,” and to realize the essential goal of “understanding Buddhism of the past,” it is not sufficient to consider only the material evidence unearthed from Buddhist temple sites. Instead of investigating just the excavated remains, it is especially critical today that Buddhist materials stored aboveground in temple collections are also examined as part of a multidisciplinary approach towards expanding our knowledge of Buddhist doctrinal history.

Augmenting Japan’s Bodies and Futures: The Politics of Human-Technology Encounters in Japanese Idol Pop

Augmenting Japan’s Bodies and Futures: The Politics of Human-Technology Encounters in Japanese Idol Pop

曖依村荘庭園の構成と意匠に関する復元的考察

The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture begins the concrete action of aiming at the conservation of modern landscape heritage. The Agency for Cultural Affairs is also proceeding to protect the gardens and the parks of the modern age. Most of the existing gardens in Tokyo are the feudal lord's gardens of the Edo period and a few modern gardens which were constructed during and after the period of the Meiji era and still are remain the same shape they were originally. However, the main portion of the Aiison-so garden which was constructed by Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931) still exhibits the same organizational structure. It is a remaining case considered to be very precious within the modern gardens of Tokyo. Therefore, we considered the composition design of the Aiison-so garden restoring it according to the material of the visitor's records, and defined that while the Aiison-so garden was destroyed by air raids in 1945 to Eiichi who settled down in the Aiison-so in 1901 to assume basic materials for maintenance. The present study shows that Aiisonsou garden is a typical of garden that had most of the element of a modern garden.

The May 1st Sutra: conservation of a Nara‐period handscroll

Abstract Kōmyō kōgō gogankyō (), more commonly referred to as Gogatsu tsuitachi‐kyō () or May 1st Sutra, is the largest extant set of eighth‐century Japanese sutras. Commissioned by Empress Kōmyō (701–760 CE), the details of its large‐scale production are recorded in numerous Shōsōin (Imperial Repository) documents. Not only is it regarded as the finest example of Nara‐period sutras in terms of the quality of its calligraphy, it also holds enormous historical value for scholars of Buddhism and classical Japanese linguistics. It has been given the designation ‘Important Cultural Property’ by the Bunkachō (Agency for Cultural Affairs) and is rarely seen outside of Japan. One handscroll from the sutra set belongs to the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Discovered inside a Kamakura period (1185–1333 CE) wooden sculpture of Amida Buddha during the Meiji period (1867–1911 CE), the sutra had suffered damage from insect attack, exposure to moisture, and previous restoration. The scroll la...

近江八幡の水郷景観におけるヨシ原の変遷とその文化的景観としての保全策

This research examines the transformation of reed beds in Omihachiman, a city on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, between 1920-2005. In contrast with other areas around Lake Biwa, the study area of continues to be involved in reed-land management and the production of reed-derived goods; however, even in this area, reed production is in decline and local life styles continue to change such that conserving and managing reed beds has become complicated. Owing to this continuing legacy and the threats it faces, this area was designated as a cultural landscape in 2006 by the Agency of Cultural Affairs. This research focuses on land-use changes and the transformation of reed beds. This is accomplished mainly through an examination of topographical maps and historical records. Our results demonstrate a strong correlation between historical reed-production and the current distribution of reed beds. In addition, land reclamation, river construction projects have shaped today's reed landscape. Finally, movements to conserve reed beds as cultural properties and to preserve biodiversity have affected their distribution. The historical transformation of reed beds illustrates the importance of maintaining and regenerating the relationships between humans and reed beds when planning for cultural landscape conservation.

Materials, Skills and Cultural Resources: Onta Folk Art Pottery Revisited

This article looks at a variety of issues surrounding the use of skills and materials in the production of Onta pottery, a style of Japanese mingei, or “folk art,” whose methods of production have now been designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property by the Japanese Government's Agency for Cultural Affairs. It relates how a fall-off in market demand has threatened the continued manufacture of traditional forms, and, as a consequence, the throwing skills that underpin them. It also describes how various external developments, beyond the potters' control, have affected their access to natural glaze materials, before showing the potential consequences these developments have on Onta pottery's designation as a traditional cultural form. Its particular theoretical concern is with the ways in which cultural resources are appropriated by and negotiated among various actors, including the potters themselves, critics, aesthetes, government officials, marketing agents, and consumers.

The Emperor's New Clothes: Review of Titus Andronicus (directed by Yukio Ninagawa) at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, June 2006

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. Interestingly, it is not just Alarbus's head that returns to the stage separated from the rest of his body, but also his hand—prefiguring as an act of revenge the loss of Titus's and Lavinia's hands that are to come. 2. Ninagawa states that he wishes to create an immediate and contemporary feel to his production. Interviewed for the Japan Society, he claims that his Titus reflects “today's turbulent world, a world beset with endless war in one place or another.” Before seeing the play, the Japan Society's theatre critic asked Ninagawa if he did not find it an incredible challenge to stage such a bloody and horrific work in which it is hard to feel any empathy for the characters. Ninagawa replied, “Isn't the world like that today?” (Curtin Curtin , Sean . Rev. of Titus Andronicus , dir. Yukio Ninagawa . The Japan Society . 8 Nov. 2006 < http://www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews/06titus.html >. [Google Scholar]). 3. Given his grand designs, it is perhaps no coincidence that producer Thelma Holt refers to the director as “Big Nina” (see Curtin Curtin , Sean . Rev. of Titus Andronicus , dir. Yukio Ninagawa . The Japan Society . 8 Nov. 2006 < http://www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews/06titus.html >. [Google Scholar]). 4. As I discuss below, Ninagawa is not the only director to make use of Renaissance stage architecture to make symbolic points about the play. Peter Brook's RSC production of 1955 used a back wall with gallery to do just that. 5. “Ninagawa's emblematic approach is symbolized by a vast statue of the she-wolf that suckled Rome's founders. And Ninagawa, echoing the fact that Remus was the victim of fraternal slaughter, emphasises the fatal consequences of Rome's animalistic origins” (Billington Billington , Michael . “Titus Andronicus.” Guardian 22 June 2006 < http://arts.guardian.co.uk/shakespeareyear/stort/0,,1803438,00.html >. [Google Scholar]). 6. Sometimes the eclecticism fails, as with the case of the Gothic army led by Lucius, whose black robes, silver-blue armour and dreadlocks make them look more like dodgy Dr Who extras than a threatening army. 7. The production's dead bodies, props and several of its costumes are to be seen up close in the RST's foyer (which the company use as a huge running room) before, during and after the performance. 8. The effect is wonderful, although the whiteness of the set and the modernity of Nakagoshi's evocation of the forest do cause me to be reminded very powerfully of Peter Brook's 1970 Midsummer Night's Dream. The similarity is also apparent to Kate Bassett Bassett , Kate . “Titus Andronicus RST, Stratford.” Independent 25 June 2006 < http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article1096308.ece >. [Google Scholar], the reviewer for the Independent (see Bassett Bassett , Kate . “Titus Andronicus RST, Stratford.” Independent 25 June 2006 < http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article1096308.ece >. [Google Scholar]). 9. The most obvious of these being Peter Brook's 1955 RSC production and Julie Taymor's 1999 film staging. Elements of the production's scenography were also reminiscent of Brook's set for the 1970 RSC Midsummer Night's Dream (see note 8). Titus's chef's hat and much of the banquet scene also evoke the visual style of Warner and Taymor's productions. 10. Aaron is not only the progenitor of machiavels such as Richard III, Edmund and Don John, he is also a figure upon whose black shadow is cast over Shakespeare's great articulations of noble Otherness: Othello and Shylock. 11. Ninagawa uses non-diegetic sound poorly at several moments of the production. Another such gaffe comes as Aaron's baby is presented for the first time. Here, not only is a plastic baby that seems far blacker than either Oguri or Asami used, Ninagawa inexplicably pipes recorded infant noises over the RST tannoy system. Awful. 12. How nice that the inventor of dramatic irony, Sophocles, should also have written the most famous tragedy concerning Tereus, whose myth is one of the most powerful sources for Shakespeare's Titus—especially the banquet scene. 13. The self-indulgence of Ninagawa's principals is at times as difficult to stomach as a generous helping of son pie. One such series of moments comes in Rei Asami's curtain call, in which the actor collapses in a prolonged series of extravagant curtsies. 14. It is hard to miss the way in which this production sells its high-flying, big-time, international credentials. The programme makes reference to numerous producers and sponsors, including: Horipro Inc.; Saitama Arts Foundation; the Arts Council of Great Britain; the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan; Thelma Holt Ltd; the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation; the RSC Sir Fordham Flower Fund and even the company's Official Airline, ANA.

A study of nation-wide cultural activities for community revitalization

Since the collapse of the bubble economy in Japan, cultural activities have been forced to slow down across the country, due to reduced public funding and diminishing private-sector donations. At the same time, the 21st century is often called an “age of arts and culture, ” whereas the unstable economic situation, as exemplified by growing employment insecurity, has been affecting people's lives, not only economically but also spiritually and mentally. Under such circumstances, an increase has been noted in the number of cases in which artistic and cultural activities contribute to the spiritual and mental well being of local people, while also having a positive impact on community revitalization.In recognition of this, the present study analyzes 59 cases of cultural activities contributing to community revitalization across Japan, cases extracted via questionnaire surveys and other means. In many instances, such community cultural activities often take place at local community halls and similar cultural facilities. This study has succeeded in collecting considerably detailed data concerning the use of these facilities and the financial matters involved, including expenses required for the activities. Such data have never before been compiled or made publicly available on a national scale, even administrative surveys by the Agency of Cultural Affairs. Using such data, which reveal previously little known aspects, the study also examines possible future directions for community cultural activities

博物館・美術館の情報化と文化財・美術情報システム(&lt;特集&gt;余暇はおまかせ)

博物館・美術館の情報化と文化財・美術情報システム(&lt;特集&gt;余暇はおまかせ)

Body and Organ Weights of Free-Ranging Japanese Serow

Baseline data on the growth of free-ranging Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), including body and organ weights, were determined during December-January 1981-88. Whole body weight and length at birth were estimated to be 3.5 kg and 48.5 cm, respectively. Body and organ weights rapidly increased with age until sexual maturity at 2.5 years. Adult dressed body weights averaged 87.2 kg in males and 38.3 kg in females. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 51(3):678-680 Although data on the morphology, reproduction, pathology, and population dynamics of the Japanese serow are available (Ito 1971; Komori 1975; Sugimura et al. 1981, 1983, 1984; Sugano et al. 1982; Tsuchimoto et al. 1982; Kita et al. 1983; Maruyama and Nakama 1983; Ohtaishi 1984; Miura and Yasui 1985; Sugimura 1985), the baseline relationships between body and organ weights and age are unknown. This lack of data is due mainly to the complete protection of this animal in recent years as a special natural monument. Because of habitat destruction, due to growth of protected serow populations, the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Japan, permitted us to collect a small number of these animals in Gifu and Nagano prefectures to establish these relationships. We thank M. Sugimura, N. Maruyama, N. Sakurai, and H. Saitoh for their help in the collection of the materials. This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Sci. Res. from the Minist. Educ., Sci., and Culture of Japan (Projs. 58030020, 59030053, and 60030060).

Japanese Religion: A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Compiled by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Education, Japan. Edited By Hori Ichiro, et al.Tokyo and Palo Alto: Kodansha International, 1972. 263 pp. Illustrations, Tables, Index. $10.00. L. C. No. 72-77795.

Japanese Religion: A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Compiled by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Education, Japan. Edited By Hori Ichiro, et al.Tokyo and Palo Alto: Kodansha International, 1972. 263 pp. Illustrations, Tables, Index. $10.00. L. C. No. 72-77795. - Volume 33 Issue 1

Japanese Religion. A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Japanese Religion. A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.