Selected research 1: Basic research survey of materials relating to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi
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Principal Researcher: Kuniko Hamaguchi (Affiliated Lecturer, The College of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University)
Collaborative Researchers: Akira Kikuchi (Adjunct Researcher, Waseda University Theatre Museum), Kaoru Matsuyama (full-time staff, Waseda University Library), Tomoaki Kojima (Part-time Lecturer, Musashino Art University), Kaho Mizuta (Adjunct Researcher, Waseda University Theatre Museum), Kazuko Yanagisawa (Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
【Research objective】
Stored in the Theatre Museum, there remain many materials related to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi that have not yet been arranged. No individual items belonging to the extremely large collection of materials on Shoyo (including manuscripts written in his own hand and letters he received) have been investigated; moreover, many of these items have not yet been assigned registration numbers. Artifacts relating to Shiko have been donated over many decades; these remain in their original condition, as it has not been possible to confirm their content or begin the task of arranging them. The plan for this research project involves first ascertaining the extent of the collection, and then investigating individual artifacts (in order of priority and time permitting). A detailed inventory will be prepared, contributing to future research.
【Summary of the research findings】
〇 Shoyo Tsubouchi-related materials (letters sent to Tsubouchi)
A list of artifacts is currently being prepared, assigning a temporary number to each letter sent to Shoyo. The collection includes multiple letters contained within single envelopes, many of them in a poor state of preservation, with mold and other forms of damage. Work is progressing, although care must be taken when handling damaged artifacts. The plan is for the numbered letters to be grouped by sender and converted to digital-image data; we will then move on to historical investigation and reprinting.
This year’s schedule involves taking pictures of around 800 of the approximately 1,800 letters that have not yet been catalogued. Most of the letters to be photographed will be letters written by relatives or the 84 people mentioned in the “Collection of Letters Written by Tsubouchi Shoyo,” published in 2013. They are expected to be related to the letters included in the “Collection of Letters written by Tsubouchi Shoyo.” It is hoped that conducting a historical investigation of these, investigating their content, and reprinting them, will, during the coming years, lead to new discoveries about the activities of Shoyo Tsubouchi, as well as his context and social interactions. These letters will also provide a valuable historical insight into the lives of Shoyo’s correspondents, who were active in the cultural activities, theatre, and literature of the era.
〇Shiko Tsubouchi-related materials
5 of the 20 cardboard boxes containing the artifacts relating to Shiko have been opened, and the task of classifying the letters, photographs, hand-written memos, performance flyers, and related documents has begun. To the same extent as the Shoyo artifacts, the condition of many documents has deteriorated, making it necessary to carry out preservation work in conjunction with classification. This year, the work will focus first on grouping the letters by sender, and then on making a list of them.
While the content of the Shiko materials has not yet been fully ascertained, those parts of the collection already investigated include many valuable artifacts preserved from his student days in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as many valuable documents from his time at the Takarazuka Revue Company. Furthermore, Shiko’s hand-written daily journal was discovered among the manuscripts. In the future, it is hoped that these materials will illuminate the activities of Shiko Tsubouchi and the people around him.
