Research Activities
Principal research
Selected Research
1. Basic research survey of materials relating to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi2. Research on materials related to the presentation of silent films, and particularly their musical accompaniment
3. Towards an archeology of projection media-the arrangement and publication of “magic lantern” slides and the organization of exhibitions and art works based on digital data
4. The investigation and research into the Senda materials-Koreya Senda and contemporary plays
Principal research 1.
The creative works of Shuji Terayama-the actual circumstances of his activities, as clarified by primary materials
Principal Researcher
Fumi Tsukahara (Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University)
Collaborative Researchers
Minako Okamuro (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Waseda University)
Itsuki Umeyama (Assistant Professor, Waseda University Theatre Museum)
Research objective
This research aims to detail the creative works of Shuji Terayama, using materials in the collection of the Theater Museum, as well as those provided by Michi Tanaka, who worked as Terayama’s secretary for many years.
The Theatre Museum mainly holds books, video materials, flyers, and pamphlets, together with a small number of scripts and manuscripts.
These limited categories make it difficult to appreciate the full extent of Terayama’s creative activities, which were extremely diverse.
The materials belonging to Ms. Tanaka, now held in the Theatre Museum, include many memos, from which we can catch a glimpse of one part of his creative life, as well as reference materials used in his creative process. Moreover, within the collection are Terayama’s favorite books from his school days and the foreign language books he mentioned in his essay, “The Mysterious Library.” These materials are being studied as historical evidence by specialists in a number of fields, in order to clarify his ideological background and understand his relationships with friends and acquaintances, thought to be the inspiration for Terayama’s creative works.
The aim is to use these materials to investigate Terayama’s cultural experiences and the authors and works that influenced him, in order to understand how he developed the elements that characterized his work.
Summary of the research findings
① Digital photos of the materials
・Photo albums
Digital photographs were taken of printed photos that had been collected into 18 photo albums. The albums had been compiled by Ms. Tanaka, who had entitled them, “Around 1968,” “La Mama, New York, 1970,” “Horse-racing related,” and “Play related.” While they had been arranged by time period and field of work, their content had never been investigated in detail. There were approximately 50 photographs per album; in future, these image files will be shared with the research team, research meetings will be regularly held, and the work of historical investigation will progress. Ms. Tanaka’s cooperation has been requested for the task of identifying the subjects of the photographs.
・Scrapbooks
The scrapbooks included in the materials received from Ms. Tanaka were created by Terayama himself, together with people associated with the theatrical company. Together with the ones made by Ms. Tanaka, there were close to 100 scrapbooks in total. As the majority had already been sorted by Ms. Tanaka, it was possible to roughly identify the content, but it was not possible to understand every aspect of the article collections. The subjects of investigation in this research are the scrapbooks created by Terayama himself from the middle of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s. During this time, Terayama was not only a literary author, he also wrote for TV and radio. At the same time, it was during this period that he founded the experimental theater troupe Tenjo Sajiki, which generated much interest. The scrapbooks contain all of the magazine and newspaper reviews of his work, as well as the essays he wrote for magazines and interviews. Going forward, the plan is to use the image data to create a list of articles.
②Cataloguing of the library
The cataloguing of the Terayama’s library of approximately 1,300 books is completed. The library consists of books Terayama supposedly enjoyed in his school days, foreign books, and rare books difficult to obtain.
The library covers a variety of fields, indicating the breadth of Terayama’s interests. In the catalogue, the author name, book title, publisher name, and publication year are registered as bibliographical information.
Selected research 1
Basic research survey of materials relating to Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shiko Tsubouchi
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
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.
Shiko Tsubouchi-related materials5 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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Flyer from the Takarazuka Grand Theater (April 1930), with Yaeko Mizutani in the starring role |
Letter to Shoyo Tsubouchi from Shunjo Ichijima (July 26, 1926) |
|||
Selected research 2
Research on materials related to the presentation of silent films, and particularly their musical accompaniment
Principal Researcher
Seiji Choki (Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo)
Collaborative Researchers
Makiko Kamiya (Adjunct Researcher, the Theatre Museum, Waseda University)
Fumito Shirai (Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo)
Yohei Yamagami (Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Research objective
The topic of this research is the Theatre Museum’s collection of musical scores, used to accompany silent films; its objective is to clarify how silent films were presented from the Taisho era to the beginning of the Showa era, with a particular focus on their musical accompaniment. One feature of this research is that it employs the knowledge and methodologies of musicology, including detailed analyses of the musical scores and comparisons with recordings. The researchers are taking an inventory of the materials, creating a database, transcribing the manuscripts, and then comparing them to published musical scores, as well as collecting and examining related documents. Through this approach, they aim to reconstruct the way films were presented at that time, and to explain how the music and images were combined.
Summary of the research findings
The investigation has mainly been conducted by the researchers Shirai and Kamiya and the research collaborator Shibata Kotaro (Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo), who have provided an overview of the materials. These materials are a collection of musical scores that were used to provide musical accompaniment for silent films from the middle of the 1920s to the start of the 1930s. From the signatures and seals indicating ownership, it is believed that they are parts of the scores used at the film theatre, “Goraku-kan” in Shinagawa, Tokyo. This theatre was directly managed by the Nikkatsu Corporation, and the scores were mainly used by a person named Hirano. As materials were numbered, in accordance with their condition at the start of the investigation (they had been kept in 2 cardboard boxes and a total of 14 bags), we now know that there are in excess of 600 items. Their content has been broadly categorized as follows:
① An untitled collection of hand-written music for a small, accompanying orchestra; this includes approximately 120 musical pieces (stamped with the seal of K. HIRANO)
② "Kino Music Nikkatsu Gakufu,” unpublished musical accompaniment: 33 pieces of music written for a small orchestra
③ “Small Orchestra,” domestically-published musical accompaniment: 25 pieces of music written for a small orchestra (Tokyo Small Orchestra Score Association, 1924)
④ “Cinema Inc. Series,” “Berg’s Inc. Series,” musical accompaniment published in the United States: 110 pieces written for a small orchestra (Belwin Inc., thought to have been published in the second half of the 1910s)
⑤ Other materials (infrequently used parts, solo-part scores with the name of the film written on them, several cue sheets, etc.)
According to an interview with a specialist in domestic archives, this is the first discovery within Japan of a collection of musical scores for the musical accompaniment in use at that time. The analysis of the content of each of the collections is being carried out in parallel with the preparation of a temporary inventory. It has been found that the collections include many works by composers mentioned in contemporary discourses, such as Koka Sassa and Nobuhiro Matsudaira. Moreover, the collection published by Belwin, Inc. (④) is one of the main collections of musical accompaniment used in the United States at that time, and has shed light on the extent to which Japanese practices were connected to those overseas. Also, an analysis of the different instrumental parts (such as the piano parts missing from the scores discussed in previous research), the combination of Japanese and Western characteristics in relation to harmonies and musical instrument settings are being examined.
One future task will be to realign these musical pieces with their film images. At present, in addition to analyzing materials that include examples of musical accompaniment for particular scenes, the name of the film on several cue sheets, and the Nikkatsu Gakufu(②), researchers are also inspecting related film pieces and collecting and analyzing materials, such as the weekly reports of the Shinagawa Gorakukan and pamphlets.
 |
 |
|
From “the collection of untitled hand-written musical accompaniment” |
From “the Kino Music Nikkatsu Gakufu” “K. Sassa Music No.12” |
|
Selected research 3
Towards an archeology of projection media-the arrangement and publication of “magic lantern” slides and the organization of exhibitions and art works based on digital data
Principal Researcher
Ryo Okubo (Education and Research Associate, Public Collaboration Center, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Collaborative Researchers
Machiko Kusahara (Professor, School of Culture, Media, and Society, Waseda University)
Eriko Kogo (Associate Professor, Meisei University School of Humanities)
Manabu Ueda (Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science),
Miyuki Endo (Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University),
Tatsuya Saito (Representative Director, Abacus Inc.)
Kouta Kato (Education and Research Assistant, Art Innovation Center, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Toshiyuki Kuwabara (Education and Research Assistant, Public Collaboration Center, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Research objective
The Theatre Museum has many image-related cultural materials from the prehistory of cinema that are extremely precious, even when viewed from the perspective of global media history. This joint research project involves systematically arranging the Theatre Museum’s collection of “magic lantern” and “Utsusie” slides (the latter is a Japanese style of magic lantern popular from the late Edo to Meiji periods), and specifying the age and themes of these slides, which have never previously been catalogued. As well as completing this analysis, this research project aims to share and present its findings to the public through an exhibition, catalogue, and database, while exploring the value of these slides, and the option of using them as the basis for works of art and digital data.
Summary of the research findings
Investigation of the artifacts
The work began with an inspection of the Theatre Museum’s magic-lantern slides, designed to obtain an overview of the artifacts and their state of preservation. The joint research team also inspected related materials, including the collection of slides, projectors, and trade catalogues belonging to Machiko Kusahara. Crosschecking the Theatre Museum’s slides with trade catalogues is expected to help in identifying their ages and subjects. In the course of this inspection, it became clear that the projection equipment would need repair and restoration in future.
The Theatre Museum’s slide catalogue
Approximately 250 items were carefully selected and arranged by theme. Now the main classification of images has almost been completed, and members of the joint research team and outside specialists are writing the explanatory notes. A catalogue is scheduled to be published by Seikyusha this semester.
The database of magic lantern slides
Work is currently underway to augment the data acquired while investigating the artifacts and compiling a catalogue of slides. Within the year, once additions have been made to the information already confirmed, we plan to update the database and publically release all of the image data extracted from the Theatre Museum’s slides. For the future, a research team is investigating the option of consolidating image data from the Utsushie pictures and magic lantern trade catalogue.
Exhibition based on the research findings
A project exhibition will be held on April 1 at the Theatre Museum, showcasing research findings from the investigation of artifacts and the digitization of the Museum’s collections. To prepare for an exhibition this fiscal year, the materials to be exhibited have been selected and explanatory notes prepared. In addition, a design team is preparing the main visuals and setting up a special website for the exhibition. The exhibition layout has been agreed, and adjustments are now being carried out, as the miniatures are prepared.
Selected research 4
The investigation and research into the Senda materials-Koreya Senda and contemporary plays
Principal Researcher
Yukako Abe (Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts and Letters, Kyoritsu Women’s University)
Collaborative Researchers
Keiko Miyamoto (Part-time Lecturer, Department of Japanese Language and Literature, Shirayuri College)
Terada Shima (Part-time Lecturer, Department of Japanese Language and Literature, Shirayuri College)
Hirokazu Akiba (Professor, School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University)
Research objective
Articles that belonged to Koreya Senda were donated by his daughter Momoko Nakagawa in April 2001. She donated a huge quantity of materials. In total, there were more than 300 cardboard boxes (at the time they were received) containing old books and play-related materials. These materials have been roughly classified and arranged; in particular, materials such as books, albums, scrapbooks, and cards have been available for viewing since 2005. At the current stage, this constitutes nothing more than a temporary arrangement of the documents. It has not yet been possible to ascertain what this enormous collection actually contains. At the same time, the condition of the materials is deteriorating; in particular, we have reached the point in time where the photographs must be rapidly digitized and the source materials stored appropriately. This project relates only to a small part of the collection, and the objective is to confirm the content of the album, “J: related to Michio Ito” and performance-related materials, to classify these so that they can be used for researching Michio Ito and the Ernie Pyle Theater, and begin digitizing these materials.
Summary of the research findings
As research was conducted during a short time period of around two months, the researchers were only able to begin reviewing the Senda materials and verifying the content of 20 photo albums related to Michio Ito. Work is underway to digitize these photo albums and assemble the data for each individual photograph. Specifically, within the Koreya Senda collection, the J classification indicates materials related to Michio Ito; among these, J1-1 to J1-20 are the photo albums. The 20 albums have been given titles, such as “MICHIO ITO 1”; captions and endorsements of authenticity have been attached to many of the photographs. The construction of a photo database seems very achievable. At the same time, the J classification includes many different types of materials, including some related to the Hollywood Bowl in which Michio was involved, and others related to the Ernie Pyle Theater or the Olympics. If progress can be made in unifying, digitizing, and arranging the various types of artifacts (including letters, name registers, memos, sketches, and scripts), then it will be possible to horizontally relate these materials. Without question, this will enable researchers to reveal a number of new findings. To make a start on achieving this, the current objective is to closely examine J23 (materials related to the Ernie Pyle Theatre), and to clarify their connection to various materials on musical performances, photographs, and Kisaku Ito set-design images, as well as the actual circumstances of the public performances.
|
| |||||||||||||||
