Overview of Research Projects

The 21st COE Program has demonstrated successful results in collecting material, developing analysis methods, and disseminating its accomplishments in the three fields of " illustrated materials ”, “ physical techniques ”, and “ environment and scenery ”.

The Center for Nonwritten Cultural Materials shall take over and further develop the contents of that Program, and promote joint research projects with the aim of tackling issues left unresolved in the COE Program.

Joint Research Projects

1.Compilation of “Multilingual Version of Pictopedia of Everyday Life in Medieval Japan"

1.Compilation of “Multilingual Version of Pictopedia of Everyday Life in Medieval Japan"

Aim of the joint research project

Of the five volumes of “Multilingual Version of Pictopedia of Everyday Life in Medieval Japan"，the first and second volumes were published in our project selected in the 21st Century COE Program，and the third volume was published in the first term joint research project of the Center. Subsequently, the main text of the fourth volume was published on March,2018. This research project is aimed at translating and publishing complete translation of whole 5 volumes. We hope that researchers in history, folklore，anthropology，literature and other fields of study will use these 5 volumes of publications to learn about “everyday life" in medieval Japan.

2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	BOCCELLARI John
Researcher	SHIITADA Atsushi

2.Graphic Novel in Europe: Hybrid of Historical Representation and Medium

2.Graphic Novel in Europe: Hybrid of Historical Representation and Medium

Aim of the joint research project

The Europe Group has thus far conducted its research with a focus on bodily representation and gender representation, compiling and analyzing primarily visual and film materials. With the publication of The World of German Cabaret: Global Cabaret Culture (2026), this phase of the project has come to a close, and we are moving on to a new research theme: the study of graphic novels. Although graphic novels have recently begun to attract scholarly attention as a visual art form distinct from Japanese manga and American comics, research has tended to emphasize national, cultural, or aesthetic characteristics. As a study of nonwritten cultural materials, our group aims to adopt a comparative perspective that examines how graphic novels from both the German-speaking and French-speaking worlds have represented Europe’s turbulent twentieth century—particularly the two World Wars and the interwar period—while attending to the relationship between text and image (nonwritten).
Moreover, graphic novels do not only depict historical or fictional narratives; they also adapt works from other artistic genres, and in some respects can be seen as an educational or mass-communication medium comparable to the kamishibai (illustrated paper plays) of earlier times. By drawing on the diverse expertise of each member, we hope to illuminate the multilayered nature of the graphic novel as a medium.

Period　2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	KUMAGAI Kensuke
Researchers	BUCHENBERGER Stefan, KAKUYAMA Tomoko
Visiting researchers	KOMATSUBARA Yuri, TANAKA Rina

3.Research on Nonwritten Media Materials in East Asian Open Ports (Concessions and Foreign Settlements）

3.Research on Nonwritten Media Materials in East Asian Open Ports (Concessions and Foreign Settlements）

Aim of the joint research project

An extremely wide variety of printed media such as picture postcards, photographs, newspapers, and magazines were published and/or produced in the treaty ports and foreign settlements of East Asia. Even within the materials collected by the Kanagawa University Library and the Research Center for Nonwritten Cultural Materials, there is a large number of items, including the North China Herald, Far Eastern Review, materials donated by Nagai Akira (Shina Jihen Gahō, Shashin Shuhō, etc.), the Tsunehiro Kondō Collection (postcards related to Tianjin), and photographic materials from Shanghai formerly owned by Kawai Yasuhei. This study aims to investigate and analyze the nonwritten media materials (such as photographs, postcards, and paintings) contained within these printed sources, to present them through exhibitions and publications, and ultimately to return the research findings to society.

Period　2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	SON An Suk
Researchers	KANG Myungchae, PENG Guoyue, MURAI Hiroshi
Visiting researchers	IIZUKA Yasushi, UCHIDA Seizo, OSATO Hiroaki, KIKUCHI Toshio, KIM Jinsung, SAITO Takio
Research collaborators	GUO Mengyao, KITAHARA Itoko, TAJIMA Natsuko, DENG Taoxiang, TOMII Masanori, BAO Muping, ZHANG Bolei

4.Landscape Transformation and Historicization of Overseas Shinto Shrine Spaces (Ritual Spaces）

4.Landscape Transformation and Historicization of Overseas Shinto Shrine Spaces (Ritual Spaces）

Aim of the joint research project

Building on the accumulated research outcomes of the COE project on overseas Shinto shrines and the ritual spaces of Shuri Castle, this study aims to construct a theoretical framework for a “post–overseas shrine spatial theory.” It will do so by comparatively analyzing how former shrine sites have been historicized and reconfigured within the social environments of their respective regions. Eighty years after losing their original function, overseas shrines now display a wide range of landscape transformations, including symbolic repurposing, conversion into tourist spaces, simple reutilization, and, in a few cases, limited continued use. These diverse trajectories call for both a macro level comparative perspective that reveals regional social structures and historical contexts, and a micro level urban spatial approach that interprets their relationships to topography and place specific characteristics.
Drawing on previously established data concerning the locations and spatial compositions of these sites, this research project conducts multilayered analyses centered on nonwritten cultural materials—such as photographs, visual documents, and topographical maps—while integrating relevant textual sources. By making extensive use of visual information, the study seeks to clarify the landscape and environmental structures that have shaped the transformation of former shrine spaces. Furthermore, it will strengthen the analytical continuity of the “Overseas Shrine Database” and the body of primary materials already collected, thereby providing empirical support for the theoretical foundations of the project.

Period　2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	SUNAMOTO Fumihiko
Researchers	SHIITADA Atsushi, SUNAMI Soichiro, DOYO Daisuke, MARUYAMA Yasuaki
Visiting researchers	UTSUMI Takashi, OGUMA Makoto, KATO Saori, SAKAI Hisanori, SAGAI Tatsuru, SUGA Koji, TSUDA Yoshiki, NAKAJIMA Michio, MAEDA Takakazu,
Research collaborators	INAMIYA Yasuto, IRAHA Kenya, MATSUYAMA Hiroaki

5.Research on Retrieval, Mining and Copyrights Management on the Process of Studying Nonwritten Cultural Materials and the Research Results

5.Research on Retrieval, Mining and Copyrights Management on the Process of Studying Nonwritten Cultural Materials and the Research Results

Aim of the joint research project

This study applies machine learning and block chain technologies to the process of studying nonwritten cultural materials and using their findings, namely systematizing and retlieving data, finding new information, ensuring security, and managing copyrights, with the aim of developing basic technologies for supporting researchers and users.

1. Copyrights management system based on perceptual hashing of unique data for identifying images and other contents
2. Build a method for ensuring both image quality and robustness in digital watermarking and image steganography
3. In order to classify and link data, combine ontology with topic modeling to build retrieval techniques, article recommendation systems, and methods for supporting the finding of new information, and to visualize trends in annual reports and other research findings
4. In order to prevent information leakage caused by inconsistencies in access rights and data inferences, use topic modeling to identify links between documents on nonwritten cultural materials, and use them for access control
5. Study conceptual devices that capture latent text information from relations between the probabilistic and deterministic approaches

Period　2023-2026（4 years）

Members

Research leader	KINOSHITA Hirotsugu
Researcher	HOSONO Kaito
Visiting researchers	MORIZUMI Tetsuya,SANO Kenji, MIYATA Sumiko
Research collaborator	KOMATSU Daisuke

6.Research on Mass Media as Seen in ‘Wartime Propaganda Kamishibai’

6.Research on Mass Media as Seen in ‘Wartime Propaganda Kamishibai’

Aim of the joint research project

Since its establishment in 2014, the group has spent twelve years developing its research, during which time it has published monographs such as “Japan’s Fifteen-Year War Seen from Propaganda Kamishibai ”(Benseisha Publishing, March 2018) and its forthcoming sequel “Japan’s Fifteen-Year War Seen from Propaganda Kamishibai II ”(Benseisha Publishing, March 2026). The group has also conducted fieldwork at approximately forty sites, including overseas locations (Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, and Indonesia), and has regularly reported its findings on kamishibai (illustrated paper play) works in the “NewsLetter” of the Research Center for Nonwritten Cultural Materials.
Kamishibai is a medium that is not constituted solely by its pictures or scripts; it is performed through voice, and it comes into being through the interaction with its audience. Therefore, to study kamishibai requires more than analyzing the works themselves. It is essential to employ methods of nonwritten cultural materials research to understand vocal performance, modes of enactment, performance spaces, and the processes of audience response and reception.
From its inception, the group has also been attentive to issues surrounding kamishibai in colonial and occupied territories, as well as their performance and reception, and has fostered ongoing exchanges with researchers abroad. In the current phase, we aim to further deepen our investigations and expand the body of research outcomes concerning kamishibai in colonial and occupied contexts.

Period　2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	ARAKAKI Yumeno
Visiting researchers	OGUSHI Junji, MORIYAMA Atsushi
Research collaborators	QIU Yuxiang, KOYAMA Ryo, SUZUKI Kazufumi, TOMIZAWA Tatsuzo, HARADA Hiroshi, MATSUMOTO Kazuki

7.Landscape of Yokohama and Its Transformation: Focusing on Canals

7.Landscape of Yokohama and Its Transformation: Focusing on Canals

Aim of the joint research project

This research group aims to further develop the research outcomes accumulated by the previous project, “Research on Sea and Port Canals—Canals in Yokohama and Asia,” which operated until the 2025 academic year. Specifically, the project seeks to elucidate the formation, functions, and characteristics of Yokohama’s canal system by examining it in organic relation to the surrounding urban areas. In doing so, the study will make active use of materials such as the Takagi Mikio Laboratory slide collection, maps, and ukiyo-e prints, while employing methodologies from human geography, architecture, and history. Comparative perspectives will also be incorporated by examining canal landscapes in regions beyond Yokohama, including Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, and Korea, thereby advancing a multifaceted understanding of canal related environments.
The research outcomes accumulated over six years—combining the period of the preceding project and the current one—will be shared with the public through outreach initiatives such as guided city walks and extension lectures. In addition, the findings will be compiled and published as part of the Research Series for Nonwritten Cultural Materials.

Period　2026-2027（2 years）

Members

Research leader	YAMAGUCHI Taro
Researchers	KANG Myungchae, NAKABAYASHI Hirokazu
Visiting researcher	UCHIDA Seizo
Research collaborators	KANAMARU Hisao, MATSUMOTO Kazuki

8.Systematic Research on Lodgings in Modern Japan

8.Systematic Research on Lodgings in Modern Japan

Aim of the joint research project

Travel in Japan gained popularity with the masses with the establishment of kaido roads and shukuba post stations in the Edo period (1603–1868). A substantial body of research results exists on the functions of post stations and the types of lodgings in this early modern period; however, very few systematic studies have been conducted on lodgings in modern Japan onward, such as practices that were carried over or modified. Some literature remains on the advent and expansion of Western-style hotels. Unique accommodations were also set up around new transportation hubs like railway stations, and ports servicing international routes, which emerged in the modern period, but many of them have already vanished without ever being properly documented.
This research team aims to collect basic information on lodgings in modern Japan from nonwritten cultural materials such as illustrations and experiences, organize the data by type, location, function, characteristics, and changes, and by doing so, form a structural understanding of the complete picture. Finally, it seeks to look beyond Japan at lodgings that played a role in the overseas activities of the Japanese in modern times, and shed light on the dynamism of travel through its relationship with lodgings.

Period　2023-2026（4 years）

Members

Research leader	YAMAMOTO Shino
Researcher	MARUYAMA Yasuaki
Visiting researchers	KAWASHIMA Shuichi, MATSUDA Mutsuhiko, ZHAO Yi, TSUNEMITSU Toru
Research collaborators	OKADA Iyo, WU Ke

9.Aspects of Pictorial Works Interpreted through Their Interrelations with Narrative Performance, Theater, and Storytelling: Ema, Ukiyo-e, and Book Illustrations

9.Aspects of Pictorial Works Interpreted through Their Interrelations with Narrative Performance, Theater, and Storytelling: Ema, Ukiyo-e, and Book Illustrations

Aim of the joint research project

In Japanese literature, performing arts, and theatrical traditions, there are numerous forms of expression in which illustrations and visual images play roles just as significant as written text. However, much of the existing scholarship has tended to treat visual materials as secondary, and analyses that fully integrate the interpretation of these images remain insufficient. This study therefore aims, over a three year research period, to foreground such visual corpora and to develop methodologies suited to their periods of production and their distinctive expressive characteristics.
Specifically, the project will investigate illustrations related to medieval narrative traditions such as Kowaka mai and early jōruri, pictorial works depicting early modern and modern theatrical performances and their transmission, and book illustrations—including covers, frontispieces, and in text images—attached to literary texts. The first stage of the project will involve clarifying the actual conditions and characteristics of each of these visual materials. Building on this foundation, the study will examine the relationships between illustrations and non pictorial elements such as written text, while also conducting close analyses and interpretations of the images themselves.
Through this process, we aim to elucidate the meanings and functions of these visual works and to articulate methodological approaches and key considerations for the study of pictorial materials.

Period　2026-2028（3 years）

Members

Research leader	MATSUMOTO Katsuya
Researchers	KUME Shiori, FUJISAWA Akane

10. Reconsidering Nonwritten Cultural Materials: Possibilities and Issues Regarding Nonwritten Cultural Materials

10. Reconsidering Nonwritten Cultural Materials: Possibilities and Issues Regarding Nonwritten Cultural Materials

Aim of the joint research project

This research group will focus on Nonwritten Cultural Materials themselves and define the purpose on sharing perspectives to view them. Although the Center has been active for 20 years, it has yet to reach a definitive understanding of Nonwritten Cultural Materials. One of the reasons for this is the nature of Nonwritten Cultural Materials themselves, which makes it difficult to define the scope and methods of research. It is also necessary to focus on the gaps in understanding that exist among individual researchers toward Nonwritten Cultural Materials.
In view of the current situation, this research group would like to reexamine what Nonwritten Cultural Materials are and provide an opportunity to compare the understanding among participants through discussion. It is hoped that this work will lead to a more refined understanding of Nonwritten Cultural Materials, and that it will also advance research into areas that have not been explored in the past.
The research group will carry out its activities with the above objectives in mind, and in addition to discussions among researchers at study workshops, will actively plan and organize lecture meetings. By holding lectures on a variety of themes and topics, it is expected that participants will engage in fruitful discussions and share and deepen their knowledge of Nonwritten Cultural Materials.

Period　2026-2027（2 years）

Members

Research leader	NAKABAYASHI Hirokazu
Researchers	KUMAGAI Kensuke, SHIITADA Atsushi

11.The “Body” and Materials from the Early Modern Period Onward in China and Neighboring Cultural Spheres

11.The “Body” and Materials from the Early Modern Period Onward in China and Neighboring Cultural Spheres

Aim of the joint research project

Since ancient times, a vast amount of both written and non-written material has been produced and received in China. One reason often cited for this is the people's strong enthusiasm for recording reality. Over time, however, this enthusiasm gradually shifted toward the depiction and expression of the inner and outer worlds of those who created and engaged with such materials. This expansion of the imaginary realm is inextricably linked to reality.
As “secular” literature and culture that emphasizes physical elements, such as dramas, storytelling, and novels, rapidly emerged, particularly from the early modern period onward, this imaginary world evolved in various ways, with physicality becoming a key axis. For example, illustrations began to be incorporated into “orthodox” poetry to enhance visual comprehension and appeal. Moreover, the physicality represented in these works came to exert influence on real society, as exemplified by Water Margin-themed theater and literature, which became the impetus for multiple uprisings in the real world.
This research group focuses on these developments and investigates various phenomena related to the body as represented in the imaginary realm. Areas of analysis include illustrations in classical texts such as plays, novels, and poems; visual materials such as paintings and prints; as well as traditional drama and narrative literature produced in China and its neighboring cultural areas, including Japan, since the early modern period. Through this, the project aims to clarify how the physicality of the imaginary world has affected real-world societies in China, Japan, and beyond.
The research activities will center on presentations and discussions held at regular research meetings throughout the year, with findings shared and disseminated through public lectures and symposia.

Period　2025-2027（three years）

Members

Research leader	MATSUURA Satoko
Visiting researchers	OKI Yasushi, JIA Haitao, KIKKAWA Yoshikazu, SUZUKI Yoichi, TAMURA Yoko, HATTA Mariko, FAN Keren
Research collaborator	CUI Qian

Preparatory Group : Television Production at Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) and the Intermingling of Popular Culture and Entertainment―Focusing on the Work of Takagaki Nobuhiro (Late 1970s–2000s)

Preparatory Group : Television Production at Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) and the Intermingling of Popular Culture and Entertainment―Focusing on the Work of Takagaki Nobuhiro (Late 1970s–2000s)

Aim of the joint research project

This project investigates the work of Takagaki Nobuhiro—former director/producer at Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) and former head of the Announcers’ Department—who produced a wide range of television programs, particularly in the field of popular entertainment. By examining his activities, the study aims to clarify both the concrete production practices and the cultural dynamics of Osaka based television stations from the late 1970s through the 2000s, while also exploring the relationship between postwar visual culture and Kamigata（Kansai region）popular culture, including rakugo and other performing arts.
The primary research methods include the collection of first hand materials through interviews, detailed analysis of visual materials such as the programs he produced, and the study of the performing arts themselves, including comparisons with Edo period entertainment traditions. The interview findings will be published together with analytical essays.
This project also builds upon and further develops part of the research previously conducted within the group “Basic Research on Voice and Body in Artistic Expression—Performing Art, Classical Entertainment, and Contemporary Art.”

Period　2026（1 year ）

Members

Research leader	MIZUKAWA Hirofumi
Researcher	OSHIMA Kimie
Visiting researcher	HIROSE Yoriko