Objectives

Focusing on the “Pre-War East Asian Music: SP Record Metal Masters” collection (hereafter Nippon Columbia’s overseas recordings) housed at Minpaku, this project aims to clarify the impact of the rise of Japan’s record industry on music from Taiwan and the Korean peninsula during the period of Japanese colonial rule. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in Taiwan and Korea for research on records from the first half of the 20th century, with attempts being made to create databases of records from that period at universities and museums. Institutions in these countries mainly collect materials such as commercially produced records that were distributed at the time, as well as related newspaper and magazine articles and adverts. However, Minpaku houses the original metal masters that were used to produce the records. These two sets of materials complement each other, and by publishing an online database of Minpaku’s collection, including playable sound files of recordings, we can share information to help build a foundation for joint research on the changes in East Asian music during the period, for which Japan was a central hub.

Description

The advent of the medium of record during the 20th century led to the widespread habit of listening to recorded music, as well as significant changes in the relationship between people and music. Records made it possible to listen to the same music repeatedly anytime and anywhere, and owning them became part of music’s enjoyment. At the same time, the mass production of records gave rise to rapidly changing trends. Records were closely connected with other media, and in particular movies – records were sometimes used to promote movies, while, in turn, movies were occasionally based on popular songs from records. Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula experienced this period of great musical change under Japanese rule, but while the gramophone easily traversed cultural boundaries, this was not necessarily the case for music. East Asia was undoubtedly influenced by Japanese music, but each region saw its own unique musical developments. Focusing on the records produced by Nipponophone Co., Ltd. (now NIPPON COLUMBIA CO., LTD.), this project will clarify the actors involved in the production of records, as well as this process of mutual negotiation, and, in doing so, will build a foundation for clarifying the principles of culture creation in East Asia during the period of Japanese colonial rule.

Basic materials, including a discography, have already been created for Nippon Columbia’s overseas recordings. Based on these results, the primary objective for this project is to create a database of Minpaku’s collection of recordings and images of metal masters and make it available to the general public online. We have received several inquiries from researchers and institutions in Taiwan and Korea asking whether we would be able to provide sound files for the databases being constructed by their respective institutions. By making all the recordings reproduced from Minpaku’s collection of metal masters available online, we can provide materials that demonstrate how records destined for every region of East Asia were produced at Nipponophone’s Kawasaki factory – an example of culture creation under Japanese colonial rule – and to which we can refer interested parties. In addition, a secondary objective is to find an appropriate way to link the Minpaku database with other databases created by institutions in Taiwan and Korea. While these metal masters cannot be found anywhere else, Minpaku does not have any of the commercially produced records that were distributed locally in its collection. Creating links with databases featuring information and materials which demonstrate the local context is essential for advancing research into the music of East Asia as a whole.

In implementing this project, we will strive to work closely with NIPPON COLUMBIA CO., LTD, as it is the Japanese record company with the longest history and it owns many valuable recordings and other materials. We are proactively trying to incorporate these kinds of historical materials and we have already received a great deal of cooperation from them in our research so far. In this project we would like to explore NIPPON COLUMBIA’s archives to try and unearth new materials relating to record production during the period.

Expected results

Of the recordings produced from Minpaku's collection of metal masters, we will prioritize those which are important for music research in each country and region, as well as those which are difficult to obtain elsewhere and whose period of copyright protection has expired. Our aim is to create a database of 2000 songs in total, along with images of the metal masters from Minpaku’s collection, and make the database available to the general public online. The main languages used for the database will be Japanese and English, but information about some of the materials will also be provided in local languages where necessary. Based on the system designed for the Info-Forum Museum, in the early days of its public disclosure, we plan to utilize the comment function to have exchanges of opinion with joint researchers and research collaborators, in order to add or amend data. After the research is completed, the goal is to make the archive widely available to the general public. Wherever technically possible, we also plan to create close links with databases hosted by institutions in Taiwan and Korea. However, since each database has its own history and reasons for being created, we will not aim to create a single integrated database, but rather collaborate in such a way that allows users to understand the research intentions behind each individual database.

Outcomes from 2024

1. Creating the database of metal masters
We have created a database that includes images and information, such as the numbers and dates, found on the 7,628 metal masters and their cases in Minpaku’s collection. By cross-referencing the metal master data with discography data (information about each individual record released), we can determine the recording date and production process of the record, which is an important source of information for understanding the record company's production policy (this point was covered in detail in the report from the first fiscal year). Furthermore, according to international joint researcher Wang Ying-fen’s findings, some of the metal masters in Minpaku’s collection were produced but never released. By making these newly discovered recordings public and investigating them in detail, we will be able to clarify how policies for recording, production, and release were established, as well as what kind of restrictions were imposed, within the context of evolving situations and musical trends.

2. Creating the database of discography data and recordings
The original plan was to create a database of recordings reproduced from metal masters. However, to enhance the convenience of the research, we took the advice of our joint researchers and decided to create a discography database of the records produced by Nipponophone Co., Ltd. for the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and Shanghai with incorporated audio files. Taking into account the time required to convert the audio files and to check and clear copyrights, it was decided that the recordings from about 1,000 records would be released as a priority during the project period. In addition, we have created a link between the data in the metal masters database and the discography database, making it possible to cross-reference corresponding materials. With the aim of increasing collaborative efforts and providing links to useful information, we have called on research project members and database users to share any relevant information that has been made publicly available on the internet in Korea, Taiwan, and elsewhere. In the future, we aim to expand the network of researchers using this database and promote its use in research. By continuing to supplement and revise the data based on information provided by users, and accumulating links to related information, we aim to develop the database into an essential information portal for research on East Asian music in the first half of the 20th century.

3. Holding research meetings
We held research meetings in August 2024 and February 2025.

(1) August 2024

We co-hosted a keynote session at the symposium held by the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance’s Study Group of East Asian Musics in the Minpaku Auditorium (23 August).
International joint researcher Huang Yuyuan (National Museum of Taiwan History) delivered a keynote speech entitled “Everyday Life and Imagination in Phonograph Records: Tshiò-Khue Comedy Records from Taiwan’s Japanese Colonial Period” (134 attendees). At the same symposium, international joint researcher Wang Ying-fen gave a research presentation entitled “Exploring Lin Shihao’s Unreleased Recordings of 1933” (24 August). Both presentations helped to raise greater awareness among researchers of East Asian music of the significance and research possibilities of the metal master-related materials in Minpaku's collection. We also held a research meeting after the symposium on 26 August where we discussed the policy regarding the database of discography data.

(2) February 2025

After trialing the database constructed through this project for a period of two months, the joint researchers held a research meeting on 22 and 23 February to discuss the significance and potential of the metal masters and other materials in Minpaku’s collection for the study of East Asian music. We decided to publish a report, an anthology of papers based on the presentations they gave at the meeting. The contents of the research presentations are as follows:

• “The purpose and significance of compiling a database of metal masters from the National Museum of Ethnology's collection” Shota Fukuoka (National Museum of Ethnology)
• “Historical recordings on records: New research possibilities through comedies and koa-á-chheh (narrative scripts)” Huang Yuyuan (National Museum of Taiwan History)
• “The publication and significance of Korean records in the Nippon Columbia metal masters database” Lee Jin Weon (Korea National University of Arts, School of Korean Traditional Arts)
• “Contemporary experiences heard on Hakka music SP records from the Japanese colonial period” Fan Yangkun (Associate Professor, Tainan National University of the Arts)
• “An introduction to the unreleased metal masters from Taiwan in Minpaku’s collection” Wang Ying-fen (National Taiwan University)
• “Expanding Korean music research through the Nippon Columbia metal master recordings database at the National Museum of Ethnology, Japan: the example of Seodo music” Im Hye Jung (Hanyang University)
• “The contents and research prospects of the recordings of ‘Red Regal’ and ‘Red and Black Regal’ released by Taiwan Columbia as read from the lyric sheets” Lin-Yu Liou (Nara University of Education)
• “Korean Shamanic and Buddhist Music on Record: Columbia Records ‘Pyongyang Kut’ and ‘Gagaku Banquet Music’” Yukio Uemura (Tokyo University of the Arts)

Outcomes from 2023

In FY1 we: (1) Created the database of images of metal masters; and (2) Selected songs to be included in the database of recordings scheduled to be created in FY2.

(1) Preparing information for database of images of metal masters
In the first half of the 20th century, records were produced according to the following process: (1) A groove is cut directly to a wax disc to produce what could be considered the “original” master disc; (2) The wax disc is then metal-plated to create the master (the negative of the wax disc which has peaks, the reverse of grooves); (3) A mother is then produced from the master (the mother has grooves); (4) The stamper for pressing the records (the stamper has peaks) is created from the mother; (5) The records are then pressed using the stamper. The wax discs and stampers were expendable and would be discarded once they wore out, leaving the mothers and masters. It is these latter two that we refer to here as “metal masters”.
Minpaku's collection of metal masters are stored in cardboard cases. Metal masters often have multiple numbers engraved on them, such as the master and record release numbers. From this information it is possible to determine the relationship between the recording session and the commercially produced record. The cases for the metal masters often have multiple dates inscribed on them indicating when work was undertaken, so from this we can determine when the metal master was made, when the stamper was made, and when the record was pressed. This information can be cross-referenced with documents kept by the record company about recording sessions, information on the labels of commercially released records, and information about record releases published in newspapers and magazines, to determine the date and process of the record's production and release, and provide important evidence for understanding the record company's production policy.
In FY1, we designed a metal master database, sorted photos of metal masters and cases that had already been taken for another project, photographed materials that had not yet been documented, and sorted and checked the data. This data will be added to the database.

(2) Selection of songs for the database of recordings
Working together with Taiwan and Korean music researchers, a research meeting was held with two domestic and three international joint researchers to select the recordings to be included in the database. Metal masters do not have the same kind of information about the recording on them as is found with labels on commercially produced records, so for recordings we had not previously been able to identify by sorting through related information and materials, we asked the joint researchers to listen to sound files and make suggestions for which recordings to include in the database. These amounted to just under 2,000 records from Taiwan and Korea respectively, far exceeding the initial plan of 400 records in total.
In discussions following this, it was decided that, while respecting the original policy of prioritizing recordings which are important for music research in each country and region, as well as those which are difficult to obtain elsewhere and whose period of copyright protection had expired, we would use this opportunity to try and make as many recordings available as possible. The reasons for this were as follows: (1) The recordings available in Taiwan and Korea are reproductions from commercially produced records, and some of them have poor sound quality; (2) Minpaku's collection is a comprehensive collection of recordings from Nipponophone Co., Ltd. (now NIPPON COLUMBIA CO., LTD.) and spans many genres and forms of music; (3) The publication of this database is expected to further advance research, and the joint researchers intend to cooperate as much as possible. Taking into account the work to be done at Minpaku, we will consider whether it is possible to create a database of the proposed recordings within the project time frame and draw up a schedule.
In addition, it has been confirmed that we will give a keynote speech about this project, as well as research presentations on related themes, at the Symposium of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance Study Group on Musics of East Asia to be held in August during FY2.