Description

The aim of this project is to create a comprehensive archive of Minpaku’s collection of pre- to post-war Oceania materials. This will be centered around the Toshio Asaeda and Joji Oshima collections, but we are planning to link these with other existing materials. The project will be implemented in two stages.
Specifically, we will create a chronological timeline of Japan and Oceania, add related research materials to individual collection items, and then link those items to the timeline. Each collection is generally grouped by individual name or expedition unit, which means that connections outside of that individual context - for example, the connection between the collection and the country or region of origin - are often tenuous. Through this archive, however, we will place the territorial relationships between Japan and Oceania in the context of the time period and region in question. Our focus will be on the collections of Toshio Asaeda and George Ohshima. In the case of the former, we will seek to expand the research materials through international collaborative research, while in the case of the latter, we will create a chronology and list of Ohshima's works, and build a database that organically links the photographs to this and places them in time. Through this process, we will be able to use Minpaku's materials to present an overview of the history of Japanese collection and accumulation of Oceania materials, while also publishing results based on individual collections.
Within this overall framework, we will conduct international collaborative research on the Toshio Asaeda collection and create a database for the George Ohshima photographic collection. For the former, we will use the existing Toshio Asaeda database and collaborate with museums in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States to conduct a study of international Pacific collections. In particular, we intend to work with international collaborators at the California Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge to conduct a study of related materials held overseas, and to situate and research Minpaku's materials within the prewar period of Pacific collection history.
Regarding the latter, Joji Oshima was a geographer who amassed a collection of 7,889 photographs from around the world between 1967 and 1991 (4,271 of which are from Oceania), including photographs of fishing culture as well as photographs relevant to area studies research. Oceania covers a vast area and this period covers a transitional period from the colonial era to the era of independence, so this collection is very suitable material for this project. In creating this database, we will conduct studies to expand and improve the accuracy of the basic information and obtain feedback from the source community by working with international research collaborators at the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, which houses related materials, and with international collaborators at the Australian National University, who are currently working on a comprehensive research project on materials from the Torres Strait. The database will be in Japanese and English, and by creating a chronology and list of Oshima's works, it will be possible to trace organic links between his writings and dissertations and the photographs in the Minpaku collection. By synthesizing Minpaku's materials in this way, we will not only make them available for further research, but also create a collection of materials that will help deepen insight into the history and culture of both the communities of the collection sites and the general public.

Expected results

The result we expect from this project is an archive that will serve as a portal for Minpaku's collection of Oceania materials from the pre- and post-war periods. Minpaku's current collections and archives exist independently and are only weakly connected. The archive we plan to build in this project will integrate them from the perspective of the history of Japan-Oceania relations, and will allow for cross-disciplinary and organic use of various materials, such as artifacts, audiovisual materials, and research papers. We plan to coordinate with the ongoing collaborative research project, A Study on the Formation and Use of Pacific Ethnographic Collections by the Japanese, to conduct a careful examination of the Toshio Asaeda collection materials and to publish a collection of papers in English. We are also considering contributing other papers related to the activities of the project. In addition, we plan to hold international symposia in cooperation with local researchers at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea and the international co-researchers at the Australian National University.

Outcomes from 2022

During this fiscal year, we considered the framework for Minpaku's comprehensive archive on the history of relations between Japan and Oceania, and created a preliminary first draft of the chronological timeline that will appear on the home page as the gateway to the digital archive. In addition, we gave a related presentation as part of the National Museum of Ethnology's interuniversity research project, "A Study on the Formation and Use of Pacific Ethnographic Collections by the Japanese. Focusing on the Toshio Asaeda Collection of the National Museum of Ethnology" (hereafter referred to as "Minpaku's Research Meeting").
For the Toshio Asaeda collection, we continued the analysis of the watercolors and published a peer-reviewed research paper. International collaborators are currently digitizing the Toshio Asaeda watercolors in the California Academy of Sciences collection and plan to eventually make them available on the Internet. Six related presentations were given at the Minpaku Research Meeting.
With the help of outside experts, we have made progress in determining the subject matter of the photographs in the Joji Oshima and Kyoto University Research Team collections, and in translating the photographic materials into English. As for the Oshima collection, we have conducted a thorough study of his writings and articles, and prepared a chronology and list of achievements. The international collaborators have completed their examination of the photographs in the Torres Strait portion of the collection, and we are now gathering information from the local community. An exhibition and symposium reflecting these findings is being planned. For the Papua New Guinea materials from the collections of the Oshima and Kyoto University research teams, we have conducted a field study with the joint researchers and held discussions with the University of Papua New Guinea and the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery on issues such as annotations for the collections, with the aim of enriching the materials. We received a very positive response from these institutions, so we would like to see if we can enter into agreements with them in the next fiscal year. We also published a related essay.
One project member conducted a study of Minpaku's collection of Melanesian materials, and two related papers were published. Because of the covid crisis, we found it difficult to conduct a field study of the Marshall Island materials, so one project menber stayed at the University of Hawaii to collect and study related historical materials.
In implementing the project this fiscal year, we became aware that it is impossible to think about Japan-Oceania relations without considering the impact of the Pacific War. We would like to continue the research in collaboration with institutions in Papua New Guinea and reflect this in some way in the comprehensive archive. Related materials in the Minpaku collection include Seiichi Izumi's report and diary of his stay in Papua New Guinea. During this fiscal year, we read the relevant sections of the diary and digitized parts of it.