Objectives

The Info-Forum Museum database (hereafter Forum DB) on folk performing arts in Tokunoshima and Amamioshima, was conceived by gathering and accumulating information in collaboration with researchers and local performers, and in this project, we will publish and share it with museums in the local community, as well as research institutes and universities which operate in related fields. Through collaboration with local performers and participants, as well as researchers on and outside of the islands, we will pioneer research into new areas by promoting joint research based on the Forum DB across a wide range of fields, from research into cutting edge issues in folk performing arts, to practical considerations which will contribute to local performances and upholding the traditions of folk performing arts. Furthermore, we will utilize the results and findings from this research to produce multimedia contents and exhibitions about the folk performing arts on both islands, and release them at local museums. By producing and releasing multimedia contents and exhibitions which reflect the results and findings of research meetings and joint research based on the Forum DB, we can not only promote the performance and preservation of folk performing arts on both islands, but also promote further studies on them by researchers both on and outside of the islands, and foster a deeper understanding of them among the general public. In this way, these multimedia contents and exhibitions will provide a wide range of uses for everyone involved in the islands’ folk performing arts. In addition, this project will provide a space for residents in each community to rediscover their local folk performing arts culture.

Description

Joint research of Tokunoshima and Amamioshima folk performing arts based on the Forum DB
- The Forum DB is structured as a map with visual and other information about Tokunoshima and Amamioshima displayed for each village. Users can access the information by selecting one of the villages. It is in an online format which allows local performers and researchers to add information, and through this it is possible to enrich the DB contents. This DB featuring these special characteristics will be shared with the performers and participants of folk performing arts, as well as researchers on and outside of the islands, and with their collaboration and cooperation, we will conduct joint research into a variety of issues.
- The following research themes are currently under consideration: utilizing the DB for the practice of folk performing arts; clarifying the diversity of involvement within the local communities; developing new areas of folk performing arts research based on the DB; using the DB to aid local performers’ understanding of folk performing arts and activities for preserving their traditions; using the publication and operation of the DB as a way to promote research collaboration and cooperation with museums, which are hubs of regional history and culture, as well as research institutes and universities operating in related fields.

Enriching and publishing the Forum DB of folk performing arts in Tokunoshima
- In order to enrich the DB, we will add various types of information which reflect the results and findings of the joint research based on the Forum DB of folk performing arts in Tokunoshima; for example, the differences in folk performing arts between the two islands, as well as between the other regions of the Amami Islands. New data acquired through the publication of the Forum DB will also be input, such as song lyrics and anecdotes about the folk performing arts in each village.
- The special characteristics of the DB include the ability for users to select and obtain required information about folk performing arts on Tokunoshima, and to enrich the DB by adding appropriate supplementary information. In light of this, publication of the DB will be limited to local museums, as well as research institutes and universities operating in related fields, but it will be run as a basic database of folk performing arts on the island.

Building and publishing a Forum DB of folk performing arts in Amamioshima
- Using the Forum DB template created by the Information Systems and Services department, we will build a Forum DB of folk performing arts in Amamioshima featuring data such as video footage of folk performing arts across the island recorded for the multimedia contents “Songs, Dances and Festivals in Amamioshima”, which is currently being proposed as an information project for FY2022.
- The DB will be published and operated in the same form as the Forum DB of Tokunoshima folk performing arts.

Enriching and publishing multimedia contents utilizing the Forum DB of folk performing arts in Tokunoshima and Amamioshima
- For the multimedia contents about folk performing arts in both islands, we will reflect the results and findings of joint research based on the Forum DB of folk performing arts in both islands, and enrich the DB by adding various types of information; for example, the differences in folk performing arts between the two islands, as well as between the other regions of the Amami Islands. New data, such as song lyrics and anecdotes about the folk performing arts in each village, will also be input. In addition to publishing the DB in local museums, we will consider publishing them in other locations, such as libraries.
- The multimedia contents are in a standalone format with no function for interactively adding information, but they can be deployed regardless of the network environment and are relatively easy to maintain, making it possible to operate them in various different locations and situations. The multimedia contents can therefore be utilized to make the Forum DB information and research results based on it available to a wide range of people, including the general public.

Creating exhibitions utilizing the Forum DB of folk performing arts in Tokunoshima and Amamioshima
- As part of the research output of findings from joint research based on the Forum DB of folk performing arts in both islands, we will create an exhibition using the DB information, system and accumulated video data.
- The exhibition will be structured so that the folk performing arts of both islands can be considered from a broad perspective (for example, from the perspective of the Amami islands as a whole), and we will aim to create content that can be easily understood by the general public just by viewing the exhibits on display.

Hosting research meetings and publishing research results
- After holding the exhibition of multimedia contents and Forum DB of folk performing arts in both islands, we will host local research meetings to evaluate the project and sort through any issues that came to light during its implementation. Based on reports and discussions at these and other joint research meetings, we will compile and publish a collection of research papers, in order to summarize the results of this research and make them available to the public.

Expected results

- The Forum DB of folk performing arts in both islands have accumulated various types of information, such as video footage of the folk performing arts from around the islands, and are in an online format which allow them to be updated with new information. They are the basic databases of folk performing arts in both islands, however operating them places various demands on the users; when adding new information, it is necessary to consider the suitability of the content, and when searching the databases, users must sort through large volumes of richly diverse information and verify whether the information they have found is suitable as research material. Because of these characteristics, the availability of the DB is limited to performers and participants directly involved in performing and upholding the traditions of folk performing arts, researchers on and outside of the islands, museums, research institutes and universities. In addition to publishing the results and findings of the joint research based on the DB as research papers, we expect to make them available to the public by utilizing them in the creation of multimedia contents and exhibitions about folk performing arts in both islands.
- The multimedia contents about folk performing arts in both islands will utilize the results and findings of joint research based on the Forum DB, as well as the DB information and system, but will be created in a form which requires minimal intervention from the user to operate them. Although the contents are in a standalone format which does not allow the ad hoc addition of information, they can be deployed regardless of the network environment and are easy to maintain. Due to these characteristics, we can consider making the contents available in libraries and local museums, and they can be utilized by a wide range of people, including the general public.
- As with the multimedia contents, the exhibition of folk performing arts in both islands will also utilize the results and findings of joint research based on the Forum DB, as well as the DB information and system. Using the accumulation of video footage of folk performing arts in the DB as the main material, we will create a simplified version with less information than the DB, and release it in local museums for a wide range of people to see.
- The Forum DB, multimedia contents and exhibition will fulfill three different roles: the basic database contains large volumes of information, but requires a certain amount of intervention by the user and is the specialist Forum DB; the multimedia contents are relatively easy to operate and are targeted at the layperson, while still providing quite detailed information about each type of folk performing arts; the exhibition is targeted at an even more general audience and presents the folk performing arts of each island in an easy-to-understand visual format. In this way we can achieve a two-way interaction, whereby the results of research based on the Forum DB can be returned to the general public through the multimedia contents and exhibitions, while at the same time, through exposure to the multimedia contents and exhibitions, the general public are encouraged to engage with and participate in the Forum DB.

Outcomes from 2022

This fiscal year, we improved and enriched the multimedia contents “Songs, Dances and Festivals of Tokunoshima” based on the Forum DB “Songs and Dances of Tokunoshima”. We completed the prototype of the video exhibition “Island Folk Performing Arts”, and carried out a trial release in local museums around Tokunoshima, including Yui no Yakata in Amagi Town. One on-site and three remote research meetings were held by project participants to consider the contents of the DB, multimedia contents and exhibition, as well as their use in research and practice. Discussions were held to identify issues and points worthy of positive evaluation.
In terms of the evaluation of the DB, multimedia contents and video exhibition, one point regarding the improvement and enrichment of the multimedia contents based on the DB that received a positive evaluation was the idea of providing category headings for characteristic features of Tokunoshima’s folk performing arts, such as the collective dancing at seasonal festivals and folk performing arts related to rice cultivation. The view was that this provides a useful a point of reference for users when operating and watching the multimedia contents, even if they are not from the island or are unfamiliar with the islands’ geography or folk performing arts. On the other hand, issues were also raised, such as the need for an environment where users can operate and view the multimedia contents at their leisure, due to the large volume of information. As for the video exhibition, the fact that it presents folk performing arts in the Amami Islands and islands north of Kyushu, as well as the folk performing arts and festivals of Tokunoshima, was evaluated positively – by contrasting Tokunoshima with other regions, residents of the island would be able to increase their understanding of Tokunoshima's special characteristics. Since the exhibition is made up of short videos which are easy to operate and watch, the view was that it could be released and utilized in various locations, such as tourist facilities, and not just limited to museums. Overall, we received generally favorable evaluations from the project participants.
However, several points were also raised as issues. Regarding the online publication and collection of information for the Forum DB, issues raised included the need to accelerate the process for achieving wider publication, as well as the question of how to frame this project’s policy for sorting information provided by users within Minpaku’s overall concept for the Forum DB. Although we were able to carry out the trial release of the multimedia contents in the local community, it highlighted the fact that the contents had originally been designed for use in Minpaku’s videotheque booths, so additional set-up work is required to operate them on a PC in a different viewing environment. It became clear there were technical problems that would hinder a wider public release of the contents at the various locations we had originally envisioned, and the question was raised of how to improve this. As for the video exhibition, the ease of viewing the contents clearly makes it accessible to the general public, however the question arises of how to encourage people to go beyond just viewing the exhibition, and get them to engage with the multimedia contents and Forum DB, with their wealth of additional information.
When utilizing this kind of video for the practice of upholding folk performing arts traditions, there is a tendency to emphasize the formal aspect of it as a record or model of how to dance, and to use it as reference material when learning the folk performing art. In order to uphold and pass on the traditions of folk performing arts, however, it is important for the performers to develop an affection for and interest in the folk performing arts, and to enjoy performing them. The very interesting question was raised, therefore, of how to ensure the video is not just utilized for the formal aspects of folk performing arts, but also helps to achieve these other aims.