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Historiographical Institute, The University of Tokyo

Page history last edited by Takahiro Yamamoto 9 years, 11 months ago

Historiographical Institute, The University of Tokyo (HI; Shiryo Hensan-jo)

 

Date of Trip: February 2014

 

Source: Takahiro Yamamoto, t.yamamoto1@lse.ac.uk

 

Location: 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, JAPAN

 

Getting started: This archive, located within the university of Tokyo, stores massive amount of primary sources on Japanese history from the antiquity to the Meiji Restoration. Their main jobs as an archive is to collect, edit, and publish Japanese and relevant foreign primary sources. Especially the materials on Meiji Restoration are extensive. Although many of them are already available in printed format (e.g. Fukko-ki, Dainihon Ishin Shiryo, Tsushin Zenran, Bakumatsu Gaikoku Kankei Monjo), they are essential source for bakumatsu history.

 

How to get there: HI is in the Hongo campus of The University of Tokyo. Get off at Hongo-sanchome metro station on the Marunouchi line or the Toei-Oedo line. When you come to the ground level you will find a big intersection. Go north for a couple of blocks and you will see the campus on the right side. When you enter through the red gate (Akamon), HI is in the first building you see on the left. There is a plate that says 史料編纂所 that is a little hard to recongnise. The archive is on the third floor.

 

Language: Japanese

 

Opening Hours: 

Mon to Fri 9am to 4:45pm.

 

General working conditions:

The reading room is small, but you will always find an empty desk. No seat allocation unless you ask for items from rare collections, in which case you need to sit in a separate section.

 

Getting started:

You need a letter of introduction from your home institution. It can be in English. Bring that along with your university ID and the application form https://www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/tosho/etsuran-f.pdf. They then will issue you a reader’s card. Every time you arrive at the archive you are to give this card at the counter. They will in return give you a key for the locker located on the corridor outside the reading room, and the badge you are to wear in the reading room. You also need to indicate this number on the badge on the paper slip when you place orders.

 

Consultation:

Check their catalogue from http://wwwap.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ships/db.html. Click where it says データベース検索画面(deta besu kensaku gamen) at the bottom of the page. Then choose 所蔵史料目録データベース(shozo shiryo mokuroku deta besu) on top left. This is the catalogue for their collection. Fill in the paper slip with reference number and the title of the document and give it to the archivists. They will call your name when the document arrives, which only takes a few minutes. You can order up to five materials at any point.

 

Policy on technology: 

Laptops are allowed, but no photographs. Power plugs are provided. No wifi.

 

Particularities: 

They are in the process of digitizing the documents they have collected from other local libraries, archives, and private holders. These materials have been made accessible from the computers in the reading room. Make sure the box that says ‘H-CAT Plus’ is turned on in the search option of the catalogue, so that the result from this internal database will also show up in the results (note that this box appears only on the computers connected to their internal network). Unfortunately they don’t allow you to save images to a USB drive, and printing requires cumbersome application because they have to check with the holders of the original materials for permission.

 

Etc:

One of the reasons I enjoy going to this archive is the choice of lunch available in the vicinity. As this is college campus, the neighbourhood is full of inexpensive but decent restaurants and cafes. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Miyamoto (proper Japanese food)http://www1.tcn-catv.ne.jp/fc-miya/

Map http://www1.tcn-catv.ne.jp/fc-miya/map.html

MarusoSoba)https://plus.google.com/112881982462460527609/about?gl=uk&hl=en

Sesamitei(Szechuan-style noodle with Japanese adaptations)

http://www.bunkyoku-town.com/do/001/006/

Morikawa (casual Japanese)

https://plus.google.com/103385131337761456419/about?gl=uk&hl=en

The university canteens are not too bad. There are several within the campus but try Icho Metro, where you can sit on a tatami floor, or go to Chuo Shokudo for their famous Akamon ramen.

http://www.ut-life.net/special/08canteen/hongo/

The street in front of the campus is full of small cafes.

 

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