Understanding the Histories of
Book Collections
Its Method, Significance, and Potential
Atsuhiko Wada, Waseda University
Introduction
Aim of My Research
To Clarify the histories of Japanese
book collections in the US
When, why, and how were these
book collections built?
Japanese Book Collections
Diachronic Research Project
(JBC Project)
The Japan-US Relationship
Viewed from Book Circulation
The history of book exchanges and
book distributions between countries
The formations and changes of basic
knowledge, images, and interests in
each country
Political, economic, and ethnic factors
Summary
1. What We Can See through the
History of Japan-US Book Exchanges
2.The Study of Literacy History, Its
Potential
3. Problems Concerning Library
Documents
1 What We Can See through the
History of Japan-US Book Exchanges.
The significance of the research
Viewed from Early Days of Japanese
collections in the US
1. The Important Roles of Nongovernment
Groups
2. Active Networks and Connections of People
in the US and Japan
3. Active Key People who Connected 1) and 2)
Asakawa Kanichi
朝川貫一
1873-1948
Tsunoda Ryusaku
角田柳作
1877-1946
Harada Tasuku
原田助
1863-1940
Kuroita Katsumi
黒板勝美
1874-1946
Shibusawa Eiichi
渋沢栄一
1840-1931
Considering the creation of Japanese book collections
and libraries helps clarify these active relationships of
people and organizations in both countries.
Japan Reference Library
1939-1941
Sakanishi Shio
坂西志保
1896-1976
Considering the history of Japanese
collections sheds light on the confrontations
between two countries, as well as the lives
involved in them.
The Navy Japanese Language School 1941-
Studying the history of Japanese book
collections clarifies the processes and
reasons of growth of Japanese studies and
Japanese language courses in the US.
The study of the history of book collections
is useful for providing accurate information
of books at each library.
The WDC collection at The Library of
Congress
Two Major Flows of Books from
Japan during the Occupation
1. The Washington Document Center
2. The Civil Censorship Detachment
Literacy History
Literacy history studies the creation
and changes of writing and reading
abilities.
2 Literacy History, Its Potentials
The potentials of the
study of literacy history
Journal of Literacy History
2008-
The Library of The Nihon Rikko Kai
日本力行会（1897-）移民史料室
Books and Journals in Japanese in
Various Communities Abroad
The Journals Sympathetic to the "Kachigumi",
Believers of Japan's victory
The study of literacy
history can shed light
on these items lost
between countries
The Histories of Book Circulations in Each Country
Takami Bookshop 高美書店(1797-）
Mastumoto City, Nagano
The external information of books
•Where the books are located
•The dates of purchases
•How many copies were sold
influences how the books are interpreted
The Japan Foundation Information Library
The old documents of The Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai
国際文化振興会文書
The translation project of Akutagawa works
Akutagawa Ryunosuke
芥川龍之介
1892-1927
“A Ball”, 「舞踏会」（「新潮」Jan.1920）
Rokumei-kan 鹿鳴館
Original context
in 1920
The political context of Indo-China in 1941
Readers of the story
The impressions and interpretations of a
novel depend on the location and
situation in which the novel was read.
3 Problems Concerning Library
Documents
Important resource for my research project
The daily documents produced at libraries
Annual reports, statistics, applications
for various funds, and correspondences
between librarians or book dealers
Necessity and Usefulness of the Cooperation
between Librarians of Japanese Collection and
University Archivists
The Preservation Policy of the University
Archives
The Increasing Records of E-Mail Transactions
The active use of archival material
in various course programs
Waseda Library
Rare Book
and Special
Collection
Room
Data Processing
Preservation
Cataloguing
Reprinting (翻刻)
Library material
Waseda University
Graduate School
of Education
Graduate School
of Political Science
Archival Education and Training
Effective use of library material