Kyoto University's Old Earthquake Study Group exhibited at Niconico Chokaigi, 29-30 April, at the Makuhari Messe convention complex in Chiba, promoting participation in honkoku , transcription of historical records about earthquakes. Niconico Chokaigi is an annual festival organized by the UGC (user generated content) video sharing and live-streaming service Niconico.
The Group began working on honkoku in April 2012, as a means of studying past disasters through the transcription of historical writings describing earthquakes. These are typically written in kuzushiji , an archaic cursive script, requiring rewriting into modern characters.
The Group's Niconico booth presented on how to decipher kuzushiji using a learning app called Minnade Honkoku (Let's read old writings together). The group also held a workshop where participants made mini- kakejiku (hanging scrolls) of their own writings in kuzushiji . The seats in the booth were fully occupied throughout the event, including a wide range of participants such as even 'cosplayers' dressed as anime characters.
Many of the participants, experiencing honkoku for the first time, said "It's a great fun," and "Honkoku has opened up a new horizon for me."
A live video stream from the booth attracted more than 13,000 viewers on the first day, fueled by enthusiasm on the internet.
The organizers of the honkoku booth included: Professor Ichiro Nakanishi of the Graduate School of Science, the leader of the Old Earthquake Study Group; Assistant Professor Yasuyuki Kano of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute; Yuta Hashimoto, a graduate of the Graduate School of Letters; Ms Yoko Odagi, a research support staffer at the Graduate School of Science; and students of the Graduate School of Letters.
The group also co-hosted a workshop with researchers from Osaka University, the National Institute of Informatics, the National Institute of Japanese Literature, and the National Museum of Japanese History, along with editors from Kasamashoin. Colleagues from the Meteorological Research Institute, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Tokyo Metropolitan Library also came to help, making the booth a space for lively interdisciplinary exchange among researchers, and between researchers and other participants.
"Niconico Chokaigi" attracted more than 150, 000 visitors over two days
Numerous visitors tried their hand at honkoku with the help of KU graduate students
Researchers and graduate students helping participants hone their honkoku skills
A cosplayer enjoyed honkoku, blending in with the historical theme of the booth
Related links
- Kyoto U Research News: Reading beyond time and across disciplines
http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/cutting-edge/continuum/page01.html
- Minnade Honkoku (Let's read old writings together)
https://honkoku.org/ (in Japanese)
