Research Leader: Tatsuo ARAKI
The University of Tokyo has a rich collection of various editions of Shuihuzhuan in its possession. However, not all of the items in this collection have necessarily been made conveniently available for use. Aspiring to contribute to improving the quality of research work through enhancing convenience of use of the research resources and preparing a well-arranged environment allowing for more researchers to access the materials, U-PARL is working on creating digital images of the editions of Shuihuzhuan in the possession of the University of Tokyo and making them accessible to the public. The starting point of this project will be analyzing how the editions of Shuihuzhuan that will become easier to access could be used in future research activities.
Within the framework of this project, a number of scholars of outstanding achievements and expertise in diverse genres of scientific knowledge have already defined research themes and have been advancing—each from their own perspective—research using the editions of Shuihuzhuan in the possession of the University of Tokyo. An exchange of opinions among these scholars is expected to induce further progress in the research and generate new research themes. Moreover, we anticipate that, in the process of carrying out the research, the scholars will also look into the possibilities and problems of such research work dealing with digital images and come up with advice on a future vision for interrelations between digital materials and humanities studies.