Tansei 18: the Humanities of UTokyo, and UTokyo of the Humanities
Welcome to the 18th issue of the English edition of Tansei. The theme of this edition is “the Humanities of UTokyo, and UTokyo of the Humanities.” These days, with particular regard to research into complex global issues, the line between the humanities and the sciences is becoming ever more blurred. However, it is also true that university organizations in Japan, especially those that focus on education over research, clearly divide academia into the humanities and the sciences in the interest of providing intensive training in specialized fields. Leading off this issue, we are pleased to present an interview between Professor Yojiro Ishii, representing the humanities, and Professor Takaaki Kajita, representing the sciences, with moderation provided by Dr. Sawako Shirahase, Vice Director of the Public Relations Office. Next, while reviewing the distribution map of all of UTokyo’s humanities disciplines, we also have a variety of humanities professors discuss their research. We then wrap up the breadth and depth of our journey into the humanities with an intriguing menagerie of materials from some of the University’s many humanities archives. Finally, this edition’s Campus Walk presents the current highlights of the Asano Campus. This campus once housed the Computer Center, where many graduates, from both the humanities and the sciences, would have spent some of their time as students.
Shinji Suzuki
Director
The University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Shinji Suzuki
Director
The University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Cover
Featured on the cover of this issue is the stack room of the General Library on the Hongo Campus. The stacks, which had been installed at the time of the Library’s establishment in 1928, were proudly stated to have a “total capacity of five hundred thousand books,” and that “if placed end-to-end, the stacks would span a distance of five ri (about 20 km).” The stacks were crafted by the Mitsubishi Shipyard in Nagasaki, a producer of many historical warships. Sharing the same hometown as such famous ships as the Musashi and the Kirishima, these stacks support a brilliant accumulation of knowledge.
About Tansei
Tansei is the magazine of the University of Tokyo. The school color of the University of Tokyo is light blue (tansei in Japanese). It was first used in a rowing regatta between the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in 1920. The choice of light blue or dark blue was decided by drawing lots. Kyoto drew dark blue and Tokyo light blue, and these have been the two universities' respective colors ever since.
Featured on the cover of this issue is the stack room of the General Library on the Hongo Campus. The stacks, which had been installed at the time of the Library’s establishment in 1928, were proudly stated to have a “total capacity of five hundred thousand books,” and that “if placed end-to-end, the stacks would span a distance of five ri (about 20 km).” The stacks were crafted by the Mitsubishi Shipyard in Nagasaki, a producer of many historical warships. Sharing the same hometown as such famous ships as the Musashi and the Kirishima, these stacks support a brilliant accumulation of knowledge.
About Tansei
Tansei is the magazine of the University of Tokyo. The school color of the University of Tokyo is light blue (tansei in Japanese). It was first used in a rowing regatta between the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in 1920. The choice of light blue or dark blue was decided by drawing lots. Kyoto drew dark blue and Tokyo light blue, and these have been the two universities' respective colors ever since.
Credits
Print Edition
Produced by the University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Director: Shinji Suzuki (Director of the Public Relations Office & Professor, School of Engineering)
Masataka Kinoshita (Professor, Earthquake Research Institute)
Shinichirou Takahashi (Professor, Historiographical Institute)
Keiko Mitani (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology)
Jiro Takai, Mami Yagihashi (Public Relations Group)
Noriko Nakamaru (Alumni Affairs Group)
Kazuhiro Mori, Kumiko Kajino (Alumni Office)
Production
Art Direction: Mitsunobu Hosoyamada (Hosoyamada Design Office)
Design: Christian Cesar Gusukuma (Hosoyamada Design Office)
Photos: Junichi Kaizuka (pp. 1, 3-7, 32)
Printing: Tosho Printing Co., Ltd.
Date of Publication: September 9, 2016
Web Edition
Produced by the University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Editing and Translation: Whitney Matthews, Raita Taguchi
Design and Production: Nami Kikuchi
Contact
The University of Tokyo
Public Relations Group
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo 113-8654
TEL +81-(0)3-3811-3393
FAX +81-(0)3-3816-3913
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
pr.adm AT gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
This English-language edition of Tansei is available online only and does not feature all of the articles included in the Japanese edition.
Produced by the University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Director: Shinji Suzuki (Director of the Public Relations Office & Professor, School of Engineering)
Public Relations Magazine Committee
Sawako Shirahase (Vice Director of the Public Relations Office & Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology)Masataka Kinoshita (Professor, Earthquake Research Institute)
Shinichirou Takahashi (Professor, Historiographical Institute)
Keiko Mitani (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology)
Jiro Takai, Mami Yagihashi (Public Relations Group)
Noriko Nakamaru (Alumni Affairs Group)
Kazuhiro Mori, Kumiko Kajino (Alumni Office)
Production
Art Direction: Mitsunobu Hosoyamada (Hosoyamada Design Office)
Design: Christian Cesar Gusukuma (Hosoyamada Design Office)
Photos: Junichi Kaizuka (pp. 1, 3-7, 32)
Printing: Tosho Printing Co., Ltd.
Date of Publication: September 9, 2016
Web Edition
Produced by the University of Tokyo Public Relations Office
Editing and Translation: Whitney Matthews, Raita Taguchi
Design and Production: Nami Kikuchi
Contact
The University of Tokyo
Public Relations Group
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo 113-8654
TEL +81-(0)3-3811-3393
FAX +81-(0)3-3816-3913
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
pr.adm AT gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
This English-language edition of Tansei is available online only and does not feature all of the articles included in the Japanese edition.