1952). The department publishes an annual research bulletin since 1968, a bi
annual newsletter since 1965, and editions of historical documents since 1980.
In 1979, a list of bibliographic catalogues in the collections of the Department
was published. The number of archives (provenances): 340 in original form
and 79 on microfilm.
The activities of Shiryokan, from the beginning, in conformity with those
of Kinsei Shiryo chosa Iinkai (Committee to study archives of the Tokugawa
period, whose activity lasted from 1948 to 1953) and of Chihoshi Kenkyu
Kyogikai (Association of local history studies, since 1949), have contributed
to a great extent to the advancement of local history studies in Japan.
The number of local repositories in Japan amounts to 1,487. This figure in
cludes archives departments of local au tori ties, libraries, museums and other
independent facilities of corporations, etc. Most of these repositories are
small and not open to the public. Their geographical distribution is as fol
lows:
Hokkaido 190 Chubu 152
Tohoku 192 Kinki 169
Kanto 143 Sanyo and San'in 122
Tokyo 120 Shikoku 81
Koshin'etsu 201 Kyushu and Okinawa 117
Archives in private possession are generally not arranged and badly preserved.
Needless to say, their catalogues are far from complete. These privately owned
documents have been utilized by historians who usually do not care for their
preservation after having used them for their personal research. In recent
times, private archives have been used by local governments to write the histo
ry of their localities. However, once the original documents had been copied,
they were given back to the owner where they were left as they used to be.
The 1,487 local repositories cannot be considered as archival institutions in
the strict sense. In most of them there exist no proper archival administration.
Only less than 20 have facilities and equipment available to the public. But
even if they have the facilities, strangely enough, there are no proper posts
for professional archivists. This peculiar situation reflects the fact that the
lack of legal and social recognition of archives coincides with a shortage of
professional archivists.
There is, of course, a strong request to establish an archives law, but the
government, with little understanding of its importance, has disregarded the
recommendations and suggestions which frequently have been made by Ga-
kujutsu Kaigi (Science Council). There is only one Member of Parliament
who understands the problem and is willing to take a positive action towards
an archives law.
What is now required is educated personnel whose job it is to do research
on original sources, analyse their characters, put them in proper order, devise
proper preservation methods and repair records if they are threatened by
destruction. What is also required is a curriculum of regular education and
courses to train professional archivists. If archives are preserved in libraries
and museums, it is not uncommon that neither librarians nor curators are fa
miliar with the distinctions between the keeping of books and the manage
ment of archives, thereby neglecting the principle of provenance.
258
259
[okkaido
Tohoki
'Koshin'etsu
Tokyo/
Chubu
>Kinki
Shikoku
Kyushu
<f Okinawa
