Today, testimonies, documents, and other records that enable us to understand the history of the Japanese content industry are becoming increasingly valuable. For this reason, we have established the History of Content Industry Archives Research Center to create digital archives of primary documents of Japanese content and culture—including IT, video games, manga, anime, and the internet culture—and to bequeath them to future generations.
オーラル・ヒストリー コレクション
ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION
オーラル・ヒストリーとは、人々から過去の出来事や経験したことについて、個人へのインタビューを通じて言葉を記録・収集し、保存する研究手法です。
コンテンツ産業史アーカイブ研究センターでは、各コンテンツ分野で活躍した人々へのインタビューを行い、日本のコンテンツ産業の発展における貴重な証言をオーラル・ヒストリーとして収集していきます。
なお、収集したオーラル・ヒストリーはコンテンツ産業史の軌跡を知るための一次資料として、保存・公開しています。
最新トピックスNEWS
- 202507/23
ZEN University HARC releases "Oral History Collection" of testimonials from leading figures in the content industry. The first in the series includes Yasuhiro Fukushima, founder of the former Enix Co., Ltd., manga artist Machiko Satonaka, and others.
The ZEN University Content Industry History Archive Research Center (HARC) released the first installment of its "Oral History Collection" on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, which contains video and transcripts of testimonies from industry leaders who have been active in various fields related to the Japanese content industry.
- 202507/15
Special lecture to commemorate the conclusion of a joint research project to consider archiving Japan's expressive cultural resources: "Learn, create, and preserve 'art and entertainment' - from tradition to the present" to be held on July 23
The ZEN University Content Industry History Archive Research Center (HARC) and the Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center (ARC) will hold a special lecture, "Learn, Create, Preserve 'Art and Entertainment' - From Tradition to the Present" on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 13:00 to commemorate their joint research and academic exchange.
- 202506/11
ZEN University HARC cooperates with the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "Nokosu! Ikasu!! Manga, Anime, and Games Exhibition in Tokyo 2025"
ZEN University's Content Industry History Archive Research Center (HARC) is pleased to announce that it will be cooperating with the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "Nokosu! Ikasu!! Manga, Anime, and Games Exhibition in Tokyo 2025," which will be held at the National Art Center, Tokyo from Saturday, June 14, 2025. HARC researcher Chitoko KOIDE is in charge of the games section of the exhibition.
The purpose of this exhibition is to consider archives in the fields of manga, anime, and games, and it is a traveling exhibition of the "Nokosu! Ikasu!! Manga, Anime, and Games Exhibition" held at the Kyoto International Manga Museum in 2024.
Please see the link below for details.(Japanise)
ZEN大学HARC、文化庁主催 「のこす！いかす！！マンガ・アニメ・ゲーム展 in Tokyo 2025」に協力
メディア掲載MEDIA COVERAGE
- 202507/26
"Oral history" records testimonies from the people involved, preserving even the background and ideas of the content. A lecture on "archiving" was held, and because it is difficult to physically preserve a wide range of games, testimonies from people at the time are important as academic primary sources.
For more information, please check the link below.
- 202507/22
From "300 hits on the first day" to 3.3 billion page views per month - Behind the scenes of the explosive growth of Maho no iLand How was the "miraculous service" that captivated junior and senior high school girls in the early days of mobile born? - An interview with Rei Tanii
For more information, please check the link below.
- 202504/21
I take pride in having created the microcomputer era - To Japan's "crazy" engineers. Have you heard of Sword, the Japanese microcomputer venture in the 1980s? - Interview with Takayoshi Shiina (Part 2)
For more information, please check the link below.
ミッションMISSION
Japan is a leading creator of expressive culture in the modern age. Its content industry has exerted a significant influence on societies across the world, and its modern and comprehensive cultural and creative industry has developed a considerable presence both in Japan and overseas. The mission of the Historical Archive Research Center is to collect from far and wide primary documents that relate to the people, objects, and events that shaped this history; to establish an archive to preserve these documents; and to make these documents available to the public for research, education, business creation, and other social uses.