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
- 202508/27
The second part of the HARC oral history has been released, with interviews with Takao Keiji and Hagino Masaaki from IT, and Sugaya Mitsuru from manga!
The ZEN University Content Industry History Archive Research Center (HARC) released the second installment of its "Oral History Collection" on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. The collection features video and transcripts of testimonies from leading figures in various fields related to Japan's content industry.
- 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.
メディア掲載MEDIA COVERAGE以下の記事をクリックするとメディアの記事へ直接飛びます。
- 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.
- 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
- 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)
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.