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| International Manga Research Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Manga Research Center |
| Established | 2000s |
| Location | Kyoto, Japan |
| Type | Library, Museum, Research Institute |
| Collection size | Tens of thousands |
International Manga Research Center The International Manga Research Center is a specialized research institute and public repository focused on manga studies, manga history, and visual culture. It serves as a hub for scholars, curators, and practitioners connected to Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Akira Toriyama, Naoko Takeuchi, Rumiko Takahashi, and diverse creators across Japan, France, the United States, and beyond. The center engages with international institutions such as the British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Bibliothèque nationale de France, National Diet Library, and Museum of Modern Art to preserve, catalogue, and exhibit manga materials.
The center functions as a hybrid of a research library, archive, and exhibition space, intersecting with collections like those of Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, Hakusensha, and Vertical (publisher). Its mandate covers conservation of original artwork by artists such as Katsuhiro Otomo, CLAMP, Moto Hagio, Leiji Matsumoto, Go Nagai, and Yoshihiro Togashi, while supporting scholarship linked to universities including Kyoto University, University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Columbia University, and Sōka University. The center promotes study of serialization formats from magazines like Weekly Shōnen Jump, Nakayoshi, Morning (magazine), Big Comic Spirits, and Bessatsu Shōjo Comic.
Founded amid growing academic interest in manga during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the center emerged alongside movements in visual studies exemplified by collections at The Louvre with manga exhibitions and academic programs at Keio University. Early initiatives connected with festivals like Comiket, Angoulême International Comics Festival, San Diego Comic-Con, and Lucca Comics & Games. Influential donors and collaborators included publishers such as Hakusensha and collectors affiliated with Tezuka Productions, Studio Ghibli, Gainax, and MAPPA. The institute developed internal cataloguing standards informed by archival practice at National Archives (Japan) and international guidelines from International Council on Archives.
Holdings encompass original manuscripts, serialized magazines, tankōbon, doujinshi, animation cels, and ephemera related to series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira (manga), Berserk, Death Note, Ghost in the Shell, and Astro Boy. The repository includes materials by creators such as Ichirō Ōkouchi, Yoshitoki Ōima, Junji Ito, Kengo Hanazawa, Hirohiko Araki, Tite Kubo, Eiichiro Oda, Kazuo Umezu, and Tsugumi Ohba. Specialized collections cover genres and movements linked to gekiga, shojo manga, seinen manga, shonen manga, and subcultures documented in fanzines from events like Comiket and labels such as Doujinshi. The archive also houses research files on adaptations tied to studios including Toei Animation, Sunrise, Production I.G, Bones (studio), and NHK broadcasts.
The center offers fellowships, postdoctoral positions, and visiting scholar programs affiliated with academic partners like Ritsumeikan University, Hosei University, University of Glasgow, Sorbonne University, University of California, Berkeley, and Toronto Metropolitan University. Curriculum initiatives span seminars on creators such as Osamu Dazai-era references, studies of visual narrative exemplified by Winsor McCay comparisons, and interdisciplinary projects with departments at Tokyo University of the Arts, Royal College of Art, and Central Saint Martins. Conferences and symposia have hosted speakers from Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge examining topics from serialization economics tied to Shueisha business models to copyright dialogues involving Creative Commons and World Intellectual Property Organization.
Public exhibitions have showcased originals and retrospectives dedicated to figures like Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Katsuhiro Otomo, and collectives such as CLAMP, accompanied by catalogues produced in collaboration with institutions such as Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and Mori Art Museum. Outreach programs include school tours coordinated with the Kyoto City Board of Education, workshops featuring manga artists from collectives like Manga Open Studio, guest lectures with editors from Weekly Shōnen Magazine, guided tours tied to city festivals such as Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair, and online initiatives with partners such as YouTube (company) channels and digital archives modelled after projects at Europeana.
Strategic partnerships span publishers (Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan), broadcasters (NHK, Fuji TV), cultural bodies (Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan), Japan Foundation), and museums including British Museum and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Academic collaborations include joint grants with Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, exchanges with Centre National du Livre, and cooperative digitization initiatives with National Diet Library and international repositories like Library of Congress and V&A Museum. The center works with rights holders such as Kadokawa Corporation and licensing bodies active at events like Angoulême and San Diego Comic-Con.
Located in Kyoto, the center is situated near cultural landmarks like Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto Station, Nijo Castle, and academic districts housing Kyoto Seika University, a notable institution for manga studies. Facilities include climate-controlled stacks, conservation labs modeled on practices from British Library, digitization studios equipped for high-resolution imaging used by Getty Conservation Institute, reading rooms, seminar spaces, and a gallery for temporary exhibitions. Visitor services coordinate with transit hubs such as JR West and local amenities provided by the Kyoto Municipal Subway.