Project:

Comparative Research of City Cultural History

Administrator:	TSUKADA Takashi
Research Period:	April 2005 to March 2006
Description:	We carried out research by having monthly meetings and symposiums; in this project we integrate those two into a single form. We also set up the following two themes: comparative research of Osaka City culture, and comparisons between Osaka and domestic and foreign cities. The specific projects are the following: 1) Holding wide symposiums in June 2005, September in 2005, and March 2006. 2) Publishing the reports of these three symposiums (include a report of the culture of the water city in the symposium March 2005). 3) Planning projects by connecting the monthly meetings and the symposiums. 4) Scheduling liaison conferences for planning and managing the projects (Osaka project and main research)
Joint Researchers:	SAKAEHARA Towao, NIKI Hiroshi, NAKAMURA Keiji, INOUE Koichi, YAMAGUCHI Hisakazu, HASHIZUME Shinya, OOGURO Syunji, TSUCHIYA Reiko(OCU)

Project:

A Historical Inheritance and Urban Culture Creation

Administrator:	NIKI Hiroshi
Research Period:	April 2002 to March 2006
Description:	We will choose some overseas cities which are similar with Osaka-city in the respect of conditions of location, historical background, etc., and investigate how the historical cultural heritage is efficiently employed in the creation of city culture in the present-day in those cities. This year, we will perform surveillance study for Osaka, Kyoto, castle towns, and a European city on the theme of preservation and practical use of a city rampart and cultural creation.
Joint Researchers:	SAKAEHARA Towao, INOUE Koichi, TSUKADA Takashi, OOGURO Shunji (OCU), KITAGAWA Hiroshi(Osaka Castle)

Project:

Development of Osaka Historical Research

Administrator:	TSUKADA Takashi
Research Period:	April 2005 to March 2006
Description:	We have taken over the data collection of Osaka historical research and the development of a database, following these procedures: 1) data collection of ritual rites in the ancient era. 2) collection of historical documents in Osaka in the medieval era. 3) collection of data about Osaka in modern and contemporary history. We will focus on history and city legal history; we will hold monthly meetings for the legal history study. 4) collection of documents about modern Osaka city. Continuing to collect micro’s from Osaka Asahi Shinbun Newspaper. 5) data collection of city history in Japan and overseas. 6) specifying the plan of the Osaka city database by linking with the Archives Project.
Joint Researchers:	SAKAEHARA Towao, NIKI Hiroshi, TSUCHIYA Reiko(OCU)

Project:

Actual Conditions in an Investigation into the Coexistence of Multi-cultures (International Comparison)

Administrator:	TANI Tomio
Research Period:	April 2005 to March 2006
Description:	A comparative attitude survey based on international labor mobility, city globalization, race relations, multi-cultural communication is performed among Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The research has already finished in Korea and in Taiwan; it will be done in Osaka in this year. We have worked on collaborative research with faculty members in Japan and overseas in the past two years. The Japanese faculty members have already concluded the comparative surveys conducted in Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Kitakyushu. We aim to establish a research center to study global social cultural change in modern cities based on a comparison between Osaka and other international cities.
Joint Researchers:	Lee, Mun-woong (Seoul National University), Lin, Hsien-tiung (National Chengchi University), NISHIMURA,Takeo(Hiroshima University), INAZUKI,Tadashi(The University of Kitakyusyu), AOKI, Hideo(Urban Sociology Research Center), YAMAMOTO, Kaori(Aichi Prefectural University)

Project:

Collection of Photo Albums of Medieval Documents about Osaka

Administrator:	NIKI Hiroshi
Research Period:	April 2002 to March 2006
Description	We will collect and arrange photo albums of medieval documents about Osaka which have been collected by the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo. This will improve fundamental conditions, and Osaka City University (urban-culture research center) will be a central facility for the research of medieval Osaka.
Joint Researchers:	SAKAEHARA Towao, TSUKADA Takashi (OCU)

Project:

City and Theater Drama

Administrator:	TSUKADA Takashi
Research Period:	April 2005 to March 2006
Description:	(1) Kamigata Culture course This course will focus on the study of “Kamigata Culture", a form of historical culture in Osaka, especially the traditional performing arts. We will offer the course through collaborative research with specialists in the traditional performing arts. In this year, we will analyze the cultural aspects and universal attractiveness of “Kokushoya Gassen" by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. (2) City and Theater Drama We will invite two faculty members from the University of Hull for joint research. We will support the University of Hull to hold Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s performance in Japan. We will also hold a symposium and publish its report by collaborating with the Chikamatsu Monzaemon exhibit in The British Museum.
Joint Researchers:	MATSUURA Tsuneo, KOBAYASHI Naoki, KANEMITSU Keiko, SUGII Masashi(OCU), SAKAGUCHI Hiroyuki(Kobe Women's University), INOUE Katsushi(SONODA Women's University)