The Construction and Use of a System to read Geographical Classics -a case of Knitake Kume's Beio Kairan Jikki

1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08680159
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: HATANO Masataka Fuculty of Letters, Hokkaido University, professor, 文学部, 教授 (60013752)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1997
• Keywords: Geographical classics / Beio Kairan Jikki / Jikki Database / Kanko (Sightseeing) / Keisho (Landscape)

Research Abstract

The aim of this study is to construct a system to read geographical classics by using data processing method. Beio Kairan Jikki by Kunitake Kume in early Meiji Era was selected as the most suitable example for this project.
First, using optical instrument, we changed this enormous of printed text into a machine readable one which was entitled the Jikki Database.
Second, a text of concordance and various kind of index were compiled which were given code numbers for easy reference. These were accumulated as the relational database. The original charts were scanned into this database as image data.
This report fully discusses the formation of the terms "kanko" (sightseeing) and "keisho" (landscape) which have many implications in geography and their relationship with Beio Kairan Jikki.
In order to make these results accessible to the public, the Internet home page service was introduced. Volume II is already available for text users on the auther's home page and, as the result of this research, the rest will be avairable soon for a complete reading of Beio Kairan Jikki.