Study on the public sculpting of character representation: its influence on regional promotion and publication culture

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02317
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Art at large
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Kusumi Kiyoshi 首都大学東京, システムデザイン学部, 准教授 (30514004)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: マンガ / キャラクター / モニュメント / 大衆文化 / 公共性 / 観光資源 / 文化資源 / 震災復興

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fieldwork surveys are conducted on bronze statues of manga and anime characters that are being installed in various places of Japan, the research forum was held three times with researchers and experts on the following themes, (1) Social functions as public sculptures, especially regional revitalization and effects as tourism resources, (2) The art and monuments after the Great East Japan Earthquake, (3) Compalison with public art other than character statues and cases from overseas. As a result, I published “Monyu Chara Junrei, the monumentallized characters of manga and anime” (Fusosha, 2017), and the reports and discussions in the research forum were published in two booklets. It also disseminated information to society widely through mass media.

Free Research Field

芸術学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では「キャラクターの銅像にみる出版文化と地域振興──マンガのパブリック・アート化と大衆コンフォーミズム」（出版学会、2014年度秋季研究会発表）で立てた仮説を、実地検分と識者との意見交換によってより具体的に検証することができた。公共芸術としての位置付けに加え、まちおこしや観光資源の観点や震災復興等の時代状況と照合することでマスメディアによる大衆文化と公共性の生成の問題を浮かび上がらせ、それを再び出版物を通じて社会に還元することができた。