Japan Digital Research Center

The Japan Digital Research Center

Established in 2017, the Japan Digital Research Center strives to engage both users and creators of digital scholarship.  Our goal is to facilitate discovery, foster the expanding and global connections of today's research communities, as well as support innovative ways of making Japan more accessible to an emerging generation of scholars and students. 

The Monthly Special

Highlighting items of note from Harvard's collections of digitized Japanese materials.

October 2023:

The harvest season is well on its way in Japan and this month highlights photographs of rice harvesting from the George Butler Collection. Taken in Miyagi in 1951 when George Butler was stationed with the US Army at Camp Matsushima, the collection highlights life as Japan emerges from the post-war era.

Image of a man placing bundles of rice on the edges of the field to dry

This first image shows a man placing bundles of harvested rice on the edges of the paddy so they will dry.

 

Image of woman winnowing rice to remove the grains from the stalks

Here, a woman uses a bamboo basket to winnow the rice, removing grain from stalk.

Image of two women using a large wooden wheel like machine to hull rice

Lastly, two women use a large wooden wheel-like machinel to remove the husks from the grains of rice. One turns the crank to spin the barrel while the other pours rice into the top.

 

For past Monthly Specials, please see our archive here.