About Omi Multicultural Institute
Introduction to Omi Studies
The form of housing, of clothing and food, of tools, of faith,
of family structure, of the community, of the landscape,
and also, of the water and the wind—
Culture can be defined as the “form” of people’s activities and daily lives.
The art, history, thought, folklore, and natural environment of Ōmi (the former name of Shiga Prefecture) is perceived in the context of daily life. We are attempting to bring into relief a new image of Omi while clarifying the meaning behind the “forms” which were created in connection with the people’s “feeling” and “life.”
Turning our gaze on Omi’s diverse “forms,” from the forms of daily life (culture) that live on in the modern age to the various lifestyle forms that were lost, also resonates with the creative spirit this university nurtures through its creative activities, education, and research. Cultural research and the re-discovery and examination of “form” are inseparable, and by combining them with the inherent potential of the Omi region, we expect to bring forward a new approach to regional studies.
Moreover, we hope that individual research results and discoveries will serve as an opportunity to take a new look at the meaning of “life” and “abundance.” This, in turn, should lead to the discovery and creation of new values for the future that are a fusion of values that have long existed in Japan and present-day values. Omi is blessed with a beautiful natural environment and rich cultural resources that are unparalleled in Japan, and the stage is already set for the birth of new values.
Philosophy of Omi Multicultural Institute
Ozaki Yoshiyuki
Director of Omi Multicultural Institute affiliated with Seian University of Art and Design
Professor and President of Seian University of Art and Design
The area of Shiga Prefecture (Omi), where Seian University of Art and Design is located, is an environment blessed by nature, with Lake Biwa in the central part and beautiful mountains surrounding it. Geographically, it is a strategic point that connects Eastern and Western Japan, and it has prospered since ancient times as a crossroads of major highways. In addition, Lake Biwa has served as a major artery connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. As a result, in Shiga Prefecture there remains not only a wide array of designated cultural properties but also an abundance of irreplaceable cultural resources in the fields of art, history, thought, folklore, nature, and the environment.
Seian University of Art and Design, founded in 1993 (Heisei 5) in Shiga, is the only art school in the prefecture, and it has played a key role in the nurturing of artists and in the dissemination of art and culture to this day. Our university’s philosophy of education is “Contributing to Society through Art,” and we are aiming for new developments in the field by building on the art-based educational and research activities that we have conducted over the years.
It can be said that the material wealth that Japan gained in the 20th century was built on “materials and tools, philosophy of life, and views on nature” and so on that were discarded as Japan achieved its high degree of economic growth. Here and now, we must examine anew these many lost phenomena and recreate the beauty, irreplaceability, and richness of the heart hidden within them and entrust them to the future.
Omi Multicultural Institute, advocated by the university, is an academic institute that deeply re-examines the unique natural and cultural features of the region of Omi. In the arts, by delving deeply into the individual, we create a universal beauty and a new set of values that a wide range of people can empathize with. In the same way, by delving deeply into the “individuality of the region,” I believe we can discover universal values that can be applied to 21st century society. I feel that there is great significance in deeply examining the abundance of unique cultural and natural features of Omi.
At Omi Multicultural Institute affiliated with Seian University of Art and Design, we explore new possibilities through a connection with the creative spirit of art.
Initiatives of Omi Multicultural Institute
The role of this research institute is to implement and promote the three pillars of “research,” “education,” and “contribution to the local community.” This includes:
■ Surveys, research
■ Compiling a database of research results
■ Holding public lectures
■ Enhancing on-campus basic education programs that connect with the local community
■ Establishing a life-long learning system
■ Contributing to the local community through joint research
■ Publishing the cultural magazine “Omi Studies”
■ Publishing a research journal
■ Maintaining the Omi Multicultural Institute website
■ Building a network of cultural facilities in the prefecture
■ Administrating the members-only research group “Omi Studies Forum”
Officers and Researchers of Omi Multicultural Institute
(Names listed in order of the Japanese syllabary)
Advisor
Kimura Yoshihiro (Professor Emeritus, Seian University of Art and Design)
Director
Ozaki Yoshiyuki (Professor, President, Seian University of Art and Design)
Deputy Director
Katō Kenji (Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
Active Participants:
Ishimaru Shō’un (Director, Hayashi Art Foundation; Curator, Meito Art Museum)
Imamori Mitsuhiko(Photographer; Visiting Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
Uehara Emi (Professor Emeritus, Kyoto Tachibana University)
Kishino Hiroshi (Former Director, Shiga Prefecture Cultural Promotion Foundation)
Take Kakuchō (Professor, Eizan Gakuin)
Fuke Shungen (Chief Official of Onjōji Temple (Miidera Temple) of the Jimon sect of Tendai Buddhism)
Visiting Researchers:
Ōhara Ayumi (Lecturer, Seian University of Art and Design; Technical Assistant, Graduate School of Kyoto University)
Takanashi Junji (Director, Shumei Cultural Foundation (In charge of research and exhibitions at Miho Museum))
Tsushima Kanako (Producer of Buddhist images and local culture)
Yamamoto Akiko (Chief, Cultural Properties Division, Takashima City Board of Education)
Wada Mitsuo (Chief, Cultural Properties Protection Division, Otsu City Board of Education)
Researchers:
Ishikawa Ryō (Associate Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
Ozaki Yoshiyuki (Professor, President, Seian University of Art and Design)
Katō Kenji (Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
Nagae Hiroyuki (Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
Mashimo Takehisa (Associate Professor, Seian University of Art and Design)
History of Omi Multicultural Institute
2007 Fiscal year (Heisei 19)
Omi Multicultural Institute Steering Committee is inaugurated.
2008 Fiscal year (Heisei 20)
April. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian University is founded.
October. Omi Studies Forum, a membership system research group, is founded.
The website is launched.
January. The first volume of the cultural journal Omi Studies is published.
2009 Fiscal year (Heisei 21)
May. Omi Studies trademark is registered.
January. The cultural journal Omi Studies Volume 2 is published.
2010 Fiscal year (Heisei 22)
April. Omi Multicultural Institute’s three-year research project, “Satoyama (communal wooded foothills where wildlife coexists with people)： Water and Life,” is begun.
November. Photography exhibition of Jufuku Shigeru “Prayers for the Mountains—One Hundred Days of Ascetic Training on Mt. Kinugasa” is held.
January. The cultural journal Omi Studies Volume 3 is published.
2011 Fiscal year (Heisei 23)
January. Omi Studies Volume 4 is published (renewed, with a new style) with the special feature “Rocks in the Landscape.”
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian University of Art and Design Research Journal Volume 1 is published.
2012 Fiscal year (Heisei 24)
April. Omi Studies Forum establishes a new membership system for family members and educational supporters’ association members.
June. Omi Multicultural Institute receives the Grand Prize of the 2012 Shiga WEB Award (Educational Organization Division).
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 5 with special feature “Trees and Lifestyles,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian University of Art Research Journal Volume 2 is published.
2013 Fiscal year (Heisei 25)
April. Omi Multicultural Institute’s three-year research project “Survey of the Present State of Ema (votive wooden panels) in Omi” is begun.
October. Exhibition of the original drawings for Ogi Furusato Carta (“Ogi Hometown Picture Cards,” an educational card game featuring pictures and explanations of the culture of the Ogi area of Shiga) “Life in Satoyama in the Olden Days” is held.
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 6, with special feature “Tales of Fire,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 3 is published.
2014 Fiscal year (Heisei 26)
November. Omi Multicultural Institute received the 27th Annual “Otsu City Cultural Encouragement Award.”
January. Cultural journal Omi Studies Volume 7, with special feature “Reverence for Gold,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 4 is published.
2015 Fiscal Year (Heisei 27)
April. Research project “Mountains, Roads, and Lakes of Omi” is begun.
April. Public lecture “100th Commemorative Lecture” by author Hiroyuki Itsuki is held.
May. Completion and dedication of recreation of Nagasawa Rosetsu’s The Monkey Ema in the collection of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 8, with special feature “The Mountains Tell a Tale,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 5 is published.
2016 Fiscal year (Heisei 28)
May. Special lecture by senior monk (ajari) Uehara Gyōshō, who completed the 1000-day ascetic practice of walking a route on Mt. Hiei in prayer, “1000 Days of Ascetic Training—What You Can See When Blending into the Mountain” is held.
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 9, with special feature “Roads Make Connections,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 6 is published.
2017 Fiscal year (Heisei 29)
April. The tenth anniversary of the founding of Omi Multicultural Institute.
April. Special tenth anniversary public lecture, “The Social History of Village Life and Roads—Omi Studies from My Perspective” by historian Mizumoto Kunihiko.
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 10, with special feature “The Lake and Subsistence,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 7 is published.
2018 Fiscal year (Heisei 30)
April. Research project “Hamlets, Rivers, and Festivals of Omi” is begun.
April. Special public lecture by Japanese-style painter Nishihisamatsu Yoshio (Professor Emeritus, Seian University of Art and Design) “Painting Landscapes of Forests and Natural Geographical Features—Omi and Western Japan.”
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 11, with special feature “Daily Life in the Hamlets,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 8 is published.
2019 Fiscal year (Reiwa 1)
April. Special public lecture by historian Kumakura Isao (Curator, MIHO MUSEUM; Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology) “Japanese Food and Tea—Omi Food Culture.”
January. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 12, with special feature “Nurturing with Rivers,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 9 is published.
2020 Fiscal year (Reiwa 2)
We refrained from activities due to measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID 19).
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 10 is published.
2021 Fiscal year (Reiwa 3)
April. On-demand lectures (some open to the public, and some for Omi Studies Forum members) are offered.
March. Cultural magazine Omi Studies Volume 13, with special feature “Festivals—Support for the Heart and Soul,” is published.
March. Omi Multicultural Institute Affiliated with Seian Universtiy of Art Research Journal Volume 11 is published.
2022 Fiscal year (Reiwa 4)
April. Omi Multicultural Institute’s website is renewed.