Multicultural Calendars : A Focus on Japan

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In the fiscal year of 2004 the focus was put on the collection of multicultural calendars in Japan and their related information. The calendars acquired include Brazilian, Korean, Chinese, Philippine ones used by the respective people living in Japan. Islamic and Orthodox calendars printed in Japan were also collected. We also tried to obtain "lunar calendars" or "older calendars" still used in Amami and Okinawa.In the second year some members were engaged in the supplementary researches in Japan. Most of the members, however, went abroad to compare the previous findings in the global context. The countries visited include Taiwan, U.S.A., Brazil, Iran, Bosnia and Finland.The collected calendars were kept in the office of the representative and the work of making list was initiated. Calendars will be deposited in the National Museum of Ethnology and the data will be opened to the general public through website.The findings were tentatively published as five essays in the Minpaku Tsuushin (vol.109, National Museum of Ethnology, 2005), in which the uses of multicultural calendars among the ethnic minorities in Japan were focused.