The Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University invites applications for grants to support research utilizing the Noriaki Tsuchimoto Papers housed in Manuscripts and Archives in the Yale University Library. The collection is currently comprised of 83 boxes containing materials related to the filmmaking and other activities of the Japanese documentary filmmaker Noriaki Tsuchimoto (1928-2008), who is most famous for recording the struggles over the Minamata mercury poisoning incident and other environmental hazards. The Council offers grants to support research utilizing the collection at the level of up to $1200 for researchers traveling from North America and $2200 for those coming from outside North America.
Eligibility
Holders of a Ph.D. or the equivalent are eligible to apply, as are graduate students who have completed all requirements for the doctorate except the dissertation. The competition is open to scholars in all parts of the world and from any discipline, but topics that make extensive use of the collection will be prioritized.
Collection
The collection comprises the papers of Noriaki Tsuchimoto, a Japanese documentary film director, who directed films on various topics, including environmental issues, student activism, Minamata disease, nuclear power, corporate history (PR films), and Afghanistan. The collection includes manuscripts and documents about his films, including annotated scripts, production notes, shot, and budget sheets; research materials of various topics, including documents on the science of mercury poisoning; location and on-the-set photos; publicity materials; and film stills. It also contains Tsuchimoto’s correspondence with colleagues, as well as decades worth of his datebooks. The topics in his papers vary and include items ranging from labor union newsletters to court documents on cases involving colleagues.