What is ToUDA?
ToUDA (Tohoku University Digital Archives) is a digital archive system developed to seamlessly integrate and provide access to the cultural and academic resources held by Tohoku University to researchers and students both domestically and internationally.
Background and Objectives of ToUDA
Since its establishment, Tohoku University has been committed to the principles of “research first,” “open doors,” and “practice-oriented learning,” and has produced numerous research results.
ToUDA was created not only to disseminate the cultural and academic resources that underpin these accomplishments to the global community, but also to serve as a research infrastructure that enables the creation of new, integrated knowledge. In this context, ToUDA sets forth the following goals.
- Platform for Integrated Knowledge:
ToUDA is designed to discover frozen or dormant electronic content scattered across the university, integrate and visualize such content, and thereby highlight the full extent of Tohoku University's cultural and academic assets. - Promotion of International Collaboration and Utilization:
ToUDA adopts internationally standardized data structures and supports multilingual display, featuring a bilingual interface in Japanese and English. These capabilities enable seamless integration with domestic and international digital archives, aiming to promote global research collaboration and enhance educational use. - Versatile Data and a Scalable System:
ToUDA is built on a flexible data design that allows for content expansion and system growth. This enables adaptability to a broad range of cultural and academic resources, aiming to ensure its sustainable development as a digital archive. - Sustainable Operation Supported by Academic Foundations:
ToUDA is supported by a collaborative framework led by the University Library, The Center for Academic Resources and Archives, and the Center for Integrated Japanese Studies. This ensures academic credibility and operational stability, aiming to promote the long-term advancement and effective utilization of research.
Related Materials:
- Tomoe Hanzawa, "Building a University Digital Archive at Tohoku University" [PDF] (Journal of Japan Society for Digital Archive, Vol. 8 No. 2, 2024, pp.88–91)
- Satoshi Kato, "Overview of the Tohoku University Digital Archives Project" [PDF] (Commemorative Lecture for ToUDA Launch, Nov. 23, 2024)
- Library Website Announcement: "ToUDA Released" (April 4, 2024)
- Press Release: "Current Awareness-R" (April 9, 2024)
- Press Release: "Tohoku University Launches Platform for Its Cultural and Academic Resources: ToUDA" (May 15, 2024)
ToUDA Archive Status
List of ToUDA Collections
◆ Please refer to this page for the full list of collections.
Participating Departments
- Tohoku University Archives
- Main Library
- Medical Library
- Engineering Library
- Archaeological Research Office
Data Statistics
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Number of Image Frames | TIFF: 3,705,207 |
| Metadata Records | 156,840 |
| Number of Titles with Images | Color: 19,309 Monochrome: 29,460 |
| Total Collections | 14 |
Project Timeline
November 2018
Tohoku University Vision 2030 formulated
Includes plans for the global dissemination of cultural and academic resources and the internationalization of the humanities
September 30, 2022
Hasekura Summit held
University president announces the launch of the Tohoku University Digital Archives system
March 2023
1st Preparatory Committee for the Integrated Knowledge Digital Archive convened
Fall 2023
Order placed for development of the Integrated Knowledge Digital Archive System
March 2024
ToUDA Steering Committee established
April 4, 2024
Public release of the Tohoku University Digital Archives (ToUDA)
(Departmental Portals: Archives, Main Library, Medical Library)
November 18 – December 13, 2024
Special Exhibition Commemorating the Launch of the Comprehensive Knowledge Digital Archive: “The Finest of Tibetan Buddhism”
November 23, 2024
Lecture Commemorating the Launch of the Comprehensive Knowledge Digital Archive: ”“Kawaguchi Ekai and his collection on Tibetan Buddhism”
December 7, 2024
Symposium on Humanities and Computers “Jinmonkon” – Special Session
"Toward a Construction of an International Network of Tripitaka Study via Digital Humanities"
December 8, 2024
Symposium on Humanities and Computers “Jinmonkon” – Special Lecture
Tohoku University Comprehensive Knowledge Digital Archive Commemorative Lecture: ’Digital Archives of Japanese Culture and Academic Resources and Their International Development”
October 8, 2025
The Archaeological Research Center launched its departmental portal site and released the “Sendai Castle Site: Samurai Residence District North of the Ninomaru” collection.
Future Plans
- On-campus digitization support project
- Launch of the Tibetan Buddhism Portal
- Establishment of departmental portal for Archaeological Research office on the Campus
- Integration with Japan Search and NDL Search