Masks also collected "The Age of Corona" is passed on to future generations July 7 16:20

Our daily lives are changing due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Efforts to convey this "era of corona" to posterity through "things" have begun in various places. The targets are the masks and disinfectants that we usually wear, and the leaflets of shops that have begun to take out. Why are you collecting such materials? And what are the challenges ahead of the collection? (Obihiro Broadcaster reporter Shuhei Hara, Science and Culture Department reporter Sotaro Iwata)

Exhibition of "Corona-like world"

Urahoro Town Museum in Tokachi, Hokkaido. A special exhibition started here in May. The title is "Let's continue the story of "Corona na Sosei"". On display are supermarket advertisements that inform the refraining of the sale, a menu table of restaurants that started taking out, and towels that marked the participation of Sembatsu High School Baseball school that was canceled, all familiar to life Just.

A visitor said, "I'll forget about Corona soon after I pass, but I can remember that it was hard if I had such materials."

Collecting familiar materials Why?

The museum curator, Makoto Mochida, started collecting and displaying materials. Mr. Mochida started the exhibition in the easily noticeable lobby of the museum in order to invite many people to provide the materials by quickly displaying the collected materials. What is happening in the area? We believe that materials that are familiar to people in daily life are essential to convey the real image of society.

Mr. Mochida
"Uraboro Town has a town history officially published by the town, but of course there is a real picture of the lives of the people in the area that leaks out. The meaning of recording such a "corona" But I think there is a museum in the area.''

Materials that convey social issues

Some of the materials gathered also convey the social problems that occurred during the period of self-restraint. One of them is a car sticker that says "I live in Hakodate". It is a document sent by a person who lives in Hakodate. It is reported that a phenomenon called “self-restraint police” has occurred in which cars with non-local numbers are harassed.

Mr. Mochida
: It has long been said that prejudice and discrimination tend to occur when infectious diseases spread. After society gradually began to be liberated from the new coronavirus, we once again said, "The air of that era was a little strange. I think you'll be aware of that."

As a result of widely appealing to the general public, about 150 materials have been collected so far. Mr. Mochida, a curator, thinks that there are things that can be conveyed because it is a material that is familiar to us.

Mr. Mochida:
“A tsunami and an earthquake such as the Great East Japan Earthquake has undergone one major change, and from there, changes in the form of “reconstruction” can be seen. However, in the case of the new coronavirus, I noticed the change itself too much Life will continue to flow with difficulty, and I think it is important to collect everyday leaflets and posters in the sense that each individual flow of time is kept down.

Collection of materials in various places

The collection of materials that convey the "era of coronas" to posterity is gradually beginning in various places. The Yamanashi Prefectural Museum collects "masks" and "flyers" from around the end of February because it is not possible to feel familiar with what is happening just by the administrative records of the national and local governments.

The Fukushima Prefectural Museum and the Suita City Museum in Osaka Prefecture are making similar efforts, and the Suita City Museum is entitled "The New Corona and a Living Society: What We Were Entrusted with" from July 18th. We will also exhibit the collected materials.

Even in areas affected by the Kumamoto earthquake

This type of “collecting whatever is relevant” style is also used in Kumamoto City, the area affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake four years ago.

"Kumamoto Mori Toshin Plaza Library" in front of JR Kumamoto Station. The library itself was damaged, but collection of materials began in May, just one month after the earthquake.

Over 6000 items have been collected over the past four years, including scraps of newspapers and magazines, leaflets with words that support reconstruction, boxes of sweets, empty cans of juice, and alcohol. Under the policy of "accept all without refusing," we have collected anything related to the Kumamoto earthquake, even those that are thrown away when used.

While continuing the collection, Yuko Kawase, the former director, said he realized that there was something. The number of leaflets on Kumamoto earthquakes such as “Ganbaro Kumamoto” had decreased drastically after a year. It is pointed out that the weathering of the disaster-stricken area can be understood concretely because the collection is continued and the number is collected.

Mr. Kawase:
Speaking of the flyers, there were many first years, but the number has decreased suddenly after one year. I also collect magazines, but in the second and third years, Even the news reports of disasters were gradually changing to those that refer to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake instead of the Kumamoto Earthquake. I think it will be understood because it became.

How to organize and publish

On the other hand, some issues are emerging. One is the classification of materials. Kawase and his colleagues are currently working on creating a catalog for publication, but the classification methods used for library books do not apply. We are beginning to find out how to classify the information so that those who need it can easily understand it.

In addition, one after another, such as how to store materials with contents such as alcohol, what meaning the collected materials have and how to present them to the viewer Is coming out.

Kawase-san:
I was wondering what would be the result of collecting these, and I was worried about how to organize them and how to save them. We are gradually advancing by consulting with curators and specialists in conservation sciences that cannot be supplemented by just doing it. I think that the most important thing to think about after this is whether to publish it in such a form or whether you can make use of it.

Anyway, for now, collect

How will we convey the "era of coronas" in which we are living to future generations? The people involved in collecting the materials said, "Because they remain as things, they are passed down as history and lessons learned."

Associate professor Masashi Amano of the National Museum of History and Folklore, who is familiar with the preservation of historical materials, pointed out that it is necessary to thoroughly consider the methodology for organizing, classifying, and disclosing, Everything will be told from there.” He emphasizes that now he must concentrate on collecting materials before they are thrown away.

In addition, Makoto Mochida of the Uraboro Municipal Museum, which was introduced at the beginning, said, “Since the “air of the times” is difficult to form, there is a risk that it will be dwarfed or beautified in posterity.” He told me his thoughts.

Many problems, such as discrimination and prejudice, have emerged in Japanese society in the midst of the Coronal Era. It is important to leave everyday materials in the form and pass them on to future generations, in order to prevent such problems from being “not happening”. Looking ahead to what we will convey in 50 or 100 years, we hope that the collection of such materials will spread throughout the region.

Obihiro Broadcaster reporter
Shuhei Hara

Department of Science and Culture Reporter
Sotaro Iwata