Project Leader	Ota Shoichi (Kyoto Institute of Technology, Design and Architecture)
Collaborators	Yano Masataka (The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Economics, Resources and historical collections office) Nguyen Tuan Cuong (The Institute of Sino-Nom Studies) LEE Kuei-Min (National Cheng Kung University) Shibayama Mamoru (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies) Kitani Kimiya (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
Research Project	Basic study for urban transformation in old Hanoi city based on epigraphic analysis of religious architecture
Countries of Study	Vietnam, Thailand, Laos

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

Digitalization of Rubbed copies of inscriptions on the steles and bells in Hanoi are the initial purpose of this project. The data is then utilized for reprinting the original inscriptions, and the location of the temples or shrines which hold the inscriptions are to be marked on digital maps, along with their architectural information. The data, the reprinting texts, and architectural and geographical information are integrated into the rubbed text database.

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

The Old Quarter of Hanoi has rich legacy of culture or religion through the tremendous transformation of urban space and inhabitant conditions in modern times. This transition has been affected by religious institutions, which have lost original structures or systems. Today, most of them are still abandoned and remain uninspected. This project is aimed at conducting digitalization of the rubbed copies of the inscriptions on stone steals or bells from the religious institutions located in Hanoi’s old quarter, and to build up an integrated database, which is to be based on the digitalized rubbed text, reprinting of the copy, or architectural and geographical information of the site. The database is initially developed in cloud system, such as Google Map or Google Spreadsheet, and expected to be developed both of Vietnamese and Japanese researchers with continues updates of the research. This database has a multiple role, not only to preserve the inscriptions images but also to proceed urban historical study on Hanoi, with its integrated information.