Photo album with exhibits from the Japanese pavilion at the 1873 World's Fair

Overview of the history of the catalogue material

After Japan confirmed in 1871 the invitation to participate in the World Exhibition in Vienna, preparations and the compilation of objects in Japan began in 1872. Various handwritten lists of the respective groups and regions were compiled, some of which are now kept in the archives of the Tokyo National Museum - Catalogue material of the Japanese Department for the Vienna World Exhibition, in the original Japanese language. However, this is not a coherent catalogue of the Japanese Department for the VWE 1873, and it is currently unclear whether and where such a catalogue exists.
The Japanese exhibition commission travelled to Austria with the objects from January to March 1873 (arriving in Vienna on March 24^th 1873). It can be assumed that the translation of these lists from Japanese into German had already begun before the journey. Corrections to the catalogue continued to be made in Vienna during the exhibition. The catalogue was published by the Imperial Japanese Exhibition Commission, although it is unclear when it was printed. It was published in German in Vienna at the beginning of the World Exhibition under the title Catalog der kaiserlichen japanischen Ausstellung 1873. As this represents a coherent, officially published document, it forms the basis for the database.

The exhibiting countries each published their own catalogues for the World Exhibition, which presented their countries and listed their exhibits. There were no uniform specifications for these country-specific catalogues, which is why they are individually structured and contain different amounts of information. In addition to texts on regional studies and history as well as economic statistics, a "catalogue section" with exhibit lists is attached. This section follows the specified group categorisation.

Japan, for example, published the volume Notice sur l'empire du Japon et sur sa participation a l'Exposition Universelle de Vienne, 1873, Yokohama 1873, for visitors to the VWE. Printed before the departure from Japan, it describes the geography and history of the country together with a general list of the exhibits and a list of the commission members.
The general catalogue (CKJA1873) of the Japanese department differs from this, as it is purely a list of all the exhibits. The item, the manufacturer and the place of manufacture were recorded. Compared to the original lists in Japanese, however, the object descriptions (material, technique, form, decoration), dimensions, number of pieces, prices and notes are missing.

The aim of the database project ‘Japan at the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873’ was to gather all information in one place and make the data available for further use.

Notes on the structure of the catalogue

The 1873 World Exhibition had been structured by the Vienna Exhibition Administration into 26 groups and several additional exhibitions. Japan contributed to almost all groups, with the exception of the groups: G16-Army, G21-National Domestic Industry, G22-Display of the Effectiveness of Museums of Decorative Arts, and G26-Education, Instruction and Education.
G26 was divided into two exhibitions parts: Exhibition of Women's Work and the Pavilion of the Child. The Japanese commission put together a selection of objects for the Children's Pavilion. So far there is no complete list of these objects known, but a report exists. See: Ferdinand Stamm, Der Pavillon des kleinen Kindes: Report, Vienna 1873.
Japan only took part in one of the 'supplementary' exhibitions, the presentation of world trade. There is no catalogue of this exhibition either, but a report. See: Karl Thomas Richter, Der Welthandel: (Additionelle Ausstellung Nr. 6); report, Vienna 1873.

Mrs. 横溝廣子Yokomizo, Hiroko [黒川廣子 Kurokawa, Hiroko] made a copy of the handwritten lists (Kanji and Katakana) from the holdings of the Tokyo National Museum in 1993. She focussed on objects of art and decorative arts. She therefore transcribed the following groups: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25. Transcripts for groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14, 17 and 18 are missing.

The database only contains the transcribed groups. Due to the missing transcripts, these do not always include an entry in Japanese in addition to the German entry. The aim is to complete these missing entries using archive material from institutions

Irregularities in the catalogue structure

As the catalogue (CKJA1873) is a document that has grown over time and has been repeatedly adapted, and was probably edited by several people, it contains various irregularities.
It has already been mentioned that not all groups were included (Groups 16, 21, 22, 26 are missing). There is no consecutive catalogue numbering. Instead, the numbering of the exhibits starts with no.1 within each new group.
The groups themselves have been further subdivided into subcategories labelled a., b., c., etc. and within these are further subdivided into coherent materials or purposes (No. X - X).

This category structure has been incorporated into the database structure and, where necessary, supplemented with structural elements. Additions are marked with [...].

However, these subcategories also have gaps or leaps. For example, in the agriculture group, subcategories d. and e. are followed by subcategory h. and then subcategory k. However, these jumps are made without interrupting the consecutive numbering. The alphabetical categories are therefore not organised consistently, resulting in missing alphabetical features.
In the consecutive numbering among one group, it can happen that individual numbers or entire rows are missing, for example in Group 5 - Textile industry. The figure jumps from number 1493 to 1601.
It is very rare that there is no entry for an object after a catalogue number. Nevertheless, there are entries in Japanese for these items.