Iseki de Wikipedia in Kusooki Remains

June 22, 2024, I (User:Asturio Cantabrio) participated in “Iseki de Wikipedia in Kusooki Remains” held in Fukui, Japan.

In addition to disseminating local information, this group also places importance on utilizing library materials. The organizers of this event are the Fukui Prefectural Library and the Fukui Prefectural Buried Cultural Property Research Center.

Schedule

The morning session was held at the Monju Community Center. After listening to a lecture on the Kusooki Remains from a curator at the Buried Cultural Properties Research Center, the participants walked around the remains while listening to the curator’s explanation.

In the afternoon, the participants moved to the Fukui Prefectural Library, where I (Asturio Cantabrio) gave a lecture on Wikipedia, after which we edited the Wikipedia article “Kusooki Remains” using excavation reports and other materials. The instructors on Wikipedia were myself and Soseki-no-Neko, both members of edit Tango.

Lecture on the Kusooki Remains

The Kusooki Remains has been excavated many times. The first excavation was conducted in the mid-1950s, followed by another in 1973 and the following year, and the most recent excavation was conducted in 2016 and the following year.

It was interesting to see how multiple excavations filled in gaps in time and allowed the flow of the ruins to become clear.

Wikipedia Town takes place somewhere in Japan almost every week.

While many events have been held with the theme of ancient tombs, the only event with the theme of older remains is thought to be the “2nd Wikipedia Town Morimachi Washinoki Remains Archive,” held in Mori town, Hokkaido in 2015.

Whether it’s an ancient tomb or a remains, a certain level of archaeological knowledge is required to write a comprehensive article. If the knowledge gap between participants is large, it becomes difficult for participants to collaborate. While ancient tombs often have huge structures, remains are not always visible even when we visit the site, which is probably why they have not been the subject of Wikipedia Town until now.

At this event, we listened to a lecture by a curator who actually carried out the excavation survey. Furthermore, walking around the site while listening to the curator’s explanations has also helped us edit Wikipedia.

Lecture on Wikipedia

In the afternoon, each participant went to the Fukui Prefectural Library and edited Wikipedia entries in the multipurpose hall.
First, I (Asturio Cantabrio) explained the features of Wikipedia and the significance of Wikipedia Town, and then the participants were divided into four groups to edit. PowerPoint slides used this time have been uploaded to SlideShare under the name “2024-06-22 Iseki de Wikipedia in Kusooki Remains“.

Literature research and Wikipedia editing

The Fukui Prefectural Library prepared the documents to be used in the Wikipedia edit in advance. The core documents were the research reports from the several excavation surveys, and the data sections of the “History of Fukui Prefecture” and “History of Fukui City.”

The participants divided into four groups to edit: “Geographical and Historical Environment,” “Remains and Artifacts,” “Excavation Survey,” and “Changes in the Site.” As a Wikipedia instructor, I (Asturio Cantabrio) was placed in the difficult “Remains and Artifacts” group, and Soseki-no-Neko was assigned to patrol the four groups and provide editing support.

Three hours later, “Kusooki Remains” article was completed, and it was hard to believe it was created from scratch. As a result of a vote to select the highest quality article from among the newly created articles, “Kusooki Remains” was posted on the Japanese Wikipedia main page from 11:00 PM on Tuesday, June 25th to 11:00 PM on Wednesday, June 26th.