Genealogical Institute of Japan

The Genealogical Institute of Japan (系図系譜学研究所) is a Japanese research organization dedicated to ancestral investigation, family-history compilation, and the digitization of historical documents. According to its official website, the institute conducts research and organization based on public documents, genealogies, and old records from across Japan, aiming to record the proof that each family member lived. It positions itself as a professional research body rather than a consumer genealogy app, and it is developing a genealogical information database intended for professional researchers, searchable by personal names and other criteria. The institute offers commissioned services for ancestral research and the creation of family biographical dictionaries. It states that creating genealogies from family registers (koseki) is performed without compensation. A distinctive principle is that it avoids dramatic embellishment, because such dramatization risks misleading future descendants; instead, it records information plainly and factually. Its motto is 'genba hyakkai' (going to the field a hundred times), reflecting a commitment to thoroughly and comprehensively investigating and recording the paths of ancestors. The institute also seeks to reform traditional genealogy, which it describes as having accumulated mainly case studies and ancestral research know-how, by constructing and refining a theory of genealogy as an interdisciplinary academic field. It was formerly known as the Family History Compilation Center (家族史編纂センター) and changed its name to the Genealogical Institute of Japan because the term 'family history' became unsuitable as the theory of genealogy was established. The institute maintains a presence on Twitter under the handle @family_historic.

The Genealogical Institute of Japan traces its origins to an organization formerly named the Family History Compilation Center (家族史編纂センター). According to its official website, the center changed its name to the Genealogical Institute of Japan because the term 'family history' became unsuitable as the theory of genealogy (系図系譜学) was constructed. The institute describes traditional genealogy as having accumulated mainly case studies and ancestral research know-how, and it aims to reform this by building and refining a theory of genealogy as an interdisciplinary academic field. The institute's work is grounded in the motto 'genba hyakkai' (going to the field a hundred times), reflecting a commitment to thoroughly and comprehensively investigating and recording the paths of ancestors. It conducts research and organization based on public documents, genealogies, and old records from across Japan, and it compiles family biographical dictionaries to preserve family members' lives for future generations. It also states that creating genealogies from family registers (koseki) is performed without compensation. A notable principle of the institute is its rejection of dramatic embellishment. It explains that so-called moving stories risk misleading future descendants, and therefore its service records information plainly. The institute is also preparing a genealogical information database for professional researchers, which it distinguishes from simple consumer family-tree creation apps; the database allows searching information contained in genealogies by personal names and other criteria. The institute maintains a Twitter presence under the handle @family_historic.

• Formerly operated as the Family History Compilation Center (家族史編纂センター).

• Renamed to Genealogical Institute of Japan as the theory of genealogy made the term 'family history' unsuitable.

• Genealogical information database announced as in preparation.

Professional, research-oriented genealogy institute distinct from consumer family-tree apps; emphasizes factual, non-dramatized recording and interdisciplinary theory-building.

• Ancestral investigation and family biographical dictionary creation

  Commissioned research and compilation based on public documents, genealogies, and old records; genealogy creation from family registers is offered without compensation.

• Genealogical information database (in preparation)

  A professional researcher-oriented database searchable by personal names and other criteria, distinct from simple consumer family-tree apps.

1. 1先祖調査・家族史編纂・古文書デジタル化｜系図系譜学研究所genealogy.jp
2. 2Genealogical Institute of Japan - Wikidatawikidata.org