DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18609791
title: 語るカカシは語られない—学生文化における無意識的農業用人工物の考現学的記録(The Unspoken Scarecrow—A Modernological Record of an Unconscious Agricultural Artifact in Student Culture)
title: The Scarecrow No One Talks About—A Kōgengaku Record of an Unconscious Agricultural Artifact in Student Culture

description: 【The Campus Kōgengaku series】

Abstract(English)

This study presents a Kōgengaku (Modernology) record of a scarecrow installed adjacent to a paddy field within a university garden. The field, locally referred to by students as “Waseden,” is managed by a student agricultural circle. While the paddy field itself has a shared name and is recognized within student culture, the scarecrow has no confirmed name, origin, creator, or associated narrative.

Through fixed-point observation, photographic and sketch-based visual records, and interviews with circle members, this study documents not only the physical characteristics and changes of the scarecrow, but also the absence of shared meaning surrounding it. Although the observer temporarily assigned a name and disseminated images via social media, these interventions did not lead to the establishment of a shared cultural narrative.

Rather than treating the lack of information as a deficiency, this record frames the scarecrow as an “unspoken” agricultural artifact—an object that persists within student space without being consciously recognized or culturally articulated. The study highlights the process by which meaning is momentarily imposed yet fails to take root, offering a case example of cultural non-formation in contemporary student environments.

概要(Japanese)

本資料は、大学庭園内の水田に隣接する畑区画に設置されたカカシを対象とした考現学的記録である。対象となる水田は学生間で「わせでん」と呼称され、農業サークルによって管理されている。一方、同水田周辺に配置されたカカシについては、名称、制作者、制作意図、共有されたエピソード等はいずれも確認されなかった。

本調査では、定点観察、写真およびスケッチによる視覚記録、サークル構成員への聞き取り調査を通じて、当該カカシの形状や経時変化とともに、その「語られなさ」を記録した。観察者は一時的に呼称を付与しSNS上で発信を行ったが、これらの介入は文化的共有には至らなかった。

本資料は、情報の欠如を単なる未解決事項としてではなく、学生文化の中で無意識的に維持される農業用人工物のあり方として位置づけるものである。意味付与が試みられながらも定着しなかった過程を示す事例として公開する。

 

 

Description

This dataset documents a scarecrow placed beside a paddy field located in a university garden, recorded through the methodological framework of Kōgengaku (Modernology) as proposed by Kon Wajiro. The paddy field, managed by a student agricultural circle, is commonly referred to by students as “Waseden.” In contrast, the scarecrow itself lacks a shared name, identified creator, known installation date, or documented purpose.

The research consists of fixed-point observations, photographic and sketch-based visual documentation, and interviews conducted both in person and via group communication platforms within the circle. Despite systematic inquiries, no shared knowledge or narratives regarding the scarecrow were identified. This absence was consistent across multiple members and modes of inquiry.

During the observation period, the researcher temporarily assigned a name to the scarecrow and disseminated images through social media and internal publicity activities. While these actions briefly drew attention to the object, they did not result in sustained recognition, naming, or narrative formation within the student community.

Rather than interpreting this lack of information as a limitation, the dataset treats it as an essential finding. The scarecrow is presented as an “unspoken” agricultural artifact—one that remains physically present yet culturally backgrounded within student space. This record offers insight into how meaning may be momentarily imposed by an observer but fail to become embedded in shared student culture, contributing a case study of cultural non-formation in a contemporary university environment.