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Mongol Scrolls site

Bowdoin IT Project Page

Research paper based on the Scrolls projects accepted for Edutainment 2006.

Bowdoin did a feature story about the project.

Bowdoin's podcast discussing the project.

Wikipedia entry for "Mongol invasions of Japan" (this site is listed as a resource).

Tom Conlan's book, In Little Need of Divine Intervention - Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan.

"... a beautiful web resource, from Tom Conlan: Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan, in several different recreated incarnations, with a fantastic viewing interface. The site claims that it needs a high bandwith connection, but I’m viewing it over my home modem and having a blast. If you’ve got a high-speed classroom connection, though, your Mongol Invasion lecture just got that much prettier."

– Jonathan Dresner - froginawell.net - Japan History Group Blog

"... this site will be useful for those instructors wanting to provide a visual component to their presentation of this material. The site also provides a visually compelling inside look into the kinds of sources that historians use when writing about the past."

– Brian Platt - World History Sources - George Mason University

"Many many thanks! ... The interactive web sites for the Heiji and Mongol invasion scrolls look marvelous. I really look forward to using them for my class, Age of the Samurai, that I will teach in the Winter. Thank you so much for making them publicly available."

- Anne Walthall
University of California, Irvine

Built in collaboration with Professor Tom Conlan, the Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan web site is an ongoing project investigating the use of technology for viewing ancient scrolls and documents. Utilizing Adobe Flash and image compression technology from Zoomify, we give users the ability to view the scrolls in unique ways. Because the scrolls are displayed in the traditional linear format and read right to left, it more accurately depicts their original narrative intent. Because the fragments of these particular scrolls were lost over the centuries, their true order has long been disputed. This site allows users to compare the different versions of scroll fragments that have been assembled into different versions while maintaining the linear narrative format. Using the Guided Tour feature, Professor Conlan is able to point out specific areas in the scrolls and guide discussions about their meaning. Interactive glossary and translations also provide insight into the culture and warfare of ancient Japan. Planned future enhancements include interactive maps, audio and video commentary, animated demos and the ability for users to annotate and reorder the scroll fragments into their own interpretations.

Versions History

Several versions of the scroll viewer have been created. Here are links to the older versions, and screen shots of various features developed along the way.