A database by the National Diet Library, Japan, containing approximately 50,000 recordings of music and performances, etc. that are digitized from 78 rpm records and metal discs produced from around 1900 to 1950 in Japan. In the collection, there are many recordings that can only be accessed here, which include instrumental, folksongs, national music, Noh and Kabuki theater, modern drama, other performing art, storytelling performances (Rakugo, Rōkyoku, etc.), school or educational materials, etc.

Since the right of public transmission for about 90% of the recordings has not been cleared, the library has become a partner library of this service for making accessible all recordings at the specific terminal in the Archives & Special Collection Reading Room on the 3rd floor of the Hillman library.
To access this terminal, you will need to register with Archives & Special Collections by creating an account in the Aeon Research Portal. You do not need to make an appointment to visit the Reading Room, but registering ahead of time is highly encouraged. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 am until 4:45 pm. However, if you would like to schedule an appointment or have other questions, reach out to us via Ask-an-Archivist. Please keep in mind that the Reading Room is closed on all University holidays. When you arrive in the Reading Room, speak to the desk attendant to be directed to the terminal.

Most titles and creator names are in Japanese only, so you will need to be able to read and type Japanese to access the recordings themselves. You will not be able to copy the files to any network or Web locations, nor copy them to removable media.
*Please note that you can access the site at the above link on this guide and search all recordings, but you can access only about 6,000 recordings, whose right of public transmission has been cleared.

Japan Search is a national platform for aggregating metadata of digital resources of various fields and operated by the National Diet Library, Japan, in cooperation with a variety of organizations in Japan. By linking digital archives from a wide variety of fields and regions, and organizing the various contents preserved by each institution into searchable metadata through Japan Search, clarifying the location of the contents, and enabling Japan's digital information resources to be found efficiently, we are endeavoring for their effective use throughout Japan.

渋沢社史データベース This is a database of history of companies that Eiichi Shibusawa, a Japanese entrepreneur, involved in many ways. You can search Japanese company history books (Shashi) by table of contents, index, chronology and data. 1,035 volumes of shashi are available as of April 2014.

アジア歴史資料センター This site provides access to official documents of the Japanese Cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Army and Navy focus on Japan's historical relations in Asia.

国立公文書館デジタルアーカイブ Can be search by keyword and view the detailed descriptions and digitized images of the records held at the Archive including records (120,000 frames of digitized images) of the cabinet meetings concerning the postwar reforms.

外交史料館 The Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collects, classifies, and preserves Japan’s diplomatic records and makes them available to the public for perusal.

日本外交文書デジタルコレクション
From Meiji First [1967/68] to Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1945.

データベース２０世紀・２１世紀年表検索ページ A database of historical information including bibliography related to the Northeast Asia.

『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ 150 rare books of Digital Silk Road Project include Expedition Records, Academic Study, Photographs and Maps.

力行会　海外日本人移民関係幻燈資料 The collection features 179 black/white and hand-colored images of the lantern slides, which were created and provided by the Nippon Rikkokai Foundation, which had assisted Japanese people who immigrated to other counties.

毎日フォトバンク More than 330,000 images from Bakumatsu to present. You can order images from the website.

A database by the National Diet Library, Japan, containing approximately 50,000 recordings of music and performances, etc. that are digitized from 78 rpm records and metal discs produced from around 1900 to 1950 in Japan. See the above link for more details.

古典籍総合データベース by 早稲田大学

新日本古典籍総合データベース by 国文学研究資料館.
Digital collection of Kotenseki (Pre-Modern Japanese Works).

日本古典籍総合目録データベース by 国文学研究資料館

コーパス・ベース by 国立国語研究所

Japan Search is a national platform for aggregating metadata of digital resources of various fields and operated by the National Diet Library, Japan, in cooperation with a variety of organizations in Japan. By linking digital archives from a wide variety of fields and regions, and organizing the various contents preserved by each institution into searchable metadata through Japan Search, clarifying the location of the contents, and enabling Japan's digital information resources to be found efficiently, we are endeavoring for their effective use throughout Japan.

This site aims to collect information related to Japanese culture published in museums, libraries, etc. around the world, and to provide them with a common and reusable format. We support the discovery and utilization of electronically available resources.

The NDL Image Bank showcases items from the National Diet Library's substantial collection of visual materials, including ukiyo-e woodblock prints, books, magazines, and other forms of published media. All the images in the NDL Image Bank are taken from digitized, public-domain content held by the NDL.

Fuzoku gaho was the first graphic magazine produced in Japan, and is also known as a major journal source for the research of customs and social mores. The magazine contains a total of 518 issues covering content pertaining to social and cultural trends and conditions in the Edo, Meiji and Taisho periods, customs, history, literature, things/objects and affairs, geography (regional and world), war and disasters.

e国宝　High definition images of national treasures and important cultural properties owned by four national museums.

文化遺産データベース You can search national treasures and important cultural properties owned by more than 900 museums in Japan. You can browse digital collection by periods, types, museums, etc. when you click “文化遺産オンライン Cultural Heritage Online” on top right of the search page.

日文研データベース・リスト　There are many image databases on Japanese culture, include ukiyoe, scroll, zue, etc., from the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (国際日本文化研究センター, Nichibunken).

怪異・妖怪画像データベース Images from the Nichibunken library's collection of visual material concerning strange occurrences, terrifying experiences, and yōkai and other supernatural beings (monsters, ghosts, spirits, specters and divine creatures). 3,077 image data from 361 resources (as of May 2014).

怪異・妖怪絵姿データベース Digitized ultra-high-quality images of yōkai emaki (picture scrolls depicting monsters) in the Nichibunken collection.

妖怪・怪異伝承データベース Bibliographic information collected from folklore research in Japan concerning strange occurrences, terrifying experiences, and the appearance of yōkai and other supernatural beings (monsters, ghosts, spirits, and evil or divine creatures). Data Count: 35,701 items (As of June 2007)

Image database of 43 multi-volume illustrated books include Ehon sangoku yûfuden 絵本三国妖婦伝 and Ehon chûshingura 絵本忠臣蔵.

From the Mitsui Collection at UC Berkeley

19,382 images from 1000 to 2010. Search can be limited by time, topic, subject, type of item, etc.

The Ryukoku Museum exhibits a wide variety of cultural artifacts centered around Buddhism, taking into consideration the birth of Buddhism in India, the spread of Buddhism into Asia and the development of Buddhism in Japan.

Art works can be browse by collection and artiest. Search by artist, collection, gallary type of art work, etc.

Search tip: “edo rinpa jac” in general keyword search – Catalogs on Edo rinpa in the JAC collection.

美術図書館横断検索

奈良国立博物館 仏教美術資料研究センター 蔵書検索

Developed by Prof. Akihiko Tanaka at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo.

Includes Basic Documents of Postwar International Politics (E & J), Japanese diplomatic documents before the World War II (J only), Collection of Multilateral Conventions (E & J), etc.