Collection

Gaisho

At Nichibunken, books on Japanese studies written in foreign languages and translated works are called "Gaisho (Japanese studies and related books in foreign languages)" We are building a comprehensive collection of such works.

The Noma Research Archives for Science and Medicine (closed in 2003) donated its library to Nichibunken, where it is made available for patrons to use as the "Noma Collection." The collection includes a large number of classical texts on Western medicine, such as sixteenth-century anatomical texts.

Sōda Hajime, a distinguished scholar of Japanese medical history and pharmacology, donated his library to Nichibunken, where it is made available for patrons to use as the "Sōda Collection." It is highly regarded for its books of critical importance for studies of the cultural history of Japanese medicine, as well as its visual sources such as woodblock prints and old maps.

Hiroshige Tetsu was a professor in Nihon University's Department of Science and Technology who made great strides in the study of the history of physics and modern science. He donated his library to Nichibunken, where it is made available for patrons to use.

Takahashi Masashi, Professor Emeritus of Dōshisha University, was a priest and a renowned biblical scholar. His extensive collection of roughly 5200 volumes of materials and literature on Showa-period Christianity includes Japanese-language translations of the Bible and materials related to biblical studies and the history of the Protestant Church in Japan. The collection was donated by his son Takahashi Yū.

A collection of roughly 10,500 volumes that belonged to Hazama Hiroshi, Professor Emeritus of Waseda University, a distinguished scholar in the fields of Japanese labor management history and Japanese management theory. Focusing on books and materials related to labor, the collection is divided into: general works; sources on pre-war labor; magazines, newspapers, and yearbooks; special materials such as concise descriptions of factories and advice for employees; and foreign books.

Okazaki Ayaaki, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, was a landscape designer and forestry expert. His collection consists of roughly 800 books and 70,000 photographs related to gardens.

A collection of roughly 3000 books on archaeology donated by Akazawa Takeru, who was a professor at Nichibunken from 1997 to 2003.

A collection of roughly 3400 volumes on old maps that formerly belonged to Professor Emeritus Unno Kazutaka of Osaka University, a respected scholar of the history of geography.

Nichibunken Professor Emeritus Yamada Keiji, an expert on the history of science in East Asia, donated 100 Japanese books on calendrical calculation from his collection.

A collection of 549 reels and 4196 sheets of microfiche from the archives of Jilin Province. In addition to Jilin Province, the collection also includes material centering on the former state of Manchukuo such as rosters of government officials, police reports, books of statutes, and statistics.

Nichibunken collects folklore materials with the goal of preserving these sources, which are difficult for most public libraries and universities to manage. The core of the collections, which consists of about 470 volumes, includes pre-Tokugawa works of classical literature, temple and shrine gazetteers, and local histories.

A collection of approximately 38,000 sources formerly belonging to the Sino-Japanese Historical Research Center (closed in March 2005), many of which deal with the history of Sino-Japanese relations in the modern period.
"Sino-Japanese Collection" (Collection Guide)

Some 118 Korea-related maps and other materials from the pre-1945 period previously owned by architectural historian and professor of Kyoto University Amanuma Shun'ichi Collection.

Some 1,600 items, mainly books and documents relating to Korea, the Korean peninsula and Japan-Korea relations, formerly in the Japan-Korea Cultural Foundation Library, which was closed in 2011.

Some 200 volumes of documents from the collection of Seiza-sha, organized to make widely known the so-called Okada method of quiet sitting. They include the issues of the journal Seiza, published by the organization, and other Seiza-sha related materials as well as books and other documents on the history of modern Buddhism.
"Seiza-sha Collection" (Collection Guide)

Documents and books on late-modern history of Japan and various countries of Asia collected by scholar of late-modern Japanese history and environmental studies Okabe Makio. The collection consists of about 3,800 items mainly on the history of the Shōwa era and relating to Japan's colonies.

Books, play scripts and other documents related to kabuki and bunraku collected since the 1920s by traditional theater history and kabuki critic Fujii Yasuo (1923-2014). Along with many not-for-sale books and private publications available only to limited people, the some 2,500 items in the collection include play scripts from National Theatre from its opening in 1966 until 2009.