Kyoto University Library Network

Ninety-two items from Shimada Bankon's Shugendo Collection "Shimada Collection" have been newly digitized and released.

▼Shimada Collection

"Shimada Collection" is a unique collection of books on Shugendo, Japanese mountain asceticism-shamanism incorporating Shinto and Buddhist concepts, into which Shimada Bankon (島田蕃根; 1827-1907), a buddhologist during the Meiji era, combined documents handed down through the Shimada family and his own collection.

Shimada Bankon was born in Tokuyama, currently Yamaguchi Prefecture, in 1827 and died of an illness in Kyoto at the age of 81 in 1907. Having learned Shugendo and Buddhism in Hieizan and Miidera respectively, he was well-informed about each sect of Buddhism. In the beginning of the Meiji era, he returned to secular life and became a professor at Kojokan (興譲館), a domain school of the Mori family. He came up with a plan to publish Daizokyo (大蔵経; reduced-size ed.) and established Kokyo-shoin (弘教書院) with Fukuda Gyokai (福田行誡; 1809-1888) in 1879. In five years of hard work, the large-scale enterprise resulted in the publication of 419 volumes of Daizokyo. He is also well known for his enthusiasm to collect and preserve Buddhism books.

The Main Library of Kyoto University takes part as a core university in the "Project to Build an International Collaborative Research Network for Pre-modern Japanese Texts (NIJL-NW project)" led by the National Institute of Japanese Literature, which supports the digitization of the 92 books released this time.

A new collection "Mathematics in Classics (Dep. Math.)" of 592 books has been released. This collection consists of books on Wasan, or Japanese mathematics, including astronomy, Chinese classics, as well as Western mathematics held by the Department of Mathematics, Mathematics Library, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University.

▼Mathematics in Classics (Dep. Math.)

Wasan, or Japanese mathematics, developed in Japan independently from the Western mathematics, through the Edo Period and the Meiji Era. It has fostered many math enthusiasts among general Japanese people and a custom called Sangaku hono (算額奉納), dedication of Ema (votive picture of a horse) to shrines when difficult problems were solved, became popular. The collection includes Jinko-ki (塵劫記), an introductory book that triggered enthusiasm in mathematics among Japanese people, and Katsuyo Sanpo (括要算法), a posthumous collection of Seki Takakazu's works.

Many books that have played significant roles in the progress of Western mathematics are also available: Euclid's Elementorum, Apollonius’s Conicorum, and Diophantus’s Arithmeticorum (our holding is the same edition as the one on which Fermat wrote the famous "Last Theorem" in the margin). Anyone who is interested in mathematics can enjoy the development of mathematics through these books.

The digital archive provides 1,262,613 images of 14,162 titles as of October 30, 2019.

The maintenance work was completed (2019/09/11 11:10) and the service has been restored.

Forty-nine items from Kawai Collection digitized under the joint project by the Main Library and the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University and RIKS, Korea University have been released. The digital archive provides 1,164,364 images of 13,575 titles as of July 30, 2019.

The Graduate School of Letters of Kyoto University and the Kyoto University Museum have been carrying out the restoration and digitization of an important cultural property Dainihonshi hensan kiroku held by the Graduate School of Letters since academic year 2017. Two hundred and six new images of the restored material are now available in Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive.

▼Important Cultural Property - Dainihonshi hensan kiroku (G.S. Letters)

Dainihonshi hensan kiroku (大日本史編纂記録) is a collection of more than 6,000 letters (copies) exchanged between Shokokan (彰考館; Mito Domain’s office for history compilation) in Mito (currently in Ibaraki Prefecture) and Edo (currently Tokyo) and their Kyoto office regarding the compilation of Dainihonshi by Tokugawa Mitsukuni (徳川光圀; 1628-1701). A total of 42,810 people and organizations and 15,159 historical records and literature works are mentioned in the letters and the content covers a wide range of aspects of the time, such as history, literature, Confucianism and Japanese classical literature, as well as the publishing culture during the Genroku Period, which makes this rare material a first-class historical record.

The rare material, before being restored, consisted of 248 volumes of about 10,000 sheets (one sheet folded in half to form a pouch makes two pages) in the form of fukuro-toji yotsume-toji (袋綴四つ目綴装) with sheets of papers folded at the fore edge and sewn at the back edge at four points. However, the rebinding and restoration done to the material during the Edo period were not appropriate to secure its long-term preservation; they also made it impossible to read the majority of the volumes without damaging them, because the text near the back edge was sewn inside the spine. Therefore, a restoration project was launched in academic year 2018, with a plan to restore first 20 volumes funded by the Sumitomo Foundation. The Graduate School of Letters has also set up Kyoto University Fund for the restoration of its library collection and the Kyoto University Museum acquired the university's special budget for this project in 2018.

Each volume of Dainihonshi hensan kiroku is to be released on the Internet through Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive upon the completion of restoration and digitization processes. As of July 1, 2019, the Digital Archive provides 1,159,075 images of 13,526 titles.

The Maintenance work was completed (11:10am, April 5, 2019) and the service has been restored.

Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive will suspend its service due to the system maintenance for approximately one hour from 10:00am, Friday, April 5, 2019.
The service will be restored as soon as the maintenance work has been completed.
Thank you for your understanding.

Japan's new era name Reiwa is derived from a poem in “Manyoshu”, the oldest existing compilation of Japanese poetry.
See the image of "Manyoshu" in Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive!

Four illustrated plans regarding the accessions of the Emperors from "Gishiki-nobu", Nakai Collection held by Kyoto University Main Library have been digitized and become available in Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive. As of March 29, 2019, Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive has 1,157,922 images of 13,522 titles.

Nakai Collection is a collection of materials passed down through the Nakai family, Tokugawa Government's master carpenter family in Kyoto, including the plans of Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, Shimogamo Shrine and other shrines and temples, concerning documents and maps. These are categorized in sections such as “Kinri-no-bu” (Imperial Court), “Bakufu-no-bu” (Tokugawa Government), “Shaji-no-bu” (shrines and temples), “Chiri-no-bu” (maps) and “Gishiki-no-bu” (ceremonies).

The materials publicized this time, included in “Gishiki-no-bu”, are illustrated plans regarding the accessions of Emperor Sakurammachi (r. 1735-1747) [RB00025164, RB00025165] and Empress Gosakuramachi (r. 1762-1771) [RB00025166, B00025167] during the Edo Period. In particular, “Kyouhou nijuu kinotou no toshi juuichigatsu mikka gosokui toushou touka kazari gokisiki no zu narabini seiryouden reifuku goran zu” (享保二十乙卯歳十一月三日御即位堂上堂下飾御規式之圖并於清涼殿禮服御覧圖) demonstrates Takamikura (Imperial throne), protecting four Gods of Genbu (Black Tortoise), Seiryu (Azure Dragon), Suzaku (Vermilion Bird) and Byakko (White Tiger), and attending courtiers, all of them so colorfully and finely depicted. The digitization of these has been realized thanks to the support from donors to Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive Fund.

The new emperor will ascend to the throne on May 1, 2019. On this occasion, why don’t you have a moment to reflect on what our ancestors have passed down to us so lively preserved in historical documents.

▼Gishiki-no-bu (ceremonies), Nakai Collection

Digitization Project and Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive Fund

Large-sized illustrated plans are digitized by using a no-contact, ultra-high resolution scanner. The scanner runs over a plan along the frame set around it, producing strips of digital images, which are then merged into one entire image.

When investigating large-sized folded plans or maps, we need to prepare a proper area to unfold it safely and be cautious not to put too much pressure on them. On the other hand, digital images are easy to handle with a viewer that enables zooming in or out, or jumping to different sections. Kyoto University Library Network is promoting the digitization of rare materials in order to secure the long-term preservation and the wider use of them at the same time, while respecting the importance for researchers to investigate original materials.

In order to advance our digitization project, we launched “Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive Fund” as a special purpose fund of Kyoto University Fund in June 2018.

We hope to contribute to the promotion of academic research and the development of education and culture by digitizing the rare materials, a common property of society, handed down to our generation and making them available to the world, while preserving the original materials for future generations.

The Kyoto University Museum has approximately 2.6 million objects, among which a number of historically important manuscripts and documents are included. Ten items restored by the university’s restoration project, including letters by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Hidetada Tokugawa as well as the portrait of Mitsunaga Ogasawara, have been newly released.

▼The Kyoto University Museum

Nichizo-bon (unpublished), Zokyo Shoin Collection held by the Main Library

Zokyo Shoin Collection consists of Buddhist sutras and books collected from the archives of temples by a publisher in Kyoto, Zokyo Shoin and is categorized in four sections: “Zokyo Shoin-bon”, “Nichizo-bon (published)”, “Nichizo-bon (unpublished)” and “Shinshu-bon”. Among these, 595 items from “Nichizo-bon (unpublished)” have been newly digitized and released.

Nichizo-bon (unpublished) is composed of the books on Japanese Buddhism collected for a planned but unrealized sequel to Nihon Daizokyo, a Zokyo in 48 volumes compiled in Japan including writings by more than 300 Japanese Buddhists. The collection includes writings by Buddhist priests of great learning of every Japanese Buddhist sect.

▼Nichizo-bon (unpublished), Zokyo Shoin Collection

Ogasawara Mitsunaga zou

Ganzan daishi hyakusen wakai