Kyoto University Library Network

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Suruga Date Documents (Medieval) have been newly released by a joint project with Princeton University.

▼Suruga Date Documents (Medieval)

The Suruga Date, a family sharing the same ancestor as the famous Date Masamune of Northern Japan were a warrior (kokujin) family based in Suruga Province (currently known as Shizuoka Prefecture). They moved to Tsuyama domain in Mimasaka province (current day Okayama Prefecture) where they survived during the Early Modern era (1600-1868). In all, 118 documents survive in the Suruga Date collection, with the oldest dating from the fourteenth century, and the most recent dating from the late nineteenth century (Meiji era).
Of those documents, the oldest 56, dating from the fourteenth century through 1467, are reproduced in their entirety. Many are from the Ashikaga shoguns, or protectors (shugo) and high-ranking officials. Among them, the petitions for military award submitted by the warrior Date Kagemune are informative, while the documents dating from the 14-15th century from the Imagawa, a hegemon of Eastern Japan, are particularly rare.

Ashikaga Takauji sodehan kudashibumi 足利尊氏袖判下文

Kyoto University and Princeton University have initiated a joint project in March 2020 in order to deepen the knowledge and awareness of Japanese history and culture throughout the world. The goal is to disseminate images, transcriptions, translations, and research about Japanese documents owned by the Kyoto University Museum.
The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University Library Network and the Department of East Asian Studies of Princeton University will collaborate in carrying out this project.  

• SURUGA DATE COLLECTION: THE KYOTO PRINCETON PROJECT (Princeton University)
• Tannowa Document released under the joint project with Princeton University (2020-04-21)

As of June 30, 2022, Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive provides 1,928,514 images of 23,729 titles.

Four hundred and seventeen titles from the Daiso-bon collection held by the Main Library have been newly digitized and released.

Daiso-bon is a collection of books formerly owned by Daiso (大惣), a book lender run by Sohachi Onoya (大野屋惣八) and his family in Nagoya from the middle of the Edo period to the middle of the Meiji period. Book lenders at the time usually kept books in high demand in their stock and sold the ones out of fashion away to buy new ones. Daiso, however, had a policy not to sell away books they had bought and increased their inventory until the end of the Edo period when they became the largest book lender in Japan. After the arrival of mass production of books in the Meiji period, many book lenders disappeared, Daiso being no exception. Around 1898, Daiso decided to close the business and sold its enormous inventory of 16,734 titles of books, most of which were acquired by the Imperial Library (current National Diet Library), Tokyo Imperial University, Kyoto Imperial University and the Higher Normal School (current University of Tsukuba). Daiso Collection owned by Kyoto University amounts to 3,667 titles, or 13,081 volumes. 
 

▼Daiso-bon

Most of the newly released books are the Maruhon (丸本) that contain entire lyrics of the Jōruri play, and Lots of works by popular dramatists, such as Kokusen'ya kassen (国姓爺合戦) by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松門左衛門), Kana tehon Chūshingura (假名手本忠臣蔵: RB00033452, RB00033453, RB00033454) by Takeda Izumo (竹田出雲) and Chikamichi taiheiki (捷徑太平記) by Santō Kyōden (山東京傳) are included. Bakekurabe ushimitsu no kane (化競丑満鐘) by Kyokutei Bakin (曲亭馬琴) is a rare materials that still retains the color-painted title page, the publisher’s greeting, and the advertisements.

“化競丑満鐘”  Left: Title page and advertisements, Right: Front cover

“化競丑満鐘”  Left: Illustrations, Right: Publisher’s greeting

408 of 417 items released this time were digitized under the “Project to Build an International Collaborative Research Network for Pre-modern Japanese Texts” by the National Institute of Japanese Literature in which Kyoto University Library participates.

Three books, Gosan shichiya shidai oboe, Ikoku monogatari and Ehon ikoku ichiran held in the Main Library have been newly released.

Gosan shichiya shidai oboe (御産七夜次第覚) from the Nakanoin Collection is an autograph document by Nakanoin Michimura (中院通村 1588-1653), and is a memorandum on birth rituals at the Imperial Court.
Nakanoin Collection was formerly held by Michinori Nakanoin (1856-1925). The family's contribution to research in Japanese literature is acknowledged. In particular, Michikatsu (1558-1610) and Michimura are renowned for their deep knowledge of Japanese literature, especially waka (31-syllable Japanese poetry). Furthermore, the memorandums of the authoritative precedents of court ceremonies and the records of religious rites are important materials for research in the history of people’s lives.

“御産七夜次第覚”

Ikoku monogatari (異國物語) and Ehon ikoku ichiran (繪本異國一覽) are illustrated books of ethnography published in the Edo period that depict the characteristics of people around the world.
In addition to real countries, legendary countries also appear in these books.

“異國物語”

“繪本異國一覽”

There are some more illustrated books of ethnography published in the Edo period in the Digital Archive.
12titles including 西夏文華嚴經 and 万国人物図 have been newly released (2022-02-04)

Three Illustrated Kabuki play books, Kitsunegawa Ima Sesshōseki (狐川今殺生石), Tanba Yosaku (丹波与作) and Ryōshū Renri no Matsu (兩州連理の松), held by the Graduate School of Letters have been newly released.

Illustrated Kabuki play book is an illustrated book published in the Edo period that contains outlines of Kabuki plays.
These books were formerly in the collection of Fumihiko Nakano (中野文彦), but are now in the possession of the Graduate School of Letters.
Although only the first part of the each book remains, the illustrations depicting major scenes and the plates filled with fine text provide a glimpse of the contents of the books.

“狐川今殺生石”

“丹波与作”

“兩州連理の松”

As of June 1, 2022, the Digital Archive provides 1,872,564 images of 23,253 titles.

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. Three hundred twenty-two images of the restored volumes 15-20 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 (*1) 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 2017 funded by the Sumitomo Foundation, and also funded by government from 2021. 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 May 17, 2022, the Digital Archive provides 1,872,545 images of 23,250 titles.

The Maintenance work was completed (2022/05/17 11:50) and the service has been restored.

Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive will suspend its service due to system maintenance for about 2 hours from 10:30am, May 17, 2022.
The service will be restored as soon as the maintenance work has been completed. 
Thank you for your understanding.

Additional images 46-56 are now available. (2022/4/25)

Kamakura Nendaiki (鎌倉年代記) is a chronicle of the Kamakura Period. It was formerly owned by the Mibu family and now in the possession of the Main Library.
The front side of the folded book is already available on Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive, and now the reverse side has been digitized and released.
On the front page, each vertical column corresponds to a year, with a summary of the major figures’ appointments and biographies.
The reverse side contains the events of the year corresponding to the front side, and also includes many records not founded in other historical documents.

LEFT Reverse side: Gentoku 2-3 (1330-1331)
RIGHT Front side: Around Gentoku 2 (1330)

As of April 25, 2022, Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive provides 1,872,223 images of 23,250 titles.

Past exhibitions
▼Academic year 2020
▼Academic year 2019
▼Academic year 2018 (Japanese only)
▼Academic year 2017 (Japanese only)
▼Academic year 2016 (Japanese only)
▼Academic year 2015 (Japanese only)
▼Academic year 2014 (Japanese only)

The Kiheitai Nikki (奇兵隊日記) is a record of the activities of the Kiheitai, founded by Takasugi Shinsaku at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
It was held by Shinagawa Yajiro (品川弥二郎) at the memorial hall Sonjo-do (尊攘堂). Whole collection of the Sonjo-do was donated to the Main Library in 1900, and became the current “Meiji Restoration Collection.”
The Kiheitai Nikki consists of 27 volumes of bound records, which were already available in our digital archives, and 49 plates of maps.

Left: Chōfu-han Katsuyamajō shūhen ezu (長府藩勝山城周辺絵図)
Right: Echigotsugawa Aizutakada kan dōro ezu (越後津川・会津高田間道路絵図)

The digitization of the above-mentioned rare materials has been realized thanks to the Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive Fund.
We sincerely extend our appreciation to their generosity, with our determination to continue this digitization project to preserve and make the best use of our rare materials at the same time, which we believe will lead to the promotion of research and culture.

As of March 31, 2022, Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive provides 1,872,197 images of 23,250 titles.