Before the Internet and even before television, books were a major source of visual information.
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.
Beautiful Japanese Landscapes
This section introduces beautifully colored Japanese landscapes from ukiyo-e prints by UTAGAWA Hiroshige and others, as well as shin-hanga (new prints) from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods.
Patterns and Designs
This section introduces patterns for architectural decoration and furnishings, patterns for clothing and fabrics, and books containing designs and patterns for crafts and printed materials.
Kawaii Edo, Meiji and Taisho Periods
From 100-Year-Old Magazines
Botanical Illustrations
This section introduces natural history illustrations in the Edo period, botanical illustrations in the Meiji period, botanical illustrations depicting seasonal flowers, and other materials.
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The NDL Image Bank is a public-domain digital gallery of the National Diet Library, the national library in Japan. Our website has thousands of out-of-copyright Japanese artworks and images from our library’s extensive collection!
The NDL Gallery is online content that you can enjoy using the digitized materials of the National Diet Library. It also provides information on exhibitions in the National Diet Library.
The NDL Digital Exhibitions features the NDL’s unique collections with explanations covering various themes such as nishiki-e, landscape photographs and historical materials. Discover your favorites!