How to Search Rare Books and Old Materials
updated on
by Rare Books and Old Materials Room
This webpage explains how to search materials held by the Rare Books and Old Materials Room in the Tokyo Main Library.
1. Old Japanese Books Before the Edo Period
Searching with NDL Search
Please click on “Refiners” to expand the simple search dialog and search using the following conditions. If you do not see the search fields you need, you can add them by customizing the search fields.
- Library Field: Select “National Diet Library”
- Material type Field: Select “Japanese and Chinese Old Materials”
- Select “Japanese Old Materials” in “Japanese and Chinese Old Materials” field in Material type: Japanese and Chinese Old Materials
*This field is not displayed in the initial settings.
Search Tips
- Materials marked as “国会” (National Diet) holdings in the Kokusho somokuroku (General catalog of national books) can be searched using NDL Search.
- Materials on specific topics can be searched through Classification (NDL Digital Collections) in Kokusho somokuroku. Enter the words you wish to search for in the subject field.
- You can also search by Inki (former owner's ex-libris ownership stamps), former owner's name, or the NDL collection name (e.g., 白井文庫 [Shirai Bunko], 鶚軒文庫 [Gakken Bunko]). Enter the words you wish to search for in the Keyword field.
- Select “Books” in the Material type Field to search for facsimile editions, transcribed (typeset) editions, research books, etc., of rare books and old materials.
If You Cannot Find the Materials You Are Looking For
Please see the following catalogs. Specific collections may have their own catalogs.
- Shinpen teikoku toshokan wakosho mokuroku (New catalog of old Japanese books in the Imperial Library) (Tokyodo Shuppan, 1985, NDL Call No. UP111-467)
- Teikoku toshokan wakan tosho shomei mokuroku (Catalog of Japanese and Chinese book titles in the Imperial Library) (Imperial Library/National Diet Library, 1899-1966)
The recorded range covers the holdings as of the end of 1893 (Meiji 26) and additions made until March 1949 (Showa 24).- Part 1,Part 2,Part 3 NDL Call No. 029.1-Te143t (NDL Digital Collections)
- Part 4,Part 5 NDL Call No. 509-33 (NDL Digital Collections)
- Part 6,Part 7 NDL Call No. 029.1-Ko5486t2 (NDL Digital Collections)
- Teikoku toshokan wakan tosho shomei mokuroku (Catalog of Japanese and Chinese book titles in the Imperial Library) Revised and abridged edition (Kyuko Shoin, 1982-1986)
- Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4 A-Sa,Part 4 Na-Wa NDL Call No. UP111-390
- Part 4 Shi-To NDL Call No. UP111-H53
- Teikoku toshokan wakan tosho bunrui mokuroku (Classified catalog of Japanese and Chinese books in the Imperial Library) (Imperial Library, 1904-1907) (NDL Digital Collections)
The recorded range includes the holdings as of the end of 1899 (Meiji 32). - Imperial Library, ed., Teikoku toshokan wakanjo kenmei mokuroku (Subject catalog of Japanese and Chinese books in the Imperial Library) (Imperial Library, 1905-1909)
The recorded range covers additions made between 1900 (Meiji 33) and the end of 1907 (Meiji 40).- Part 1, Part 2 NDL Call No. 029.1-Te143t3 (NDL Digital Collections)
- Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shibu ueno toshokan wakanjo shomei mokuroku kosho-no-bu (Ueno Library, Branch of the National Diet Library, Catalog of Old Japanese and Chinese Materials – Antiquarian Section)(Administrative Department, National Diet Library, 1952, NDL Call No.029.1-Ko548u) (NDL Digital Collections)
The recorded range covers books acquired between January 1943 (Showa 18) and March 1949 (Showa 24). - Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shibu ueno toshokan wakanjo bunrui mokuroku kosho-no-bu (Ueno Library, Branch of the National Diet Library, Classified catalog of Japanese and Chinese Materials – Antiquarian Section) (Ueno Library, Branch of the National Diet Library, 1959, NDL Call No. 029.1-Ko548u) (NDL Digital Collections)
The recorded range covers additions made between April 1949 (Showa 24) and March 1961 (Showa 36), with materials added from January 1959 (Showa 34) onward included in the supplement at the end of the volume.
Searching Nishiki-e (Ukiyo-e)
For searching nishiki-e (ukiyo-e), please also utilize the NDL Digital Collections.
For details on how to search nishiki-e (ukiyo-e), please refer to the webpage Nishiki-e (Ukiyo-e) of the Rare Books and Old Materials Room.
Specific Collections
Please see the catalogs below if you are looking for specific collections.
The webpage introducing each collection also details how to search for collections.
- Teikoku toshokan shozo kabutoyama bunko wakan tosho mokuroku (Catalog of Japanese and Chinese books in the Kabutoyama Collection held by the Imperial Library) (Imperial Library, 1935, NDL Call No. 616-142) (NDL Digital Collections)
- Kameda jiro kyuzosho mokuroku (Catalog of the former collection of Jiro Kameda) (National Diet Library, 1960, NDL Call No. 029.9-Ko548k3) (NDL Digital Collections)
- Shinjo shinzo kyuzosho mokuroku (Catalog of the former collection of Shinzo Shinjo) (National Diet Library, 1970, NDL Call No. 029.9-Ko548k3)
- Honzo kankei tosho mokuroku (Catalog of books related to honzo) (Tsukasa Shobo, 1976, NDL Call No. M1-42)
- Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shozo “soke monjo” mokuroku (Catalog of Soke Monjo owned by the National Diet Library) (Reference service and bibliography (76):2015.3) (NDL Digital Collections)
- Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shozo yatomi hamao kyuzosho mokuroku (Catalog of the former collection of Hamao Yatomi held by the National Diet Library) (Reference service and bibliography (64):2006.3) (NDL Digital Collections)
- Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shozo kosugi bunko ni tsuite (Kosugi Collection of the National Diet Library) (Reference service and bibliography (59):2003.10 (NDL Digital Collections), Supplement (65):2006.10 (NDL Digital Collections))
- Kyubaku hikitsugisho mokuroku (Catalog of documents handed down from the former Shogunate) NDL Call No. A111-G112 and others.
This is not a complete catalog of all documents handed down from the former shogunate, but is a detailed list of the main materials.
2. Chinese and Korean Old Books
Searching with NDL Search
Please click on “Refiners” to expand the simple search dialog and search using the following conditions. If you do not see the search fields you need, you can add them by customizing the search fields.
- Library Field: Select “National Diet Library”
- Material type Field: Select “Japanese and Chinese Old Materials”
- Select “Chinese Old Materials” in “Japanese and Chinese Old Materials” field in Material type: Japanese and Chinese Old Materials
*This field is not displayed in the initial settings.
If You Cannot Find the Materials You Are Looking For
Please see the following catalogs.
- Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan kanseki mokuroku (Catalog of Chinese books in the National Diet Library) (National Diet Library, 1987, NDL Call No. UP111-490)
This is a classified catalog of Chinese books held by the National Diet Library. For details, please see the National Diet Library Chinese books catalogs. - Kokuritsu kokkai toshokan shozo chosen kankei shiryo mokuroku 4 Chosenbon hen (Catalog of Materials on Korea in the National Diet Library, volume 4: Classical Korean Books) (National Diet Library, 1983, NDL Call No. GE3-42)
3. Old Western Books
Searching with NDL Search
Please click on “Refiners” to expand the simple search dialog and search using the following conditions. If you do not see the search fields you need, you can add them by customizing the search fields.
- Library Field: Select “National Diet Library”
- Material type Field: Select “Books”
If You Cannot Find the Materials You Are Looking For
Please see the following catalogs. There may be unique catalogs for specific collections.
- National Diet Library catalog of foreign books
- 1986.9/1990.12 - 1991/1995 NDL Call No. Z65-A594
- 1991 - 1998 NDL Call No. Z65-A583
Specific Collections
Please see the catalogs below if you are looking for specific collections.
The webpage introducing each collection also details how to search for collections.
- “List of foreign books collected under the Shogunate regime = Lijst van boeken in buitenlandse talen verzameld door het Shogunaat =江戸幕府旧蔵洋書目録” (Institute for the Study of the Netherlands Books, 1957, NDL Call No. 018.1-R196l)
This is a catalog of Dutch books held by the National Diet Library. - Edo bakufu kyuzo ransho sogo mokuroku (List of Dutch Books collected by the Tokugawa Shogunate) (Japan-Netherlands Institute, 1980, NDL Call No. GB381-25)
This is a comprehensive catalog of Dutch books held by seven institutions, including the National Diet Library and the Shizuoka Prefectural Central Library.
4. Newspapers and Magazines of the Late Edo and Early Meiji Periods
Searching with NDL Search
Please click on “Refiners” to expand the simple search dialog and search using the following conditions. If you do not see the search fields you need, you can add them by customizing the search fields.
- Library Field: Select “National Diet Library”
- Material type Field: Select “Periodicals” or “Newspapers”