Hamish Todd
\nStudiesHead of East Asian Collections
\nPhone: +44 (0) 20-7412-7662
\nE-mail: hamish.todd[ATMARK]bl.uk
Yasuyo Ohtsuka
\nCurator Japanese Studies
\nPhone: +44 (0) 20-7412-7562
\nE-mail: yasuyo.ohtsuka[ATMARK]bl.uk
The foundations of the British Library's holdings of pre-modern Japanese material are the collections acquired from Engelbert Kaempfer, Philipp Franz von Siebold, Ernest Satow and William Anderson.
Japanese printed works printed before 1868 amount to approximately 4,000 titles starting with the Hyakumanto darani of 764-770 CE. All major categories of early Japanese printing are represented including more than 40 works printed in medieval Buddhist monasteries (Kasuga-ban, Jōdokyō-ban, Kōya-ban etc.) and 30 Chinese works printed in Japan (Gozan-ban).
There are 120 movable-type editions (kokatsuji-ban) including 11 Saga-bon and 7 books printed by the Jesuit Mission Press (Kirishitan-ban), notably the unique copy of the Feiqe monogatari of 1592/3.
The collection is strong in the field of illustrated works from the Edo Period. The pre-modern manuscript collection comprises 400 titles including over 20 Nara ehon. Single sheet items consist principally of some 300 surimono and 235 woodlock prints from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5. The British Library holds over 400 woodblock-printed and manuscript Japanese maps, some held in the Asian and African Collections, other in the Map Collections." } , { "pname":"Material Availability for Researchers' Viewing/Examination", "pvalue":"To gain access to the collections users must be in possession of a valid British Library Reader Pass. Details of how to apply for a Reader Pass can be found on the British Library website. Applicants should pay particular attention to the types of documents accepted as proof of identity.\n\n
\nDigital images for some Japanese manuscripts can be found in the Library's\nDigitised Manuscripts.\n
Catalogue of early Japanese books in the British Library compiled by Kawase Kazuma and Okazaki Hisaji (Tokyo,1996). Includes pre-Meiji printed books and manuscripts acquired up to the mid-1980s. Records for material in this catalogue are currently being added to the online catalogue Explore Archives and Manuscripts.\n
Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese Books in the British Library Printed before 1700, by Kenneth B. Gardner (London and Tenri,1993). Contains detailed descriptions of 637 items printed in Japan up to the end of the Genroku Period (1704). Records of all material in this catalogue can be found on the online catalogue Explore Archives and Manuscripts.\n
Catalogue of Japanese Printed Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the British Museum, by Sir Robert K. Douglas (London, 1898 with a supplement in 1904). Includes printed books and manuscripts acquired before 1904. Note that the romanization system is non-standard and almost all works in this catalogue are also included in the two later catalogues mentioned above.
Manuscripts:
The Catalogue of early Japanese books in the British Library includes manuscripts written before 1868. Descriptions of the manuscripts are mixed with those of printed books but there is a separate index of manuscripts. Records of all Japanese manuscripts in this catalogue can be found on the online catalogue Explore Archives and Manuscripts." } , { "pname":"Possibility of Material Reproduction", "pvalue":"The British Library does not allow users to photograph rare and early material themselves. A reprographics service is available - details can be found on the British Library website." } , { "pname":"Publications on the Collection, beyond Catalogs", "pvalue":"
Yu-Ying Brown, \"The Von Siebold Collections in Tokugawa Japan\", British Library Journal, I (1975), pp. 163-70; ii (1976), pp.38-55.
Yu-Ying Brown, Japanese Language Collections in the British Library (London: The British Library 1989).
Yu-Ying Brown, \"Japanese Books and Manuscripts: Sloane's Japanese Library and the Making of the History of Japan\" Arthur MacGragor (ed.), Sir Hans Sloane: Collector, Scientist , Antiquary, Founding Father of the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1994), pp. 278-290.
Yu-Ying Brown, \"Origins and Charactersitics of the Japanese Collection in the British Library\", British Library Journal, 24 (1), 1998, pp.144-157.
Kenneth B Gardner, \"Engelbert Kaempfer's Japanese Library\", Asia Major VII 1/2 (1959).
Kenneth B Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese Books in the British Library Printed before 1700 (London: The British Library, 1993).
Philip H. Harris, A History of the British Museum Library 1753-1973 (London: The British Library, 1998).
川瀬一馬, 岡崎久司共編, 大英図書館所蔵和漢書総目録 (=Catalogue of Early Japanese Books in the British Library (東京: 講談社, 1996)
Hamish A Todd, \"The Satow Collection of Japanese Books in the British Library: its history and significance\" in 大英図書館所蔵朝鮮本及び日本古書の文献学的･語学的研究 Fujimoto Yukio (ed) (Toyama: Toyama University, 2007).
" } , { "pname":"Other Relevant Information", "pvalue":"More details about the British Library’s Japanese holdings are found here" } ]