Collections

Collection of images of the bird’s-eye view maps made by Yoshida Hatsusaburō (1884–1955) and other artists of his time.

Nichibunken houses a collection of Chirimen-bon, or crepe-paper books, that includes folk tales, classical poetry and calendars, some of which archived in this database.
Chirimen-bon (crepe-paper books) are created by printing on Japanese washi paper, which subsequently undergoes a wrinkling process and is bound according to traditional Japanese methods. The books were named Chirimen-bon due to their soft, tactile quality and texture, reminiscent of chirimen silk. Initially crafted as souvenirs for visitors to Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912), these books played an important role in introducing Japanese culture to the world.
 

Namazu-e from the collection of Nichibunken are archived in this database. Namazu-e are Nishiki-e (woodblock prints) depicting the folklore of a giant catfish living underground that can cause earthquakes.

*The titles of the images are taken from the Complete Catalog of Namazu-e featured in Namazu-e: Earthquakes and Japanese Culture (Ribun Shuppan, 1995), edited by Noboru Miyata and Mamoru Takada.

Collection of high-resolution digital images of Emakimono (picture scrolls) held at Nichibunken.

High resolution images of all pages of the ezōshi, or illustrated story books from the Edo period, in the Nichibunken collection.