The International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), as part of ongoing projects to make its diverse collection of Japanese studies resources available online, has now opened the “Nichibunken Digital Archive.” The Archive allows users to browse image data of these materials across all genres.
The Nichibunken Digital Archive conforms with IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) standards for publishing and sharing images, enabling smooth viewing of high-resolution images.
As the first stage of the launch, the Archive makes available a total of 1,499 items from the Nichibunken databases of the Yoshida Hatsusaburō Bird’s-eye View Maps, Emakimono (picture scrolls), and Fūzoku Zue (folklore illustrations). Nichibunken holdings of rare and valuable materials will continue to be made available from now on.
Note: Only materials for which the expiration of copyright has been confirmed or for which permission for release and use has been obtained from the copyright holder are included in the Archive.
The image data and bibliographic information on the Archive are freely available to all. The resources can be used widely, for research and study, teaching, and lifelong learning.