Recommended Databases for Japanese Studies   Tags: japan, japanese, ndl, nihon, nii, nippon  

Citation information for both articles and books; must select either articles or books (& journals). Books include holdings information for Japanese libraries. Can export to Refworks, EndNote etc.

Includes the same article data as in CiNii AND data for many journals published in prewar Japan.

Same citation information for articles as in CiNii but can do more precise searches.

Same citation information as in CiNii books -- includes tables of contents for books published after 1986 but does not include library holding information. Can export in CSV and TSV formats.

Search box on left will search journal articles and books simultaneously. Limit after you get results.

General encyclopedias, language dictionaries -- includes Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, 日本国語大辞典, 國史大辭典, 日本歴史地名大系, 日本大百科全書, 現代用語の基礎知識, イミダス, 日本人名大事典. Also 東洋文庫.

A standard Chinese character/compound dictionary with a classical emphasis.

A compilation of Buddhist terms, texts, temple, schools, persons, etc., found in Buddhist canonical sources.

8000 terms related to traditional Japanese art and architecture from the 1st century A.D. to 1868.

Biographical and bibliographical information on about 500,000 people from Meiji to the present.

12+ million articles published in the Asahi newspaper from 1879 to present. Also includes Aera & Shūkan Asahi, Chiezō, Asahi shinbun jinbutsu dētabēsu, and Aashi shinbun rekishi shashin ākaibu.

Full page reproductions in pdf format of official Japanese-language newspaper from colonial-period Korea (1906 – 1945). Must be browsed by date. No search interface.

The full-text of the Mainichi shinbun (1872 (Meiji 5)- present). Both the Tokyo and Osaka editions (1876-1942) are in pdf format until 1988 and as search terms are limited, browsing is recommended. After 1999, only html is available.

Official newspaper of Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, including both Japanese (1898.5 - 1944.3) and Chinese (1905.7 - 1911.11) editions.

Yomiuri shinbun 1874 to present and the Daily Yomiuri 1989.9 to present.

Full-text of 240,000 of 570,000 volumes held by the National Diet Library published in Japan between 1868 and 1945.

Historical records about modern Japan-Asia relations held by Japanese national institutions.

Covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the rise of militarism, to the bombing of Hiroshima and the Occupation.

Diaries, correspondence, information on daily life, art, architecture, religion and zoology.

English language resources

Freely accessible websites for Japanese architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, folk arts, maps, painting, photographs, posters, prints, scrolls, sculpture.

Comprehensive guide to print and web-based resources for Japanese Studies with an emphasis on Japanese language resources.