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Early Modern Japanese Literature Research Guide: Bibliography

created and maintained by William Fleming and Haruko Nakamura

Biblography

Ichiko Teiji 市古貞次, et al., eds. Kokusho jinmei jiten 国書人名辞典. Iwanami shoten, 1993-1999.  

A four-volume general reference work with biographical information on numerous Japanese authors.

  

Inoue Takaaki 井上隆明. Kaitei zōho kinsei shorin hanmoto sōran 改訂増補近世書林板元總覽. Musashimurayama: Seishōdō shoten, 1998. 

 

Useful catalog of early modern publishers, including their addresses and stamps.

  

Kabat Adam. Yōkai-zōshi: kuzushiji nyūmon 妖怪草紙―くずし字入門. Kashiwa shobō, 2001.  

 

As the title suggests, a straightforward and entertaining introduction to reading kuzushiji using illustrated books featuring the vast range of Edo monsters and ghosts. (often of a comic variety).

  

Kodama Kōta 児玉幸多. Kuzushiji kaidoku jiten くずし字解読辞典. Kondō shuppansha, 1970. 

 

Excellent resource for beginning and intermediate learners of kuzushiji.  Characters are ordered by stroke type, so searching is possible even if it is difficult to determine the radical.  Also includes many pages with examples of hentaigana in independent and combined forms.

  

Kodama Kōta 児玉幸多. Kuzushiji yōrei jiten くずし字用例辞典. Tōkyōdō, 1981.  

 

The best and largest kuzushiji dictionary; it includes a list of hentaigana and their calligraphic forms that is more thorough than that in Sugano and Sakurai.

  

Kokusho sōmokuroku 国書総目録. Iwanami shoten, 1963-1976.  

 

Now largely superseded by the online version titled Nihon kotenseki sōgō mokuroku 日本古典籍総合目録 (“Union Catalog of Early Japanese Books”), linked to from the NIJL homepage (www.nijl.ac.jp -> 電子資料館 -> 日本古典籍総合目録データベース -> 検索画面).

  

Maeda Isamu 前田勇, ed. Edogo daijiten 江戸語大辞典. Kōdansha, 1974.

  

Nagasawa, Kikuya 長澤規矩也. Wakokubon kanseki bunrui mokuroku 和刻本漢籍分類目錄. Expanded edition. Kyūko shoin, 2006.

  

Nagasawa Kikuya 長沢規矩也 and Nagasawa Kōzō 長沢幸三. Kanbungakusha sōran 漢文学者総覧. Kyūko shoin, 1979.  

 

Dictionary of Japanese sinologists; useful for identifying names, but includes little in the way of biographical information.

  

Nakano Mitsutoshi 中野三敏. Shoshigaku dangi: Edo no hanpon 書誌学談義―江戶の板本. Iwanami shoten, 1995.  

 

Probably the most accessible overview of the study of woodblock-printed books and the bibliographical issues involved.

  

Nihon rekishi chimei taikei 日本歴史地名大系. Heibonsha, 1979-2005.  

 

A vast collection of information on Japanese place names and their origins, organized by prefecture; the online text-searchable version on JapanKnowledge (http://japanknowledge.com/library) is now the most effective way to use the series.

 

Ōba Osamu 大庭脩. Edo jidai ni okeru tōsen mochiwatarisho no kenkyū 江戸時代における唐船持渡書の研究. Suita-shi: Kansai daigaku shuppanbu, 1967.

  

Oka Jōji 丘襄二. Tenkai jiten 篆楷字典. Kokusho kankōkai, 1976.  

 

Comprehensive dictionary of seal-script characters.

  

Okamoto Masaru 岡本勝 and Kira Sueo 雲英末雄, eds. Kinsei bungaku kenkyū jiten 近世文学研究事典. New edition. Ōfūsha, 2006.  

 

Not without occasional mistakes, but provides useful overviews of major literary genres, authors, and works; includes index.

  

Sugano Noriko 菅野則子 and Sakurai Yuki 桜井油幾. Nyūmon: Komonjo o tanoshimu 入門―古文書を楽しむ. Takeuchi shoten shinsha, 2000.  

 

Good introduction to the reading of kuzushiji; includes ample reference material.

  

Watanabe Morikuni 渡辺守邦 and Shimahara Yasuo 島原泰雄. Zōshoin teiyō 蔵書印提要. Musashimurayama: Seishōdō shoten, 1985.  

 

Catalog of ex libris (ownership) stamps (zōshoin 蔵書印).

CD-ROMS

Shinpen Kokka Taikan 新編国歌大観

 

Edo-Meiji-Tokyo kasane chizu 江戸明治東京重ね地図

DVD-ROM, Ēpīpī Kanpanī (Tokyo), 2004.  Excellent resource [description].  Was formerly included online as part of JapanKnowledge, but is unfortunately no longer available there.

 

Kadokawa Kogo daijiten CD-ROM version 角川古語大辞典 CD-ROM版

Fully searchable (with either modern or historical kana usage) version of five-volume hardcover set; includes images.

Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Japan-CD-ROM-Kodansha-International/dp/4062099373

This remains an excellent resource; it is, however, reduced in scope from the nine-volume print edition (Kodansha, 1983).  An expanded version of the print edition is now available and fully searchable as part of JapanKnowledge (see under "Reference Works and Catalogs" tab).