This main section includes resources on Japan in general, on particular groups such as women and children, and on particular regions such as Okinawa and southeast Asia under Japanese colonial power. There are also collections of illustrated (non-photographic) resources, specifically manga (cartoons/comics)and hikifuda (advertising handbills).

The last note in each description indicates the calendrical systems used in the resources. For information on Japanese calendrical systems, refer to the note on the link, "About this Guide." http://www.library.duke.edu/research/subject/guides/japan/primary/images/historical/about.html

These have been grouped into 5 categories: Single-volume Resources, Multi-volume Resources, War-related Resources, Illustrated (non-photographic) Resources, and Periodical Resources.

 

Single-volume Resources

1. Me de miru Shōwa zenshi : Shōwa gannen--64-nen / 目で見る昭和全史 : 昭和元年--64年

• Tokyo: Yomiuri Shinbunsha, 1989.
• East Asian Collection  DS888.2 .M44 1989. 
• Sweeping overview of Shōwa era from 1926-1989, with an emphasis on sports, awards, social change. This volume opens with a chapter on the death and funeral of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 & includes "Emperor's Album" of photographs.
• Additional features: 1. list of prime ministers; 2. Shōwa-era statistics, including population, subjects studied in college, and media habits; 3. lists of bestsellers, awards, etc.; 4. chronology.
• Table of contents arranged by decade;
• Years: both Western calendar years and Japanese era years.

2. Nihon 20-seikikan / 日本 20世紀館

• Tokyo: Shogakukan, 1999.
• East Asian Collection   DS885 .N49 1999.
• Retrospective of entire 20th century; features both text and pictures. Appropriate for understanding major events in 20th century.
• Additional features: "20th-century graffiti;" "a moment in history;""unique, little known themes;" "keywords;" "goods/products;" "people;" "arts and culture;" "exhibitions;" "Era fads."
• Name and event indexes.
• Years: Western calendar years.

3. Shōwa shashin gekijō / 昭和写真劇場

• Okai, Teruo, 1933- / 岡井耀毅, 1933-
• Seikō Shobō, 2008.
• East Asian Collection: TR105 .O33 2008
• Primary focus is on postwar photography, but includes a chapter on Asahi gurafu and on the origins of Japanese photography.
• Western calendar years in the captions.

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Multi-volume Resources

1. Asahi kuronikuru 20-seiki : Nihon to sekai no 100-nen = Asahi chronicle, the 20th century. / 朝日クロニクル20世紀 : 日本と世界の100年

• Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 2000.
• East Asian Collection  DS885 .A834 2000.
• As the Japanese subtitle suggests, the focus is on Japan's intersections in the world at large.
• Organization of the 10-volume set:
  • Vol. 1 1901-1916; Vol. 2 1917-1929; Vol. 3 1930-1940; Vol. 4 1941-1950; Vol. 5 1951-1960; Vol. 6 1961-1970; Vol. 7 1971-1980; Vol. 8 1981-1990; Vol. 9 1991-2000; Vol. 10 1901-2000.
• Additional features include interesting essays on more specific topics.
• Years: Western calendar years.

2. Me de miru Shōwa / 目で見る昭和

• Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1972.
• East Asian Collection  DS888.2 .M42 1972.
• From the introduction to the first volume: "[This] volume chronicles an age of war.... But this volume does not carry only war pictures, as people also had to carry on their quotidian lives. We thought we would show how everyday life changed."
• This two-volume set is a year-by-year pictorial chronology of Shōwa era. Each chapter follows various themes, such as "A Dark Start -- Financial Panic... Akutagawa's Death" & "The Modern" for Shōwa 2; "The Revival of the Imperial Capital" for Shōwa 5, "The Road to Fascism" (Shōwa 11), "DDT" (Shōwa 21), and "Japanese are 12 years old" (Shōwa 26, focusing on MacArthur's infamous proclamation about Japanese people).
• Additional features include essays by authors such as Oe Kenzaburo and Maruya Saiichi.
• Years: Japanese era years.

3. Meiji Taishō zushi /  明治大正図誌.

• Tokyo : Chikuma shobō :  摩書房, 1978-1980.
• East Asian Collection  DS822.3 .M397 1978.
• This 17-volume series is a rich collection that can meet a variety of research needs. Images range from photographs of architecture, people, and places, to paintings and sculpture, from maps and documents to toys and cartoons.
• Each volume organized by city/region, with the 16th volume covering images from abroad.
• Examples of sections from Kyoto volume: "The chaos of the restoration," “Tradition of revolution,” and “The rebirth of ‘Miyako.'"
• Volumes:
  • v. 1-3. Tōkyō 東京; v. 4. Yokohama, Kōbe 橫浜, 神 戶; v. 5. Hokkaidō. 北海道; v. 6. Tōhoku 東北; v. 7. Kantō 関東; v. 8. Chūōdō 中央道; v. 9. Tōkaidō 東海道; v. 10. Kyōto 京都; v. 11. Ōsaka 大阪; v. 12. Kinki 近畿; v. 13. Nihonkai 日本海; v. 14. Seto Uchi 瀨 戶內; v. 15. Kyūshū 九州; v. 16. Kaigai 海外; v. 17. Zusetsu Nenpyō.   図 說 年表.
• No index. Each volume includes a detailed table of contents, and ends with a scholarly essay.
• Years: Japanese era years.

4. Ryūkyū Okinawa shashin kaiga shūsei /  琉球・沖縄写真絵画集成.

• Tokyo : Nihon Tosho Sentā :  日本図書センター, 1997.  
• East Asian Collection  952.29 R997, 1997   
• English translation of title: "Collection of photographs and illustrations about Ryukyu/Okinawa."
• Pictorial history of Okinawa.
• Volume titles:
  • Vol. 1. Katsute Okinawa wa dokuritsukoku de atta 沖縄は独立国であった.
  • Vol. 2. Nihon ni natta Okinawa 日本になった沖縄.
  • Vol. 3. Okinawa zendo ga senjyō ni natta . 沖縄全土が戦場になった.
  • Vol. 4. Beigun shihaika no Okinawa . 米軍支配下の沖縄.
  • Vol. 5. Okinawa fukki kara dokuritsu e. . 沖縄・復帰から自立ヘ.
• Includes chronology, maps, photographs of people, places, theatrical presentations, and items; bibliography.
• Table of contents organizes information into various topics, including “Traditional art and music” and “The road to war."
• Years: Japanese era years, with occasional Western calendar years.

5. Shashin kaiga shūsei Nihon no kodomotachi : kin-gendai o ikiru /   写真・絵画集成日本の子供たち :  近現代を生きる.

• Tokyo : Nihon Tosho Sentā :  日本図書センター, 1996.
• East Asian Collection  HQ792.J3 S53 1996
• English translation of title: "Collection of photographs and illustrations about children in Japan."
• Photographs, drawings, and documents chronicling children in modern Japan.
• Each volume organized by chapters with subchapters.
• Volume titles: 
  • 1. Meiji kara Taishō, Shōwa e
  • 2. 15-nen sensō no nakade
  • 3. Haikyo kara no shuppatsu
  • 4. 21-seiki ni mukete
  • 5. Tēmabetsu kodomo no ayumi.
• Years: Japanese era years, with occasional Western calendar years.

6. Shashin, kaiga shūsei Nihon no onnatachi /   写真・絵画集成日本の女たち.

• Tokyo : Nihon Tosho Sentā :  日本図書センター, 1996.  
• East Asian Collection  HQ1762 .S47 1996.
• English translation of title: "Collection of photographs and illustrations about women in Japan."
• Collection focuses on women, with each volume organized by a special theme, such as “An era is born” and “Beyond the nation’s borders.”
• Examples of chapters from Vol. 1: “The Light and Dark of the War Years (15 years war),” “Protecting Peace and Human rights (postwar).”
• Years: both Western calendar years and Japanese era years.

7. Shashin kiroku Tōnan Ajia : rekishi sensō Nihon /  写真記錄東南アジア :  歴史・戦争・日本.

• Tokyo : Horupu Shuppan :  ほるぷ出版, 1997.  
• East Asian Collection  959.00222 S532, 1997   
• English translation of title: "Photographic record of Southeast Asia: History, War, Japan."
• Intriguing set of volumes chronicling the difficult history of Japan (and of other imperial powers such as the US) in southeast Asia.
• Each volume deals with a different area:
  • Vol. 1: The Philippines and the islands of the South Pacific.
  • Vol. 2: Indonesia
  • Vol. 3: Malaysia and Singapore
  • Vol. 4: Burma and Thailand
  • Vol. 5: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
  • Vol. 6: Today’s Southeast Asia
• To give an example of content and organization, Vol. 1 on the Philippines and the South Pacific begins with an introduction entitled “The road to the Asian and Pacific War,” gives background on the history of the Philippines, the establishment of colonial society in the Philippines, and the effects of World War II on the Philippines, and provides similar information on the South Pacific. Concludes with an essay entitled, “Japan, the Pacific, the World: When will there be true peace?” (日本,太平洋,世界： 真の平和はいつ).
• Includes cartoons, documents photographs, maps, etc.
• Years: both Western calendar years and Japanese era years.

8. Shōwa nimannichi no zenkiroku = Shōwa day by day / 昭和二万日の全記錄 = Shōwa day by day

• Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1989.
• East Asian Collection DS888.2 .S487 1989.
• This relatively widely available set presents a voluminous history of the Shōwa era in images. The 19 volumes offer sweeping overviews of years, as found in other resources, as well as a detailed breakdown by months and days.
• Special features for Japanese readers:
  • The table of contents includes includes a world chronology that accompanies the Japan chronology. Using 1928 as an example, you get to learn of Trotsky's arrest in early January, the Fascists' rise to power in Italy in May, Hoover's election in November, and the war that broke out between Bolivia and Paraguay in December.
  • Each volume of this set includes an "Era words" graph, showing popular words, events, and fads for each year, which are cross-referenced with data on population change, GNP, volume of rice production, spread of the telephone, and industrial sector growth and citizen work. For example, in 1928, the key event was the first universal election (except for women), the word was "Mannequin Girl," and the fad was "Rappa Pants."
• Index.
• Years: both Western calendar years and Japanese era years. Note that Western years are not in the body of the text, but can be found in the table of contents.

9. Shōwa shi: [Shashin de miru gekidō no kiroku]. 昭和史 : [写真で見る激動の記錄].

• Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1984.
• East Asian Collection DS888.2 .S485 1984
• This rare set is made up of 21 volumes and has extensive images.
• Years: Japanese era years.

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War-related Resources

1. Nihon no senshi. 日本の戦史.

• Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1978-1980.
• East Asian Collection DS838.7 .N67 1978.
• English translation of title: "Japan's war history."
• Focuses primarily on images from the battlefield, not effects of war felt on domestic front.
• Covers Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, the Manchurian incident (1931), the war in China, and the Second World War.
• Years: Western calendar years.

2. Sensō to shomin, 1940-1949 / 戦争と庶民 1940-1949 .

• Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1995.
• East Asian Collection   D767.2 .S468 1995.
• English translation of title: "War and the common people."
• 5-volume set represents both day-to-day life and scenes from battlefields.
• Covers battlescenes from Pearl Harbor and the South Pacific to Shanghai, Hong Kong, India, and Thailand.
• Vol. 1 has aninteresting opening section in color, featuring a variety of images such as pictures from children's books of the early 1940s.
• Less text heavy than Shōwa Day by Day.
• Volume titles:
  • 1. Taisei yokusan kara Nichi-Bei kaisen (大政翼賛から日米開戦)
  • 2. Kyūbō seikatsu to gakuto shutsujin ( 窮乏生活と学徒出陣)
  • 3. Kūshū, Hiroshima, haisen (空襲．ヒロシマ．敗戦)
  • 4. Shinchūgun to furōji (進駐軍と浮浪児)
  • 5. Senryōka no minshu shugi (占領下の民主主義)
• Years: Western calendar years.

3. 1930s & World War II era images

Housed at Duke University's David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, this picture file contains visual materials on Japan, including Hsinking, which is a Japanese publication documenting the construction of Hsinking during the first five years of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria (Manchukuo) from 1932-1937, and the Japan Today Series, a collection of photographs of daily life in Japan in 1941. Contact the Special Collections Library for information on viewing the picture file.

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Illustrated (non-photographic) Resources

1. Manga ni egakareta Meiji Taishō Shōwa /.   漫画に描かれた明治大正昭和

• Tokyo: Nyūton Puresu :  ニュートンプレス, 1998
• East Asian Collection   DS822.25 .M34 1998.  
• English translation of title: "The Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras as pictured in manga."
• This book presents manga (comic books, cartoons) from Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa periods. Edited by Shimizu Isao ( 清水勲), a manga scholar and head of a manga archive. Shimizu’s aim is to uncover the origins of a form of expression that has become ubiquitous in Japan. He goes back to the Meiji to give an illustrated history of manga in Japanese society, and carries the history up through Shōwa. His table of contents goes by era, and he groups images into topics like “Trains,” “Cholera,” “Baseball,” “Russo-Japanese War,” “Milk,” “Beef,” etc. Emphasis is not on the mass-produced manga that is commonly known outside of Japan, but on newspaper and magazine manga images.
• Mostly B/W, some color; some color images of magazine covers.
• Includes chronology and subject index.
• Years: Japanese era years.

2. Manga zasshi hakubutsukan /  漫画雑誌博物館.

• Tokyo : Kokusho Kankōkai :  国書刋行会,  昭和61-62 [1986-1987]. 
• East Asian Collection  NC1706 .M35 1986.
• English translation of title: "Museum of Manga Magazines."
• This 12-volume set provides selections of manga from Meiji through Shōwa eras. Duke's Perkins Library holds entire collection of Tokyo Puck, selections of which are included in this collection. Also edited by Shimizu, who compiled the previous entry.
• Volumes:
  • 1-2. Dandan chinbun 團團珍聞
  • 3. Jōtō ponchi 上等ポンチ
  • 4. Kokkeikai 滑稽界
  • 5. Tōkyō pakku, 1 東京パック, 1
  • 6. Jiji manga, 1 時事漫画, 1
  • 7. Tōkyō pakku, 2 東京パック, 2
  • 8. Ōsaka pakku 大阪パック
  • 9. Tōkyō pakku, 3 東京パック, 3
  • 10. Mangaman マンガマン
  • 11. Jiji manga, 2 時事漫画, 2
  • 12. Yomiuri sandē manga. 讀賣サンデー漫画.  
• No index; requires high level of Japanese reading ability.
• Years: Japanese era years.

3. Meiji no hikifuda : Tamura korekushon /   明治の引札 :  田村コレクション.

• Kyōto-shi : Shikōsha: しこうしゃ , 1988. Edited by Takada, Isao.  
• East Asian Collection   HF5813.J3 T337 1988.
• Hikifuda are advertising handbills originated in the Edo era and which became common in the 1880s with the spread of color lithography.
• Full color illustrations; sparse captions; includes reflective essay on hikifuda by Takada.
• For more information on and examples of hikifuda, see the Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design http://www.eisnermuseum.org/_hikifuda/html/main.html.
• Years: Japanese era years, although years are not always indicated; all from Meiji era.

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Periodical Resources

1. Dōmei gurafu. 同盟グラフ.

• Tokyo: Yumani Shobo, 1989, 1990.
• East Asian Collection Periodicals D668G
• Reprint of monthly magazine originally published by Dōmei Tsushinsha. In 1944, Dōmei gurafu's title was changed to Dai Tōa hō [大東亞報]. Dai Tōa hō is volume 8 of reprint available at Duke.
• Mostly B/W photos, pictures. Color images of each issue's cover in the beginning of each volume.
• In foreword to reprint, editors note that Japan has come to mean two things to the world -- "Economic Superpower" and the "Protector of World Peace;" they hope with this reprint to underscore tumult in Japan's history, particularly the war era.
• Editors' essays give historical background on the publication history of Dōmei gurafu.
• Look for cartoons, advertisements, including eye doctors, movies, government bonds for war effort, etc.
• Not indexed.
• Years: Japanese era years.

2. Front (Tokyo, Japan)

• Tokyo : Heibonsha, 1989. Originally published bimonthly by Tohosya.
• Located in Lilly Library in locked periodicals; contact a Lilly librarian to view them.
• Propaganda periodical from World War II.
• Variant title is “Front illustrated magazine;” this reprint of selected issues is housed 3 boxed groups.
• Indexed and edited by Seiichi Tagawa.
• Boxes 1 and 3 include issues on the Japanese Navy, Manchukuo , Japanese Army and Navy Air Units, Japanese occupation of China , Manchuria , the Philippines , and special numbers on India and wartime Tokyo.
• Years: Western calendar years.

3. Gahō kodaishi / 画報古代史

• Tokyo: Nihon Tosho Sentā, 2005.
• East Asian Collection DS815.G346 2005
• Journal chronicling the visual history of the ancient period; focus is on Japan, but also has images from Korea, China, Europe, Greece, the Middle East, Latin America.
• Useful resource for images and historiographical insight into how the "ancient " was viewed at time of publication and on the contrast and comparison with ancient periods of other countries and regions.
• Reprint of Gahō sennenshi, a magazine published by Kokusai Bunka Jōhōsha, from 1955-1960.
• This 4-volume Gahō kodaishi includes only parts 1 through 9  and 19-20 of Gahō sennenshi
• Contents:
  • Vol. 1. birth of man to 500 C.E.
  • Vol. 2. 300-750 C.E.
  • Vol. 3. 750-930 C.E.
  • Vol. 4. 930-1150
• Includes postscript and an index in volume 4.
• Each issue includes chronology at end of each issue, Table of Contents, fold-out images in color.
• Years: Japanese era years

4. Gahō chūseishi / 画報中世史

• Tokyo: Nihon Tosho Sentā, 2004.
• East Asian Collection DS857.G34 2004
• Journal chronicling the visual history of the middle ages; focus is on Japan, but also has images from Korea, China, Europe.
• Useful resource for images and historiographical insight into how the "medieval " was viewed at time of publication and on the contrast and comparison with medieval ages of other countries and regions.
• Reprint of Gahō sennenshi, a magazine published by Kokusai Bunka Jōhōsha, from 1955-1960.
• This 3- volume Gahō chūseishi includes only parts 10 through 18 of Gahō sennenshi
• Contents:
  • Vol. 1. 1150-1232 C.E.
  • Vol. 2. 1232-1360 C.E.
  • Vol. 3. 1360-1550 C.E.
• Includes postscript and an index in volume 3.
• Each issue includes chronology at end of each issue, Table of Contents, fold-out images in color.
• Years: Japanese era years

5. Gahō kinseishi / 画報近世史

• Tokyo: Nihon Tosho Sentā, 2002.
• East Asian Collection DS871 .G29 2002
• This is a 5-volume reprint of a monthly magazine on the history of Japan from 1550-1850; magazine was originally published in 1950s.
• Covers from the Warring States period through the Tokugawa era, up to the black ships of Commodore Perry.
• Aim is to situate Japanese history in currents of world history.
• Includes an editors' postscript, assessing the original publication. The editors note in foreword that for Europe and America, the same time period is known for religious and industrial revolutions, with successive people's revolutions in England, France, and America, leading up to the emergence of the modern nation state: "With that global perspective on history as our starting point," they continue, "this collection seeks to illustrate the 300 years of Japan's early modern history, with the emergence of the common people."
• Contents
  • Vol. 1. 1550-1639
  • Vol. 2. 1640-1708
  • Vol. 3. 1709-1786
  • Vol. 4. 1787-1827
  • Vol. 5. 1828-1850.
• Includes some modern (1950s) photos of historical sites, such as gardens, castles, homes, and theatrical representations from kabuki/noh.
• Each volume has chronology.
• Last volume includes a comprehensive index (soumokuji) of all the Tables of Contents.
• No subject indexing; no furigana. Good for skimming.
• Years: Japanese era years, althoughl Western calendar years are indicated on issue covers.

6. Gahō gendaishi / 画報現代史

• Tokyo: Nihon Tosho Sentā, 2000.
• East Asian Collection DS889 .G34 2000
• Five-volume, illustrated reprint of monthly magazine on the history of modern (post WWII) Japan originally published in 1950s.
• The cover of the first issue, published in 1954, features a painting of what is now known as the Peace Dome in Hiroshima. The first photograph within the first issue is of the atomic cloud over Nagasaki; over the image is written: "1945: The Opening of the Atomic Age... For the world and for Japan, 'the modern age' began in 1945."
• Contents (refers to the years chronicled in each volume, not the dates of original publication):
  • Vol. 1. 1945-nen 8-gatsu-1947-nen 7-gatsu (Aug. 1945-July 1947)
  • Vol. 2. 1947-nen 7-gatsu-1949-nen 6-gatsu (July 1947-June 1949)
  • Vol. 3. 1949-nen 7-gatsu-1950-nen 12-gatsu (July 1949-Dec. 1950)
  • Vol. 4. 1951-nen 1-gatsu-1952-nen 7-gatsu (January 1951-July 1952)
  • Vol. 5. 1952-nen 7-gatsu-1956-nen 12-gatsu (July 1952-Dec. 1956) .
• Mostly B/W, some color; includes cartoons.
• Includes materials not only from Japanese sources, but from other languages such as Russian.
• Includes subject index, cross-referencing all volumes.
• Useful not only for Japanese readers, but also for non-Japanese readers interested in images of the period.
• Years: Western calendar years.

7. Nippon

• Tokyo : Kokusho Kankokai, 2002. Originally published quarterly by Nippon Kobo, 1934-.
• Located in Lilly Library, Periodicals.
• Text in English, French, German, and Spanish.

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Image source: Barefoot students on their way to school, 1946; from Gahō gendaishi, vol. 1, p. 201.