The Tohoku University Library and the National Institute of Japanese Literature (known as "Kokubunken") have digitized the classic books from the renowned Kokichi Kano Collection and are making the images available to the general public.
The Kano Collection was brought to Tohoku University through the efforts of Masataro Sawayanagi, the university's first president and Kano's close friend. It consists of about 108,000 books, most of which are Japanese and Chinese classics covering a variety of fields such as literature, philosophy, science, art and the military. The collection is often referred to as "an encyclopedia of classics" or "a treasure trove of studies about the Edo period" for its rich and diverse content.
While the collection is kept permanently at the Tohoku University Library, Kokubunken began digitizing the classical books in 2018, and has now made 232 works available to the general public through its "New Japan Classics Comprehensive Database."
New Japan Classics Comprehensive Database: https://kotenseki.nijl.ac.jp
Details: 232 works; 13,073 frames of image files
Release date: September 24, 2020
For enquiries about the Kano Collection or permission to reproduce the images, please contact the Tohoku University Library.
Link:
List of public materials held by the Tohoku University Library:
Contact:
Tohoku University Library
Information Service Division, Rare Book Section
Email: etsu2
grp.tohoku.ac.jp
Tel: +81 22 795-5939
Fax: +81 22 795-5949