Historiographical Institute of The University of Tokyo - Publications

Publications

The Historiographical Institute has been responsible for the compilation and publication of a vast number of resources related to pre-modern Japanese history. A comprehensive list can be found here: http://www.hi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/hipub.html

The most important publication of the Historiographical Institute is the still-to-be-completed, 343+ volume Dai-Nihon shiryō. It consists of primary source material from the 887 to 1867, and is organized chronologically by major historical events. Institute members have been working on the Dai-Nihon shiryō ever since the foundation of the Shiryō hensan-jo in 1869; many of the Institute's publications (listed in the link above) are simply companions to the Dai-Nihon shiryō such as the Shiryō sōran, which is a chronological list of historical events that are used to categorize material in the Dai-Nihon shiryō. When completed, it will be the most comprehensive collection of Japanese historical materials ever. This collection primarily consists of primary sources, but also includes secondary sources, interpretative essays, and even fictional accounts when no other sources can be found. The variety of source materials in this work includes formal histories, government documents, letters, journals, biographies, temple records, and family archives.

The Dai-Nihon komonjo is a still-to-be-completed, 193+ volume supplement to the Dai-Nihon shiryō. It is divided into three subseries, 1.) Hennen monjo, which includes documents from the 8th century; 2.)Iewake monjo, which comprises archival collections of families, temples, or shrines during the period covered by the Dai-Nihon shiryô; and 3.) Bakumatsu gaikoku kankei monjo, which includes documents relating to Japan's foreign relations in the Bakumatsu period from 1853 to 1868.

The Dai-Nihon shiryō and Dai-Nihon komonjo, are the two largest compilations ever produced in Japan.

Other important publications are the Dai-Nihon kinsei shiryô, which is a compilation of historical materials of the Edo period, and the Dai-Nihon ishin shiryô, which is a compilation of historical materials leading up to and through the Meiji Restoration, from 1846-1871.

The Historiographical Institute also has a fifteen volume microfilm collection of historical documents relating to Japan in foreign countries.