Guide to finding old and rare Japanese materials written roughly before the end of the Edo period.
There are various books, databases, and other tools to research about Japanese history and Japanese literature, but the following materials are the first ones to be referred to.
Honkoku is the material on which the textual information researchers deciphered the original work is typed. Compared to the original material, it is easier to use for the beginners.
Facsimile edition is the reproduction made by taking photograph of the original text. Recently, the number of libraries which publish on their web sites the digital images of their old and rare materials is increasing.
Facsimile can be used as substitutes of original texts.
When you use old and rare materials held by the institutions like university libraries, you must locate where the materials are stored and check if they can be used through the library of the institution you belong to beforehand. In many cases, you will need to submit an application in advance. Please note that it may take several days to several weeks before you can actually browse old or rare books.
Old and rare materials are culturally and historically valuable properties. Most of them require a certain amount of experience and skill to handle. Therefore, it is best that you begin your research with using honkoku or reproductions.