Electronic Databases at the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL)
by Satoko
Naito
December 2003
Introduction
I here focus on the various databases available through the Kokubungaku kenkyû shiryôkan (National Institute of Japanese Literature) website. Though several NIJL databases, including its currently most major project involving the Nihon koten bungaku taikei (NKBT) series, are still indicated as being in the development stages, they nonetheless provide reliable information important to scholars of Japan. The databases are currently of most use to those in the field of pre-modern literature, but the NIJL has increased its efforts in developing archival databases useful to those in other fields including modern history. Operated by the NIJL, these databases have the reliability and permanency lacking in some of the databases run by smaller institutions, and their contents will only expand in the future. Yet, as these are all on-line sources subject to constant and numerous updates, this project should be used only as a guide and with the understanding that much of the information is inevitably subject to change.
It should be noted that even considering the significant developments of the NKBT database, University of Virginia's Japanese Text Initiative (http://etext.Virginia.EDU/japanese/) is still considered a highly valuable source providing searchable full text reproductions of pre-modern literary works and should not be overlooked. The site also houses an increasing number of modern texts. Because it was developed primarily for use by English-speaking scholars, there are rarely any problems in retrieving the information on non-Japanese operating systems. The database has recently greatly expanded and is very useful for its easy and accurate character and word search functions. As noted by Satoko Shimazaki, however, the searches do need to be conducted in the form (kanji, kana, or rômaji) that it appears in the actual text, in contrast to the site's claim that searches can be performed in any form. JTI includes, as of December 2003, 67 works including the Kokin wakashû and the Man'yôshû, and is constantly updated with new works.
National Institute
of Japanese
Literature
http://www.nijl.ac.jp/contents/d_library/index.html
The NIJL was established in May of 1972 with the primary
aim to preserve manuscripts and books relating to the study of Japanese
literature. Original texts and
microfilms of these originals are stored in the NIJL, and an increasing
number
of texts are currently being digitally photographed.
The NIJL provides several useful tools for the scholar of
Japanese literature, including a compilation of research published
yearly in Kokubungaku
nenkan. It
also has expended much effort to developing on-line
tools in the form of the various electronic databases.
Satoko Shimazaki provides information on the earlier stages of NIJL database projects in her guide to Full-Text Electronic Databases of Pre-modern Japanese Literature (http://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/BIB95/00e-texts_shimazaki.htm ). As noted, some databases are still in the development stages, and some others are temporarily unavailable. As of December 2003, there are seventeen databases in operation, and two which are temporarily discontinued. This project provides an introduction to the accesible databases. Though most databases are catalogues providing archival information of material housed by the NIJL, other databases deal with material located in other libraries and institutions, and there are some full-text and image databases as well. Though some are similar in structure, the information retrieval process varies with each system. For each database reviewed, included is background and general information of the project and introduction of the features of the database, including its various search options. There is also information on obtaining membership for sites with limited access, and the future prospects of the databases in the early stages of their development.
Databases
2. Nihon koten bungaku taikei database (full-text)
3. Kokusho kihon database (catalogue)
4. Bunken chôsa kâdo database (catalogue)
a. Kindai bunken gazô database (image)
b. Kindai shoshi database (catalogue)
c. Meijiki shuppan kôkoku database (full-text)
6. Kokusho zasshisho mokuroku OPAC database (catalogue)
7. Maikuro shiryô wakosho mokuroku database (catalogue)
8. Oushû shozai nihon kosho sôgô mokuroku Union Catalogue of Early Japanese Books in Europe (catalogue)
9. Nijyûichi daishû database (full-text)
10. Kokubungaku ronbun mokuroku database (catalogue)
11. Shiryôkan shûzô shiryô database
12. Shiryôsho zaijyôhô kensaku sisutemu database
13. Shiryô jyôhô kyôyûka database
14. Renga database (unavailable)
15. En'nô database (unavailable)
http://www.nijl.ac.jp/%7Ekiban-s/html/contents/detabase/naraehongazou_nijl.html
Image database
Open to the public
Seven ehon from the Nara period can be viewed in full color. The available ehon are Karaito Zoshi, Sasayaki dake, Sizuka, Sumiyoshi Monogatari, Hioke no Soshi, Bunsho Zoshi, and Homyodoji. All volumes of each ehon are included. There is a brief synopsis (in both Japanese and English) and product information for each work. The database is very straight-forward; just click on the ehon desired, then click on any page to view in detail. Every page, as well as both front and back covers, can be viewed in full. The image quality is very good, and each two-page layout can be enlarged to a full-screen size.
There is no information available regarding future prospects for this database.
Nihon koten
bungaku taikei database
http://base3.nijl.ac.jp/Rcgi-bin/hon_home.cgi
Full-text
Limited Usage
Though the search-functions have been developed, the contents of this database have not changed since it was launched in April 1999. As noted by Satoko Shimazaki's project (http://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/BIB95/00e-texts_shimazaki.htm#kokubunken), this database contains the 560 texts of pre-modern Japanese literature in the Nihon koten bungaku taikei published by Iwanami Shoten. It provides the full-text of the works, along with character/word/phrase search functions and frequency information. The speed of both database information retrieval and the search process, problematic before the database's most recent upgrade, is no longer an issue. There also seem to be no problems with the display of Japanese characters on non-Japanese operating systems. The restriction on the times that a user is able to access the database has also been eliminated, though the NIJL reserves the right to temporarily limit usage when necessary. Despite the upgrades, the system is still in its 'experimental' stage: currently the NIJL estimates that the project will graduate from this stage in April of 2004, though it is unclear what aspects of the database will be changed after that time. The various search functions seem currently to be fully functional.
As noted, use is limited to the research purposes of scholars studying Japanese literature. Membership and password access is granted by email in as few as three days after request via an on-line application, and currently is still free of charge. Incidentally, though the membership application asks for a 'user ID,' the NIJL issues a new, unrelated ID.
The current database allows for several options in searching for a text. Searches can be limited by period, genre, author, and title. The periods are jôdai, chûko, chûsei, and kinsei. There are twelve 'genre' that one can choose from, such as history, nikki and monogatari (which includes historical and military monogatari). There is no limit to the number of periods or genre one can specify in the search; conversely, no specifications need be made, in which case the entire database will be searched. The desired author must be entered in kanji, though the title can be entered in either kanji or kana. In both cases, entry of multiple names/titles separated by spaces produces an 'or' search. These four categories can be specified and used in any combination, so that one can search for setsuwa/shôsetsu in chûsei and kinsei, or search the entire database for works produced by Murasaki Shikibu. The search function is in this way very user-friendly and allows for multiple approaches to finding a text, whether or not one has a specific work in mind. The limitation of the author search entry in kanji, of course, is problematic for those who know only the reading of the author's name. This information can be obtained in a number of ways (such as a simple Google.jp search, a search of Webcat, or of another database provided by NIJL, such as the Kokusho kihon database).
After the search is conducted, the user is informed of the number of data conforming to the criteria entered. Ichiran hyôji produces a new screen, which provides the text name, identification number, and number of characters in the text of each work that the search produced. There are various links provided for each work, including one which leads to the text itself. There are three HTML viewing options for the text; one can choose to view the text with or without line numberings, and with or wihtout kana readings. For a small selection of works, there are also options to view the texts in XML, DTD, and SGML data formats. The NIJL warns that the XML format may be very slow to appear in some browsers.
Ichiran hyôji also provides links to three non-interactive, 'informative' screens. These are 'detailed archival information,' 'information on original text,' and 'information on secondary text.' The user will find most use, however, with the two remaining interactive links. The Character Frequency Analysis page (Moji hindo bunseki hyôji page) allows one to view a list of characters in order of frequency of occurrence. The characters can be limited to all characters (including symbols), kanji and kana, kanji, or kana. One can also enter a certain character to find the number of times it appears in the text. This function enables the user to determine whether a certain character occurs more frequently than another without having to scroll through the frequency lists.
The last interactive link leads one to the Character Search page (Moji rei kensaku page), and is likely the most useful function of this database. A specific character or series of characters can be searched within the text by Kensaku moji retsu, resulting in the page and line numbers locating the searched character(s), displayed alongside up to 100 characters (in total) that appear before and after it. Kyoushutsu kensaki mori rei allows one to search for passages with two characters (or words/phrases) that appear 'together,' separated by up to 100 characters. This allows for character search within a certain context.
As noted, the speed problems with the earlier versions of the database are no longer a factor, as the retrieval and downloading of information are extremely fast.
http://base4.nijl.ac.jp/~koten/
Basic NIJL catalogue
Limited Usage
This database contains
information on
works in NIJL's
Catalogue of Premodern Texts (Kotenseki sôgô mokuroku) but
omits information regarding the location of the texts.
It is the compilation of the same
information from Iwanami Shoten's 1989-1991 publications of Kokusho
sômokuroku and the Kotenseki
sôgô mokuroku (edited
by the NIJL,
published by Iwanami Shoten in 1990). There
are some minor
differences in content between the mokurokus and the database, such as the addition
of
title and author kana
readings unavailable in the printed editions of the Kokusho
sômokuroku.
The
entries are
useful for finding the various alternate names of texts and authors,
and their kana readings, as well as for an
authoritative list of works produced
by specific authors.
Similar
to the NKBT
database, the KK database is intended for use by scholars of Japanese
literature, and thus membership is required for use.
As with the NKBT, applications for membership are available
on-line and free of charge, though it is yet undetermined whether in
its
non-experimental stage it will continue to be so. User
identification and passwords are granted usually in
less than a week via email after submission of application. One point to note is that the user ID
includes the word 'user' (followed by (currently) a four digit number):
the ID
in its entirety must be entered, not
just the four-digit
number.
Searches
must be
specified to either the 'works' or 'authors' databases.
The search can be conducted by work
title, author, genre / era, or a keyword search can be conducted
simultaneously
in all fields. In all fields, two
phrases can be entered to perform 'and,' 'or,' or 'contains neither'
searches. The database can be
searched for results to 'include,' 'match exactly,' 'begin with,' or
'end with'
the entered phrases. The 'ends
with' search is achieved by leaving a hankaku space after the phrase. In order to conduct a name search,
there must be a backslash (/) separating the surname from the given
name, and
can be entered in either kanji or hiragana.
The year (seiritsunen) search should be entered as nengo and year (in kanji numbers), as this search function
does not
support Gregorian dates.
The
'works' database
includes the title and its kana reading, number of volumes,
alternate names,
genre, author name, publication date, while some entries also include
annotations. The 'author' database
results include the name and kana reading of the author, dates of
birth and
death, vocation, alternate names and their kana readings,
and works produced by the author.
Links of author names and titles allows for very easy movement
from one
database to the other.
Literature
inquisition cards (card catalogue) database
http://192.244.21.24:591/card/index.html
Image
database of
card catalogues
Open
to the Public
This
project
compiles information from cataloguing conducted by the division of
document
resources of the
NIJL. The information cards were
all digitally photographed, and 'essential data' were incorporated into
the
database. The catalogue
includes material from various municipal and university libraries from
around
the country.
There
are four
categories in which searches can be conducted, all of which can 'exactly match' 'begin with' or 'include' the
entered phrase. One
can search by title, author/editor name, and storage location. Either 'and' or 'or' searches can be
conducted. The search results can
be displayed in sets of twenty or fifty per page. The
information includes title, library/institution or other
storage location, and detailed information, including a scanned image
of the
actual hand-filled card catalogue used in cataloguing the books. These display more specific information
about such details as the size, binding, and color the text.
Modern
Documents
Databases
http://school.nijl.ac.jp/kindai/
Under
Construction
There
are three
databases under this link dealing with Meiji and post-Meiji materials. All databases are under construction in
the early stages of their development, and much data is yet to be added. Each database contains various
information on modern (literary) documents.
Modern
Literature
Image Database
http://school.nijl.ac.jp/kindai/kindaiDB.html
Open
to the public
This
database
contains scanned images of Meiji and post Meiji-era literature. Though currently only one library has
its Meiji era books on the database in full, the plan is to expand the
database
to include texts from various other libraries and institutions. The Meiji and post Meiji literature
housed at the NIJL is currently being integrated into the database. It will not include the entirety of the
NIJL Meiji collection, however, for copyright reasons pertaining to a
selection
of the works. Covers and each page
of the texts are digitally photographed.
Though there are several reliable image databases of pre-modern
artwork
and text available on-line, this database is currently one of few which
deals
exclusively with Meiji literature.
As
of December 2003
there is one participating library (Kôchishimin
toshokan) though
there are
four more libraries (including, as noted, the NIJL) in the process of
loading
their images onto the database.
This library, founded in 1974 by a private donation, currently
houses
about 13,000 texts. The bulk of
the collection is post Meiji material.
The library began to collaborate on this database project with
the NIJL
in 1999.
The
database is
reached by clicking on the Kôchishimin
toshyokan link, and
appears as
a three-way split screen. The
first screen on the left is an index, the middle a list of works in a
particular 'genre,' and the right screen the table of contents of a
specific
selected work. The index contains
larger categories (literature, sôki, philosophy, history, etc) which
are divided
further into smaller genres (literary philosophy, poetry, nikki, etc). The
categories and genres shown in blue (with active links) have
corresponding
information in the database.
Currently, only Literature and Sôki have available links, and of these,
only a
selection of the 'genre' has data in the system. Clicking
on one of the links provides a list of works of
that genre on the middle screen.
Again, of these works, only a selection is in blue (with active
links). By clicking on one of
these works in the middle screen, one can activate the screen on the
right to show the list of
contents of the work.
From
this screen,
one can select a specific chapter of the work to jump to.
Images of every page are available,
including both the front and back covers. The quality of the digital
image is
excellent, and the zoom-function is user friendly and of very high
quality. One can zoom with any focal
point,
though the images cannot be dragged
as is possible with some other image databases. These
images cannot be downloaded or saved.
As
with any database
in the earliest phases of construction, some of the links to the images
do not
work, and a Universal
Viewing
Error occurs. Once the data is fully loaded, and once
other participating libraries include their data, this will be an image
database valuable to scholars of the Meiji and post-Meiji Japan who
desire to see
the original version of a printed text.
http://192.244.21.24:591/kindai_shoshi/search.html
Catalogue
&
Image
Open
to the public
This
database
contains cataloguing information compiled by the NIJL with the
assistance of
individuals and institutions from around the country.
The catalogued texts are Meiji and post Meiji texts.
One
can conduct a
general keyword search, or specify the search in the categories of
title or
author which can be 'exact match' 'including' 'starts with' searches. Though the title name can be entered
either as kanji or with the kana reading,
the other categories must be entered as kanji. One can also search by publication
date, either by nengo + year, or the Western (Gregorian)
year. A storage location (library or
institution) search is also an option.
All of the above can be combined for 'and' or 'or' searches.
The
results may be
viewed by sets of 20 or 50 per page, or displayed in full on one page. Clicking on a single entry provides a
separate screen, with information regarding the text.
There is basic information (title and its reading, storage
location), followed by more detailed information regarding the text
itself (shoshi data), the structure of the book (shokei data) including size and binding
information, and
miscellaneous information (sono
ta) including, for
example, the color of the
cover. Under shoshi data, there is a link to kôsei, which includes information on all
advertisements included in the
original printed text. Sono ta includes links to images of the
text, though currently some of
the links do not work. There is
also a link at the top of the page (along with the basic information)
to the Kindai
gazô database,
but again, currently some links are not active.
Although
the entries
are not very easy to follow, there are numerous 'help' links that
describe in
detail what each category of information entails.
Meijiki
shuppan kôkoku database
http://192.244.21.24:591/ad/search.html
Full-text
database
Open
to the public
The
purpose of the Meiji
shuupan kôkoku database project is to study the state of
printing and
publishing in modern Japan. The database
includes advertisements printed in serialized
publications from the early Meiji period.
The database contains roughly 7,000 advertisements published
mainly in Tokyo
nichinichi shinbun from
February of Meiji 5 to the end of Meiji
12.
There
are two search
screens to choose from. The basic
search screen (Kensaku
gamen) allows for
specification by title, author,
publication date (Meiji or Gregorian year and
month), all as 'and' or 'or' searches.
One can also limit the search for advertisements published in
journals
or newspapers, or search the entire database. The
individual search screen (Kobetsu kôkoku kensaku
gamen) allows one to
search for a specific
advertisement. One can search by
the publication the advertisement appeared in, or by dates (Meiji or
Gregorian
year, month, date). One can also
search the actual text of the advertisement, by a keyword 'includes'
'exactly
matches' 'starts with' search. All
of the above can be combined for 'and' or 'or' searches.
Results can be displayed in sets of 20
or 50 per page, or all on one screen.
The
results display
the basic information of the advertisements that fit the criteria. Clicking on the ID link (Kobetsu kôkoku ID) from the basic search, or the
Details link (shosai) from the Kobetsu search,
opens a new screen
with detailed
information, including the full text of the actual advertisement. There is no image of the advertisement
available, nor does there seem to be any indication as to whether an
advertisement had an actual image along with the text.
Kokubungaku
kenkyû shiryôkan kanranshitsu
(OPAC) catalogue
http://opac.nijl.ac.jp/opac/index.html
Open
to the public
This
is a catalogue
of NIJL books related to Japanese literature studies (Kokubungaku), including research materials,
printed books,
and Meiji era books. The site also
catalogues periodicals such as academic society journals,
institutional/
academic bulletins, and literary coterie magazines.
Searches
can be
specified to include books, journals, or both, and keyword searches can
be
conducted by title, author, editor, publisher, or publication year. They can be conducted in kanji, hiragana, katakana, or rômaji.
Search results include the above categories, and specify the
storage
location. The registration number
provided in each entry allows one to find the book.
The
site also
provides information on the hours of the OPAC Reading room. Though it is to be used for academic
research purposes, it does not specify whether the Identification
required for
entry needs to show affiliation to any academic institution. For a fee, one can request texts to be
photocopied. There are also
options available for those unable to visit the NIJL.
Scholars affiliated with universities or other academic
institutions may request photocopies of the texts (for a fee) or, for a
selection
of texts, request an Inter-Library Loan.
The loan period, including the time for shipping to and from the
NIJL,
is 31 days. Up to 15 books can be
borrowed at a time. Those
individuals unaffiliated with academic institutions can also mail or
fax a request
(an application is available online) for photocopies of texts. Though the photocopying service is
expensive, and though it is unclear which books are available for ILL,
these
are services useful for scholars unable to visit the NIJL in Tokyo. The ILL service, however, is unable to
ship overseas; NIJL will in certain cases send books to Japanese family
members or
associates of the overseas patron, though the loan period is still only
31
days. For inquiries regarding
special cases, it is recommended that one email NIJL directly.
Maikuro
shiryô wakosho mokuroku
Microfilm
and
Japanese-bound Books Database
http://base1.nijl.ac.jp/~wakosho/
Open
to the public
This
database contains archival information of 175,000
microfilm and 8,500 old Japanese-bound books of the NIJL collection.
Searches
can be
conducted within the microfilms, the manuscripts, or both.
Both 'and' and 'or' keyword searches
can be performed by title,
author, print date, or in all three simultaneously.
The search supports both kanji and hiragana, but the date should be entered in nengo, as it
does not recognize Gregorian calendar years.
Results are listed
in short format, and one can then specify specific entries to view its
details,
including title, author, type of book, and its storage location.
Oushû
shozai nihon kosho sôgô mokuroku
Union
Catalogue of
Early Japanese Books in Europe
http://asuka.nijl.ac.jp/xml/korn/index.html
Open
to the public
This
project began
in 1988 under the direction of Peter Kornicki and Hayashi Nozomu
following a
conference held in Durham of the European Association of Japanese
Studies. Much of the cataloguing seems to
have
been the work of these two, though other individuals and librarians
took part
in the research as well. As such,
the number and scope of this project is currently somewhat limited. The aim of this database, however, is
an immense one, and is to 'include all books bound in Japanese style
held in
university and local libraries, museums and other institutions of all
European
countries.'
The
countries
appearing under 'List of Libraries and Other Institutions Covered by
the Union
Catalogue' are twenty. However, of
these Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Portugal seem currently
to be missing
from the search function. The 'List
of Libraries' provides links to some of the museums and libraries from
which the database acquired archival information.
At
current count,
the countries that can be specified for search within the database
number sixteen. One can specify the
country in which to conduct a search, or
choose to search the entire database.
One can also display the entirety of books available in a
specific country without
entering a
keyword.
Though
the site claims
that word searches can be conducted in rômaji, kanji,
or hiragana, searches using these various forms
currently produce varying
results. A phrase entered in hiragana, in particular, does not produce a
full-word
search; the database considers the characters to be separate entities.
The recommendation, then, would be to
conduct separate searches using all three forms of writing.
Though
there is some
information on who researched which specific libraries / countries,
there is no
indication as to the future prospects for this database.
http://asuka.nijl.ac.jp/xml/genpon/waka21.html
Full-text
Open
to public
This
was the first
database to be launched as part of the full-text database project by
the
NIJL. As indicated by Satoko Shimazaki, It
contains the full text of 21 waka collections of the Shôho
version Nijûichi
dai shû.
Search
categories
include poem title, author name, and annotations .
Most importantly, the full text can also be searched, in kanji or kana reading. 'And' and 'or'
searches can be conducted between categories, or multiple phrases can
be
entered into one category to conduct 'and'/'or' searches.
Poems can be searched in a particular
collection or in the entire database.
The Shin
kokka taikan numbers
have been added, as have minor
annotations and information on kôi.
Japanese
Literature
Dissertation Catalogue
http://www.nijl.ac.jp/bunseki/index.html
Open
to the public
This
database is a
collection of dissertations regarding Japanese literature presented
within
Japan, and includes dissertations published in the Kokubungaku nenkan.
It currently includes data from Showa 16 to Heisei 13, and a
portion of
data from Taisho 1 to Showa 15.
Dissertations from Heisei 14 is currently in the process of
being
integrated into the database.
One
can conduct a
search by title, author, or keyword in the 'Regular' search. In a 'Detailed' (category) search,
can search a dissertation by various methods, including by dissertation
or
publication title, author, reprint location, dissertation topic era,
field,
year of presentation, or a keyword search. The
keyword search cannot be conducted on the full-text of
the dissertation.
Results
include the Kokubungaku
nenkan volume that
it was published in, and the number
of total pages. The author's name
is given in both kanji and hiragana.
The
following
databases all deal with official documents that pertain to local
history. Documents deal mostly with the
various
histories of land-owning families, and exist as part of local
governmental
property. All databases are in the development stages and will likely
undergo
significant changes. Following is
a brief summary of what each site contains.
http://history.nijl.ac.jp/dhd2_5.htm
Open
to public
When
this project is
finished, the user should be able to systematically navigate among
several
databases. They will largely deal
with official documents in the ownership of town halls, which can be
searched on its own or can
be found by following the index of the prefectures.
Unlike the other two databases below that will be used primarily
to
locate similar documents, this database also provides significant
content
information. One can then have immediate
access to extensive
summaries of these documents.
Shiryôsho
zaijyôhô kensaku sisutemu
http://world.nijl.ac.jp/~siryou/cgi-bin/sindbad/sindbad_top.cgi
'Limited'
Usage
Though
the site is
meant for restricted usage, currently the 'visitor's page' seems to
allow any
user to peruse the material.
Documents can be searched by 'old place name,' 'era' of content,
or
source. It contains only the
'title' of the document with no information regarding the contents of
the
document, but does indicate the source.
http://history.nijl.ac.jp/db/akyoyu/akyoyu_top.htm
'Limited'
Usage
To
enter this
database the user must enter his/her name and an email address, along
with a
brief description of purpose of use. Currently,
it does not require membership or a password.
This
database,
launched with financial support from the Monbu kagaku shô, deals with official documents.
Currently, six libraries participate in providing
archival
information for the database.
Temporarily
Unavailable Databases
Renga
database
As
indicated in Satoko
Shimazaki's project, this database had a comprehensive word-search
function
with options to limit the year, key words, etc. There
is no indication as to when this database will be
available.
En'nô
database
There
is no
indication as to when this database will be available.