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Private Libraries in Japan

The majority of libraries founded in pre-modern Japan can be said to be ‘private’ in origin. They are generally referred to as bunko (literally ‘storehouses of books’) as opposed to toshokan, a post-1870 term for ‘library’. The 14 bunko selected for consideration in this paper hold between them the largest number of rare items extant in Japan today; their varied contents are distinguished not only in terms of early date, beauty and academic value, but also by their excellent state of preservation. They can be grouped, according to the status of their founders within the epoch in which they thrived, as those of medieval clan warriors; shogunal and daimyo libraries of the Edo period; traditional kuge (noble family) libraries; and post-1869 libraries (zaibatsu collections, libraries formed by intellectuals and wealthy merchants, and Tenri Central Library). The earliest private library in Japan, which can still be seen as reconstructed in the 8th century, is said to have been built by Prince Shotoku (574–622). Japan has a considerable number of literary (as opposed to religious) manuscripts, written soon after the completion of the original texts. It also possesses the world's earliest dated specimen of printed text (764–770). Very large numbers of early books, mss. and archival documents in the bunko have been preserved in excellent condition. Some of the bunko have remained independently private, while others are now managed by trustees or large foundations. However, most now form part of the bigger toshokan belonging to national, prefectural, university or research library institutions. The National Diet Library's directory lists over 2,300 bunko and some 700 toshokan.