Japan Studies: Kabuki: History and Art History

Kohler Art Library

If a story that appears in a kabuki play originated in the medieval era, you may find emaki (picture scrolls) that depict it. Furthermore, kabuki and ukiyoe (woodblock prints) go hand in hand. Check out surviving ukiyoe in books such as the following. Also, note that UW-Madison's Chazen Museum of Art boasts a vast collection of ukiyoe.

Check out surviving ukiyoe in the following online databases/catalogs.

• The British Museum Collection Database

  • Homepage
  • Search page; type, for instance, "kabuki" in the search column. 

• Honolulu Academy of Arts

  • Homepage

  • Japanese Woodblock Prints

• Museum of Fine Arts Boston

  • Homepage; Click "Collections"
  • Search page; type, for instance, "kabuki" in the search column

• The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University 早稲田大学 演劇博物館 デジタル アーカイブ コレクション

  • Home page (in English)
  • Ukiyoe search in Roman alphabet (romaji)
  • Ukiyoe search in Japanese
  • Contact the museum for copyright permission: 住所：〒169-8050　東京都新宿区西早稲田1-6-1　早稲田大学内 TEL：03-5286-1829（事務所直通) FAX：03-5273-4398 E-MAIL：enpaku@list.waseda.jp

• National Diet Library 国立国会図書館

  • Digitized Materials デジタル化資料　古典籍資料（貴重書等）―　Formerly known as　貴重書画像データベース. Click 「錦絵のタイトル一覧へ」 (search in Japanese only)
  • NDL site policy in English
  • NDL site policy in Japanese

• Tokyo Metropolitan Library 東京都立図書館

  • Rare material image database 貴重資料画像データベース (search in Japanese only)
  • Browse all the images in the database by clicking here
  • 検索機能は営利目的を除き誰でもご自由に利用できます。ただし、画像データ、文字データなどすべてのコ ンテンツの複製、転載、転送、再配布、改変を無断で行なうことを禁止します。コンテンツを印刷物・電子媒体等で利用される場合は、特別文庫室まで電話でお 問い合わせください（代表03-3442-8451）。 Contact Tokubetsu bunko shitsu 特別文庫室 for permission: call the number above or file an e-request from here: http://www.library.metro.tokyo.jp/12/12350.html.

• Ritsumeikan Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Cultures (立命館大学グローバルＣＯＥ)

  • Homepage in English (the ukiyo-e Database under "Collections" in the right column)
  • Go directly to the ukiyo-e database (search in Japanese only)
  • Contact information: Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Cultures, Ritsumeikan University Address: 56-1 Tojiin-Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577, Japan Phone: +81-75-466-3411 Fax: +81-75-466-3415 Email: arc-jimu@arc.ritsumei.ac.jp

• Digital Gallery of Rare Books & Special Collection, Digital Gallery of Keio University （慶應義塾図書館デジタルギャラリー）

  • Click 「コレクション全点」near the top right to begin browsing (in Japanese only). The collection is sorted by artists.
  • For the information about the gallery, click here (in Japanese only)

• Chuo-Ku Web Museum （中央区立郷土天文館「タイムドーム明石」）

  • Homepage; Click here (「おすすめ資料一覧」) to go directly to the site for digitized visual materials (496 items; in Japanese only).
  • For the information about the gallery, click here (in Japanese only)