Materials

You will find here various kinds of English-language primary materials, written both by Japanese and non-Japanese. These materials are divided into four chronological categories for the purpose of convenience: Premodern (before the 16th century), Early Modern (Tokugawa), Prewar (the 1850s to 1945), and Postwar (1945 to present).

• • English periodicals about Japan in UMN libraries

• Documents and Reports -- Published documents and reports about Japan

• Images and Maps

• Journals and Travelogues -- Firsthand accounts written by Japanese, Japanese who traveled abroad and non-Japanese who traveled to Japan.

• Memoirs and Oral Histories -- Firsthand accounts that, unlike journals and travelogues, were recorded well after the events had taken place. (Japanese and non-Japanese)

• Newspapers -- English editions of Japanese newspapers as well as English papers published in Japan, including those from the Meiji period.

• Statistics -- Raw statistical data on economics, population and trade.