LibGuides: Subject Guides Portal: History

Navigation & Introduction

General History | Modern History | Pre-Meiji & Premodern History | War & US Occupation

The breadth of topics covered under 'History' is diverse. While major events like the Meiji Restoration or World War II may hold the attenion of historians, the minutae of every day life or individual people can be just as compelling, and especially difficult to find for research. These guides typically take a 'big picture' approach to historical research. While other pages in the portal may offer more detailed information on specific topics. For example, if researching women in literature from the Edo era, check the Gender & Sexuality section of the Social Sciences guide.

General History -- These guides often have diverse subsets of information on particular moments in Japanese History.
Modern History -- The Meiji Restoration of 1868 is considered the beginning of Japan's modern era.
Pre-Meiji & Premodern HIstory -- Any of Japan's other major historical era's are covered here.
War & US Occupation -- Currently these guides focus on World War II

General History

History : at Duke University
-- by Kristina Troost

A very large selection of different resources and subjects on Japanese history. There are 12 separate pages.

-- History, bibliographies
-- History, handbooks
-- History, general encyclopedias
-- History, specialized encyclopedias
-- Survey Histories
-- Premodern Texts
-- Modern Texts
-- World War II
History : at Harvard University
-- by Kuniko Yamada McVey

Provides many links to online historical resources. Starts with the modern period going back through time. Also specializes on the history of medicine in Imperial Japan. Also provides subject indexes to several historical topics as well as a list of sources for historical images.

-- History of medicine
History : at UCLA
-- by Toshie Marra
-- by Joseph Yue

Provides bibliographies of Japanese and Western Language resources. Also includes historical dictionaries and image archives.

-- Japanese War Crimes
HIstory : at University of Washington
-- by Azusa Tanaka

Includes overview of core resources for studying Japanese history. As well as a section for primary resources.

-- primary resources
History : at Washington University
-- by Ryuta Komaki

An extensive list of websites and open-access databases covering general history. Also some specialization in World War II, as well as modern and pre-modern eras.

-- Web resources
Online Maps - Historical : at Duke University
-- by Kristina Troost

A collection of various, openly accessible maps dealing with various locations and time periods.
Visual Resources for Japanese History : at Columbia University
-- by Henry Smith

While somewhat dated, it still offers detailed annotations on important printed resources.

Modern History -- 1868 onward

History (Electronic Resources) : at George Washington University
-- Originally Created by Takako Suzuki

Covers a number of websites that deal with Japan's economic development, diplomacy, role in the Cold War, and World War II.
History (Print Resources) -- at George Washington University
-- Originally created by Takako Suzuki

An extensive list of Japanese printed resources. Special focus on World War II. While the materials are only available at the Gelman Library, you can search for other institutions owning similar materials at: WorldCat.org

-- World War II
Modern History I: Basic Bibliography
-- By Giles Richter, Julie Rousseau, Jordan Sand
-- Revised 1994 by Ted Mack and Henry Smith
-- Revised 1997 by Lori Watt

Includes essential print resources for studying Japanese history from the Meiji Era onward. Formats covered go beyond just bibliographies and include detailed explanations.
Modern History II: Specialized Topics
-- Various Authors

Covers 7 major sub-topics after 1868:

-- Local History
-- History, Women Studies
-- History, Customs and Ethnography
-- Economics and Business
-- Colonial History
-- Folklore
Research Guide for Modern Japanese History : at Harvard University
-- by Kuniko Yamada McVey

Actually designed for a class on early modern (1868 - 1945) Japan at Harvard, this guide offers suggested readings and other relevant materials. It also includes sections dedicated to the Samurai Uprising and the rise of Imperial Japan & its eventual occupation by the US.

-- English language
Research Guide: Modern Japanese History : at Harvard University
-- by Kuniko Yamda McVey

Also designed for a class in Harvard's Japanese Studies Program. From the final years of the Edo period to post-war Japan, this guide covers resources across these time periods with special sections on specific events and people. Includes advice on citation software and the research process:

--Edo/Meiji
--Meiji/Taisho/Showa
--Postwar Japan

Pre-Meiji & Premodern History

Guide to Shōsōin Research : at Vanderbilt University
-- by Bryan Lowe
-- by Chris Mayo

The Shōsōin is a storehouse on the grounds of Tōdai-ji. It's 10,000 documents from the Nara Period. They reveal much about the religion and economy of the time, and are one of the few sources of information on the lives of commoners. This guide introduces the Shōsōin corpus, its history, and the challenges researchers will face when using it. Included are many helpful reference works.
Guide to the Japanese medical manuscript notebooks, 1810-1849 and undated : at Duke University
-- processed and encoded by Yoriko Dixon, encoded by Paula Jeannet Mangiafico

Collection of handbooks covering notes from lectures and manuals by medical experts of the time.
more...less...
-- Medicine, history of
Premodern History : At Columbia University
-- by Henry Smith

A good place to start for gaining a sense of important printed resources. Older printed materials are often difficult to come by digitized.
Premodern History : at University of Southern California
-- by Tomoko Bialock

Essentially a 'mini-catalog' of USC's holdings for Japanese Pre-Modern history. Possible to sort quickly by broad subjects. Consider Inter-library loan, document delivery, or WorldCat for obtaining access to printed materials.
Research Guide for Medieval Japan : at Harvard University
--by Kuniko Yamada McVey

Need to focus on a particular aspect of Medieval Japan? This guide has entire pages dedicated solely to history, religion, maps, arts, etc., then this guide will get you started.

War & US Occupation

U.S. Occupation of Japan : at Iowa University
-- by Janalyn Moss

Provides guidance on search terminology. Includes selected reference books; databases that focus on primary resources like US Congressional hearing, personal narratives, declassified documents, etc.; databases of secondary sources common to most university libraries; newspapers from across the world for international perspectives; and online resources from across the web.
Hiroshima / Nagasaki
-- by Chiaki Sakai : at Iowa University

Personal narratives are focused on, along with other primary sources like drawings by atomic bomb survivors. Includes documentaries, films, literature, etc. and a substantial Japanese language resource section.

-- English language
-- Primary sources