Heian Ibun

Heian Ibun (Collection of Historical Materials of the Heian Period) is an 11-volume collection of historical materials compiled by the late Dr. Rizo Takeuchi (1907-1997, former director of the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, Honorary Doctor of Waseda University) and published by Tokyodo Shuppan over a period of more than 20 years beginning in 1947. The nine volumes of ancient documents, one volume of gleanings, and one volume containing a complete catalogue and commentaries, together comprise an exhaustive compilation of more than 5,500 antique texts of the Heian period arranged in chronological order. A volume of ancient inscriptions recorded on durable materials and a volume of epigraphs and postscripts, as well as a two-volume index were later added for a total of 15 volumes. The publication of these materials was a milestone in the history of historiography that brought about dramatic developments in Japan’s historiographical research into the Heian period.

The “Web Edition Heian Ibun” now being made available on JapanKnowledge takes as its source material all 11 volumes of the “Newly Revised Edition of Ancient Documents,” whose publication began in 1974.

Further, to continue to pursue the ideals of Dr. Takeuchi by digitizing the research assets, the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo produced and published a Full Text Database of the Heian Ibun based on the above-mentioned Heian Ibun in 1996, and this led to the publication of a “CD-ROM Edition of the Heian Ibun” from Tokyodo Shuppan in 1998. Thereafter, the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo has continued to update the database by correcting input errors and source information in the CD-ROM edition. The “Web Edition Heian Ibun” that is now being made available on JapanKnowledge is a database that reflects these achievements.

The most important feature of the “Web Edition Heian Ibun” is that a type-page of the book can be browsed on the same screen as a keyword search. Illustrations, genealogical charts and other graphic material are also displayed, this being impossible with the CD-ROM edition. A link function to the Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo “Union Catalog Database of Japanese Historical Documents” has also been provided, enabling access to a wide range of useful information through the use of the “Web Edition Heian Ibun,” making this a convenient tool that can be used to conduct even more advanced interdisciplinary research.

Production cooperation: Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation, Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo.