About This Site

Materials

The portrait photographs included in this exhibition were selected from the photographic publications or biographies in our stocks. Under the photograph, we indicate the title of the source material, our call number and photo size. The title of the source material is linked to the bibliographical data.（There is some exceptions.）

Some of the portraits are photographs of paintings.

Biographical Notes

Biographical notes were produced by staff of the National Diet Library.

Dates of birth or death in the western calendar before 1872 are calculated from the Japanese lunar calendar, and other date notations are based on "Kokushi Daijiten" in principle. Names of clans are based on "Hanshi Daijiten."

Reference

The encyclopedias and bibliographies listed below were referred to in writing the notes, along with the biographies taken from "Bibliography for Biographical Studies of Japanese in Modern Politics" (Japanese only) on the website of the National Diet Library.

• "Kokushi Daijiten". Vols. 1-17 (17 vols.) Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 1979-1997. <Call No. GB8-60>
• "Nihonshi Daijiten". Heibonsha, 1992-94. <Call No. GB8-E67>
• "Nihon Jinmei Daijiten". Kodansha, 2001 <Call No. YU7-1737>
• "Nihonshi koujiten". Yamakawa Shuppannsha, 1997 <Call No. GB8-G21>
• "Nihon kingendaishi Jiten". Toyo Keizai Shinposha, 1978 <Call No. GB8-52>
• "Nihon Kanryo-sei Sogojiten 1868-2000". University of Tokyo Press, 2001. <Call No. AZ-331-G77>
• "Nihon Jinbutsu Bunken Mokuroku". Heibonsha Limited. 1974. <Call No. GB1-20>
• "Nihon Rikukaigun Sogojiten". University of Tokyo Press, 1991. <Call No. A112-E172>
• "Bakumatsu Meiji Kaigai Tokosha Soran". Vols. 1-3 (3vols.) Kashiwashobo Co., Ltd., 1992. <Call No. GB13-E58>
• "Meiji Kakocho". Newly revised. Tokyo Bijutsu, 1988. <Call No. GB13-E19>
• "Hanshi Daijiten". Vols. 1-8 (8vols.) Yuzankaku Inc., 1988-1990. <Call No. GB8-E9>
• "Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia". Kodansha Ltd., 1993. <Call No. GB8-A6 >
• "Nihon Kingendai Jinbutsu Rireki Jiten". University of Tokyo Press, 2002 <Call No.GB12-H3>

Updates

• July, 2004
  Released Japanese version
• August, 2005
  Added biographical notes(English version) on each person.
• March, 2007
  Added portrait photographs and biographical notes of 128 people.
• January, 2013
  Added portrait photographs and biographical notes of 252 people.
• February, 2022
  Added portrait photographs and biographical notes of 155 people.

Reproduction of the contents

All images used in the digital exhibition "Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures" are in the public domain. The digital images and commentary of this digital exhibition may be reproduced or reused, including for commercial use, without making any application to the National Diet Library. Please read the Terms of Use of Contents of the National Diet Library website before using these digital images or commentary.

The user must cite the source when using the Content. Sources should be cited in the following manner:

(Examples of source citation)
Source:
Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures (https://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/)

The Terms of Use of the National Diet Library Digital Exhibitions that was in effect until February 2025 can be found on the Web Archiving Project (WARP) website. There have been no changes made to the terms and conditions regarding reproduction and reuse of content (As of March 2025).

Contact

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National Diet Library
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Tokyo 100-8924
Japan