Old Japanese Books

The culturally rich Japanese have such a long history and a large part of this has been recorded in writing. Rare books that date as far back as the Edo period are treasures for collectors. It goes without saying that these books are all in Japanese or kanbun (Sino-Japanese). Some books contain a mixture of text and illustrations.

Rare Japanese books cover a multitude of topics. Some served as textbooks for children in temple schools. Others present more exotic information such as palm reading and calligraphy. Still others contain lessons and advice for women.

The due to the rarity and uniqueness of these types of books, they are quite difficult to find these days. The first editions are usually owned by museums and public libraries. Still, if you browse around, you might find a copy of these old treasures.