In addition to its world-renowned, extensive collection of ukiyo-e prints, the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London also holds a significant, yet long-overlooked collection of Japanese illustrated books (ehon).

Originally part of the National Art Library before being moved to the V&A's Asia Department, this collection comprises more than 1,700 volumes across approximately 500 different titles, spanning the 17th to 20th centuries.

Until recently, the collection had only been partially catalogued, with no comprehensive resource available. An ongoing research and digitization collaboration between the V&A's Asia Department, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), and the Art Research Center (ARC) is addressing this gap.

The project involves digitizing the books, compiling catalogue entries, and producing bilingual records (Japanese and English) for the V&A's Explore the Collections database.

Learn more about the collection, the project's background, and its achievements in the V&A blog post "Revealing the V&A's Japanese Illustrated Book Collection" by Caroline Gill.
URL: https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/revealing-the-vas-japanese-illustrated-book-collection

London, August 2025: Prof. Ryo Akama and his digital-archiving team with
Masami Yamada (Curator, Asia Department, Victoria & Albert Museum)