Classification System for East Asian Collections

General Outline

Following is an outline of the classification system for the East Asian language collections, with a list of major headings in the borrowable classes (FA, FB, FD, and FE). You may find other items for the closed stacks by checking iDiscover or another catalogue for the Japanese collection or Chinese collection.

Browse the open stack items in the East Asian Reading Room and the open stacks on the ground floor of the Aoi Pavilion. Request items from the basement and closed stacks in the East Asian Reading Room. Please note that some old or fragile materials may be moved from open stacks into closed storage as necessary. 

FA The Far East in general (Aoi basement)

FB China (Aoi ground, overflow in basement)

FC China (Wade Collection, closed)

FD Japan (Aoi ground to FD.949, basement from FD.950)

FE Korea and Other parts of the Far East (Aoi basement)

FG The Far East in general (closed)

FH China (closed)

FJ Japan (closed)

FK Korea and Other parts of the Far East (closed)

FL Japanese (closed)

FM Chinese (closed)

FN Korean (closed)

FA The Far East in General

1-99 Bibliography and Generalia

100-279 History and Geography

280-329 Archaeology

330-399 Social Sciences and Law

• 330-335 Anthropology
• 360-365 Political science, education, and economics
• 390-395 Law

400-699 Language and Literature

700-899 Philosophy and Religion

• 701-710 Philosophy and religion (general)
• 850-890 Buddhism

900-949 Fine and Recreative Arts

950-999 Science and Technology

FB China (Full Classification System)

1-99 Bibliography and Generalia

100-199 History and Biography

200-249 Geography and Local History

250-299 Archaeology and Epigraphy

300-399 Social Sciences and Law

400-499 Language

500-699 Literature

700-899 Philosophy and Religion

900-949 Fine and Recreative Arts

950-999 Science and Technology

FD Japan

1-99 Bibliography and Generalia

• 1-9 Bibliography
• 10 Information science, including computers
• 11-17 Libraries
• 19-24 Library catalogues
• 25 Library publications
• 28-31 Bibliographical science
• 32-36 Early editions
• 38-42 Printing and papermaking
• 43-46 Publishing
• 48-51 Publishers' catalogues
• 53-55 Book trade
• 56 Copyright, copyright law
• 57-58 Writers and authors
• 59 Museums
• 61-66 Reference works
• 68-71 Biography
• 73-76 General periodicals
• 80 Newspapers and modern communications media
• 81-91 General series and collectanea
• 93 Anniversary volumes, festscrifts, etc.
• 94-98 General studies on Japan
• 99 Generalia

100-249 Geography, Social Sciences and Law

• 100 Natural Disasters in Modern & Contemporary Japan (Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami)
• 101 Geographical science
• 102-106 Geography of Japan
• 107-110 Gazetteers
• 111-114 Guide books
• 116-121 Maps
• 122-124 Travel
• 126-130 Anthropology and ethnology of Japan
• 131-146 Customs and manners, folklore, traditions
• 141 Position of women, women's customs, gender issues
• 149-151 Sociology and economics
• 152-164 Sociology
• 165-179 Politics
• 180 Legal science
• 181-191 Law
• 192-199 Administration
• 201-205 Defence and security
• 207 Educational theory
• 208-212 Education
• 213 Economic theory
• 214-215 Economics: bibliography and reference works
• 216-221 Economic history
• 222-227 Economics
• 228-231 Land and agriculture
• 232-236 Feudal system
• 237 Industry and commerce
• 238 Industry and industrial organisation, including trade unions
• 239 Commerce and trade
• 240-242 Transport and communications
• 243 Energy
• 244 Environmental issues
• 245-249 Finance

250-449 History and Archaeology

• 251 Historical science
• 252 Japanese history and historiography
• 256-277 Historical source materials
• 280-283 Pre-Meiji historical writing
• 285-287 General cultural history of Japan
• 290-295 Modern histories of Japan
• 297-299 Pre-history of Japan
• 300-302 Early history to 1185
• 303-306 Pre-Nara history (to 710)
• 308-311 Nara period (710-794)
• 313-316 Heian period (794-1185)
• 318-319 Military period (buke jidai)
• 320 Medieval period (1185-1603)
• 321-324 Kamakura period (1185-1333)
• 326-333 Civil war period (1333-1603)
• 335-336 Modern period (1603 onwards)
• 337-343 Tokugawa (Edo) period (1603-1868)
• 345-349 Bakumatsu and Meiji reformation
• 351-352 Modern history (1868 onwards)
• 353-358 Meiji period (1868-1912)
• 360-362 Taishō period (1912-1926)
• 363-368 Shōwa and Heisei periods to 1999
• 369 History from 2000
• 380-381 Geographical history
• 382-386 Local histories
• 388 Diplomacy
• 389-399 Japan's foreign relations
• 400-402 Japanese diplomacy
• 405-409 Genealogy
• 411-420 Chronology
• 422-425 Antiquities
• 428 Archaeological science
• 429-448 Japanese archaeology

450-519 Language

• 451 Japanese language and literature: bibliography, reference works, periodicals, series, and general studies
• 452 Japanese language and literature: monographs
• 453 Philology and related periodicals
• 454-457 Japanese philology
• 459-466 Japanese language (kokugo)
• 467 Ancient dictionaries and textbooks
• 468-480 Word dictionaries
• 481 Phonetics
• 482-485 Pronunciation of Japanese
• 486 Vocabulary
• 487-491 Grammar
• 492-494 Dialects
• 495 Composition
• 496-502 Script
• 504-508 Character dictionaries
• 510-515 Kana script
• 517 Romanisation (rōmaji)

520-839 Literature

• 527-538 Japanese literature in general
• 540-543 Collected works
• 545-547 Japanese literature: general studies
• 549-558 Japanese literature: particular aspects
• 560-564 Classical literature (koten)
• 566-580 History of Japanese literature
• 586-589 Japanese songs and dances
• 590-592 Japanese poetry in general
• 594-601 Waka
• 603-606 Japanese poetic theory (kagaku)
• 608-651 Waka by periods
• 608 Nara period in general
• 609 Waka from Kojiki and Nihon shoki
• 611-632 Manyōshū
• 635 Poetry from Kokinshū onwards
• 636 Hachidaishū
• 637-638 Kokinshū
• 640 Single anthologies in Hachidaishū (except Kokinshū and Shinkokinshū)
• 641-642 Shinkokinshū
• 643 Jūsandaishū
• 644 Collected poetry of individual poets in the Yamato and Nara period (up to 794)
• 645 Later poetry by periods: Heian period (794-1185)
• 646 Later poetry by periods: Kamakura period (1185-1333)
• 647 Later poetry by periods: Civil War period (1333-1603)
• 648 Later poetry by periods: Tokugawa period (1603-1868)
• 649-651 Later poetry by periods: Meiji period onwards (1868- )
• 656-657 Tanka
• 658 Utaawase
• 659 Nagauta
• 660 Kyōka
• 661 Renga
• 664-683 Haiku
• 685-690 Modern style poetry
• 693-726 Japanese drama
• 725-726 Modern style drama, film, and television
• 728 Japanese prose
• 729 Japanese fiction in general
• 730-741 Early fiction (monogatari) 
• 743-748 Military stories (senki or gunki monogatari)
• 750 Muromachi fiction
• 751-770 Tokugawa (Edo) fiction
• 772 Modern fiction (since 1868)
• 774-768 Meiji fiction
• 790-799 Taishō, Shōwa, and later fiction
• 791 Mayama Seika
• 792 Kikuchi Hiroshi
• 793 Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
• 794 Tanizaki Junichirō
• 797 others (subdivided by author)
• 800 Fiction since 2000 (unless author has prior entry under 797)
• 801-810 Early diaries and zuihitsu
• 812-814 Later zuihitsu (since 1868)
• 816-817 Critical and serious writing
• 819-821 Popular writing (including sensational, detective, and children's)
• 823 Letter-writing (and ōraimono)
• 825-826 Satire and humour
• 828-831 Tales and stories
• 832-835 Miscellaneous literary forms
• 836 Translations into Japanese of works not relating to Japan
• 837 Kambun
• 838 Kambungaku
• 839 Comparative literature

840-949 Learning, Philosophy and Religion

• 840 Philosophy and religion
• 841-844 Japanese learning, philosophy, and religion
• 845-846 Chinese learning, philosophy, and religion in Japan
• 848-862 Chinese learning (kangaku) and Confucianism
• 864-867 Japanese learning (kokugaku)
• 869-871 Mito school
• 873-874 Western-inspired thinkers
• 876-877 Morals and ethics
• 879-881 Philosophy, including logic
• 883 Religion
• 884-885 Japanese religion
• 887 Mythology
• 888 Japanese mythology
• 890-898 Shinto
• 900-907 Buddhism in Japan (for Buddhism in general, see FA.850-890)
• 909-928 Buddhist sects in Japan
• 930-931 Buddhist worship in Japan
• 935-939 Christianity in Japan
• 941-946 Other religious movements in Japan

950-996 Art and Science

• 950-952 Japanese art (general)
• 953 Buddhist art, Christian art, Shinto art
• 954 National treasures
• 955 Museum art collections and exhibitions
• 956 Particular branches of art
• 957 Calligraphy and seals
• 959-963 Painting and drawing
• 964-965 Ceramics
• 966-967 Sculpture
• 968 Photography
• 970-973 Decoration and fine crafts
• 975-976 Music
• 977 Tea ceremony, coffee, wine, tobacco, etc.
• 978 Gardens and flowers
• 980 Games (outdoor and indoor), physical exercises, and sports
• 982-983 Architecture
• 984 Construction and civil engineering, including town planning
• 985 Natural science: bibliography, reference works, and general studies
• 986 Mathematics
• 987 Astronomy
• 988 Physics
• 989 Chemistry
• 990 Geology
• 991 Biology
• 992 Botany
• 993 Zoology
• 994 Medicine
• 995 Other branches of natural science
• 996 Technology, including military arts

FE Korea and Other Parts of the Far East

1-99 Ainu and pre-Japanese Hokkaidō

100-199 Ryūkyū Islands

200-300 Korea

• 201-209 Bibliography and Generalia
• 210-224 Geography, Social Sciences and Law
• 225-244 History and Archaeology
  • 225-228 History of Korea (bibliography, reference, series, periodicals, and general)
  • 229-230 Ancient Korea (up to A.D. 313)
  • 231-232 Three Kingdoms and unified Silla (313-918)
  • 233-234 Koryo period (918-1392)
  • 235-236 Yi dynasty (1392-1910)
  • 237 Japanese rule
  • 238 Post-war Korea (1945-1999)
  • 239 Korea since 2000
• 245-253 Language
• 254-278 Literature
  • 254-268 Classical Korean literature (pre-1900)
  • 272-278 Modern and Contemporary Korean literature (since 1900)
• 284-291 Philosophy and Religion
• 292-299 Art and Science
• 300 Translations into Korean

301-399 Tungusic languages (including texts)

400-499 Mongolic languages (including texts)