If you’ve been looking for unique Japanese graphics, prints, photos or motifs to use in your designs, the National Diet Library’s digital image bank is a great resource for authentic Japanese images from the past. The copyright for most of these materials have expired, so you can download the images and use them however you please – for FREE.
The NDL digital archive is a treasure trove of art and design materials ranging from ukiyo-e portraits of princesses from the Edo period (1603-1868) to vintage advertisements from the Showa era (1926–1989). The latter was among some of the latest materials that were added to the digital collection earlier this month.
画像は当館所蔵の千代紙集から。松竹梅や鳳凰など縁起の良いモチーフがあしらわれています。印刷して正方形に切り抜けば、折り紙としても楽しめます。
— 国立国会図書館 NDL (@NDLJP) August 12, 2022
「NDLイメージバンク」では当館所蔵の美しいデザイン集や図案集の画像を無料で公開しています👇
🔗https://t.co/O9nnvKke3p pic.twitter.com/JCiTUJm0fC
The possibilities are virtually limitless. You could use the images to design a graphic T-shirt, a dust jacket for your diary, or as a wrap for your coffee tumbler. If you’re looking to stick to a particular theme and want pointers on which patterns to use, the NDL website has an informative series of reports that detail the meanings and context behind many of these pieces (in Japanese only).
「NDLイメージバンク」掲載の画像は、全て著作権保護期間を満了しているため、創作や工作にも活用できます。今回は夏らしいものをつくってみました。
— 国立国会図書館 NDL (@NDLJP) August 5, 2022
みなさんの活用アイデアもぜひ教えてください。 pic.twitter.com/afUe7UwiP2
Check out the digital collection here.
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