Copyright — classical emaki are in the public domain

Most emaki on this site were created between the Heian and Edo periods, and their creators died centuries ago. In Japan, copyright generally expires 70 years after the author's death, so the original works of these scrolls are in the public domain.

• However, the important point is that the work itself and the image are different things. The conditions for using a photographed or digitized image are governed by the license set by the institution that holds the original (museum, library, or digital archive).
• In other words, "the work is public domain, therefore the image is free to use" is not necessarily true. Please check the license of the institution that is the source of the image.
• This site displays the source and processing information (resolution adjustment, WebP conversion, etc.) on each scroll page. When using an image, follow that source information.

CC licenses (Creative Commons)

Creative Commons (CC) licenses are built from combinations of four conditions. First learn the four building blocks, then use the table below to see whether a license fits what you want to do. Images published by overseas digital archives (such as the MET and Wellcome Collection) often use CC licenses.

The four conditions (building blocks)

• BYAttribution — OK to use if you give credit
• NCNonCommercial — Commercial use is not allowed
• NDNoDerivatives — Modifying or remixing is not allowed
• SAShareAlike — Modified works must be shared under the same license

License combinations

As a rule, credits should include the work name, author, holding institution, source URL, and license name (e.g. CC BY 4.0). Terms differ by license version, so always check the license notice on the relevant page before use.

Guidelines for AI image generation

Guidelines by category for derivative works with Stable Diffusion, ControlNet, Midjourney, and similar tools.

• Public domain / CC0 images: AI training, generation, publication, and commercial use are all allowed. Listing the source work and institution in your notes is good practice for derivative-work culture.
• CC BY images: Generation and commercial use are allowed, but the required credit (attribution) must be attached to the output.
• Institution-terms images (e.g. ColBase): Always check the "commercial use / modification / redistribution" clauses. Some institutions explicitly prohibit AI training. Using images against the terms is not permitted even if the original work is public domain.
• Do not redistribute the images themselves: Avoid redistributing or selling the photographs or their processed versions as training datasets, as this may violate the institutions' licenses.
• Do not misrepresent: Do not present outputs as if they were the actual collection item (or an institution's creation).
• Check the AI tool's own terms too: Tool terms change frequently (e.g. Midjourney's commercial-use conditions, Adobe Firefly's training-data policies). Always check the terms current at the time of use.

Licenses of major holding institutions

License information for the main institutions whose images this site references. Always check each institution's latest terms before use.

• ColBase (Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
• ColBase — Terms of Use
• The British Museum — Copyright and Permissions
• Wellcome Collection — Accessing our collections
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) — Open Access
• Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer & contact

This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. For specific use, please consult each institution's terms and, if necessary, a professional. For questions about this page, use the button below.