Meiji Restoration Collection is a collection of materials regarding the Meiji Restoration formerly held by Sonjo-do founded by Viscount Yajiro Shinagawa. After his death, of the total 984 items, 2,169 volumes of 554 items were donated to Kyoto University Library in 1900.
Sonjo-do was established in accordance with the wish of Shoin Yoshida. Therefore, the core of the collection consists of his correspondence, manuscripts and relevant documents, with many other writings or mementos of his talented disciples such as Shinsaku Takasugi, Genzui Kusaka, Takayoshi Kido and Aritomo Yamagata. However, this is not just a collection of documents written by loyalists from Choshu (currently Yamaguchi Prefecture); it also includes a variety of other items regardless of region or class. Meiji Restoration Collection provides first-class materials for research of the Meiji Restoration as well as biographical materials to know the ideology, academic knowledge and behavior of the patriots at the time.