diff --git a/sphinx/writers/latex.py b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
index 2c2b62659..39c7bc81e 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/latex.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ BEGIN_DOC = r'''
 
 URI_SCHEMES = ('mailto:', 'http:', 'https:', 'ftp:')
 SECNUMDEPTH = 3
+LATEXSECTIONNAMES = ["part", "chapter", "section", "subsection",
+                     "subsubsection", "paragraph", "subparagraph"]
 
 DEFAULT_SETTINGS = {
     'latex_engine':    'pdflatex',
@@ -501,8 +503,6 @@ def rstdim_to_latexdim(width_str):
 
 
 class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
-    sectionnames = ["part", "chapter", "section", "subsection",
-                    "subsubsection", "paragraph", "subparagraph"]
 
     ignore_missing_images = False
 
@@ -532,16 +532,6 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
         self.compact_list = 0
         self.first_param = 0
 
-        # determine top section level
-        if builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning:
-            self.top_sectionlevel = \
-                self.sectionnames.index(builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning)
-        else:
-            if document.settings.docclass == 'howto':
-                self.top_sectionlevel = 2
-            else:
-                self.top_sectionlevel = 1
-
         # sort out some elements
         self.elements = DEFAULT_SETTINGS.copy()
         self.elements.update(ADDITIONAL_SETTINGS.get(builder.config.latex_engine, {}))
@@ -564,11 +554,30 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
             })
         if builder.config.latex_keep_old_macro_names:
             self.elements['sphinxpkgoptions'] = ''
+
+        # we assume LaTeX class provides \chapter command except in case
+        # of non-Japanese 'howto' case
+        self.sectionnames = LATEXSECTIONNAMES[:]
         if document.settings.docclass == 'howto':
             docclass = builder.config.latex_docclass.get('howto', 'article')
+            if docclass[0] == 'j':  # Japanese class...
+                pass
+            else:
+                self.sectionnames.remove('chapter')
         else:
             docclass = builder.config.latex_docclass.get('manual', 'report')
         self.elements['docclass'] = docclass
+
+        # determine top section level
+        self.top_sectionlevel = 1
+        if builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning:
+            try:
+                self.top_sectionlevel = \
+                    self.sectionnames.index(builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning)
+            except ValueError:
+                logger.warning('unknown %r toplevel_sectioning for class %r' %
+                               (builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning, docclass))
+
         if builder.config.today:
             self.elements['date'] = builder.config.today
         else:
@@ -631,21 +640,23 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
             usepackages = (declare_package(*p) for p in builder.usepackages)
             self.elements['usepackages'] += "\n".join(usepackages)
         if document.get('tocdepth'):
-            # redece tocdepth if `part` or `chapter` is used for top_sectionlevel
+            # reduce tocdepth if `part` or `chapter` is used for top_sectionlevel
             #   tocdepth = -1: show only parts
             #   tocdepth =  0: show parts and chapters
             #   tocdepth =  1: show parts, chapters and sections
             #   tocdepth =  2: show parts, chapters, sections and subsections
             #   ...
+
             tocdepth = document['tocdepth'] + self.top_sectionlevel - 2
-            maxdepth = len(self.sectionnames) - self.top_sectionlevel
-            if tocdepth > maxdepth:
+            if len(self.sectionnames) < 7 and self.top_sectionlevel > 0:
+                tocdepth += 1  # because top_sectionlevel is shifted by -1
+            if tocdepth > 5:   # 5 corresponds to subparagraph
                 logger.warning('too large :maxdepth:, ignored.')
-                tocdepth = maxdepth
+                tocdepth = 5
 
             self.elements['tocdepth'] = '\\setcounter{tocdepth}{%d}' % tocdepth
             if tocdepth >= SECNUMDEPTH:
-                # Increase secnumdepth if tocdepth is depther than default SECNUMDEPTH
+                # Increase secnumdepth if tocdepth is deeper than default SECNUMDEPTH
                 self.elements['secnumdepth'] = '\\setcounter{secnumdepth}{%d}' % tocdepth
 
         if getattr(document.settings, 'contentsname', None):