diff --git a/fs/nilfs2/dir.c b/fs/nilfs2/dir.c
index 365cae5c3..5c0e280c8 100755
--- a/fs/nilfs2/dir.c
+++ b/fs/nilfs2/dir.c
@@ -331,8 +331,6 @@ static int nilfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
  * returns the page in which the entry was found, and the entry itself
  * (as a parameter - res_dir). Page is returned mapped and unlocked.
  * Entry is guaranteed to be valid.
- *
- * On failure, returns an error pointer and the caller should ignore res_page.
  */
 struct nilfs_dir_entry *
 nilfs_find_entry(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr,
@@ -360,24 +358,22 @@ nilfs_find_entry(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr,
 	do {
 		char *kaddr = nilfs_get_page(dir, n, &page);
 
-		if (IS_ERR(kaddr))
-			return ERR_CAST(kaddr);
-
-		de = (struct nilfs_dir_entry *)kaddr;
-		kaddr += nilfs_last_byte(dir, n) - reclen;
-		while ((char *)de <= kaddr) {
-			if (de->rec_len == 0) {
-				nilfs_error(dir->i_sb,
-					    "zero-length directory entry");
-				nilfs_put_page(page);
-				goto out;
+		if (!IS_ERR(kaddr)) {
+			de = (struct nilfs_dir_entry *)kaddr;
+			kaddr += nilfs_last_byte(dir, n) - reclen;
+			while ((char *) de <= kaddr) {
+				if (de->rec_len == 0) {
+					nilfs_error(dir->i_sb,
+						"zero-length directory entry");
+					nilfs_put_page(page);
+					goto out;
+				}
+				if (nilfs_match(namelen, name, de))
+					goto found;
+				de = nilfs_next_entry(de);
 			}
-			if (nilfs_match(namelen, name, de))
-				goto found;
-			de = nilfs_next_entry(de);
+			nilfs_put_page(page);
 		}
-		nilfs_put_page(page);
-
 		if (++n >= npages)
 			n = 0;
 		/* next page is past the blocks we've got */
@@ -390,7 +386,7 @@ nilfs_find_entry(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr,
 		}
 	} while (n != start);
 out:
-	return ERR_PTR(-ENOENT);
+	return NULL;
 
 found:
 	*res_page = page;
@@ -435,19 +431,19 @@ fail:
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-int nilfs_inode_by_name(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr, ino_t *ino)
+ino_t nilfs_inode_by_name(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr)
 {
+	ino_t res = 0;
 	struct nilfs_dir_entry *de;
 	struct page *page;
 
 	de = nilfs_find_entry(dir, qstr, &page);
-	if (IS_ERR(de))
-		return PTR_ERR(de);
-
-	*ino = le64_to_cpu(de->inode);
-	kunmap(page);
-	put_page(page);
-	return 0;
+	if (de) {
+		res = le64_to_cpu(de->inode);
+		kunmap(page);
+		put_page(page);
+	}
+	return res;
 }
 
 /* Releases the page */
diff --git a/fs/nilfs2/namei.c b/fs/nilfs2/namei.c
index eeccd69cd..f88efb118 100755
--- a/fs/nilfs2/namei.c
+++ b/fs/nilfs2/namei.c
@@ -55,20 +55,12 @@ nilfs_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int flags)
 {
 	struct inode *inode;
 	ino_t ino;
-	int res;
 
 	if (dentry->d_name.len > NILFS_NAME_LEN)
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENAMETOOLONG);
 
-	res = nilfs_inode_by_name(dir, &dentry->d_name, &ino);
-	if (res) {
-		if (res != -ENOENT)
-			return ERR_PTR(res);
-		inode = NULL;
-	} else {
-		inode = nilfs_iget(dir->i_sb, NILFS_I(dir)->i_root, ino);
-	}
-
+	ino = nilfs_inode_by_name(dir, &dentry->d_name);
+	inode = ino ? nilfs_iget(dir->i_sb, NILFS_I(dir)->i_root, ino) : NULL;
 	return d_splice_alias(inode, dentry);
 }
 
@@ -272,11 +264,10 @@ static int nilfs_do_unlink(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 	struct page *page;
 	int err;
 
+	err = -ENOENT;
 	de = nilfs_find_entry(dir, &dentry->d_name, &page);
-	if (IS_ERR(de)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(de);
+	if (!de)
 		goto out;
-	}
 
 	inode = d_inode(dentry);
 	err = -EIO;
@@ -370,11 +361,10 @@ static int nilfs_rename(struct inode *old_dir, struct dentry *old_dentry,
 	if (unlikely(err))
 		return err;
 
+	err = -ENOENT;
 	old_de = nilfs_find_entry(old_dir, &old_dentry->d_name, &old_page);
-	if (IS_ERR(old_de)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(old_de);
+	if (!old_de)
 		goto out;
-	}
 
 	if (S_ISDIR(old_inode->i_mode)) {
 		err = -EIO;
@@ -391,12 +381,10 @@ static int nilfs_rename(struct inode *old_dir, struct dentry *old_dentry,
 		if (dir_de && !nilfs_empty_dir(new_inode))
 			goto out_dir;
 
-		new_de = nilfs_find_entry(new_dir, &new_dentry->d_name,
-					  &new_page);
-		if (IS_ERR(new_de)) {
-			err = PTR_ERR(new_de);
+		err = -ENOENT;
+		new_de = nilfs_find_entry(new_dir, &new_dentry->d_name, &new_page);
+		if (!new_de)
 			goto out_dir;
-		}
 		nilfs_set_link(new_dir, new_de, new_page, old_inode);
 		nilfs_mark_inode_dirty(new_dir);
 		new_inode->i_ctime = current_time(new_inode);
@@ -450,15 +438,14 @@ out:
  */
 static struct dentry *nilfs_get_parent(struct dentry *child)
 {
-	ino_t ino;
-	int res;
+	unsigned long ino;
 	struct inode *inode;
 	struct qstr dotdot = QSTR_INIT("..", 2);
 	struct nilfs_root *root;
 
-	res = nilfs_inode_by_name(d_inode(child), &dotdot, &ino);
-	if (res)
-		return ERR_PTR(res);
+	ino = nilfs_inode_by_name(d_inode(child), &dotdot);
+	if (!ino)
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOENT);
 
 	root = NILFS_I(d_inode(child))->i_root;
 
diff --git a/fs/nilfs2/nilfs.h b/fs/nilfs2/nilfs.h
index e1b230a50..3f3971e02 100755
--- a/fs/nilfs2/nilfs.h
+++ b/fs/nilfs2/nilfs.h
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ static inline __u32 nilfs_mask_flags(umode_t mode, __u32 flags)
 
 /* dir.c */
 extern int nilfs_add_link(struct dentry *, struct inode *);
-int nilfs_inode_by_name(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qstr, ino_t *ino);
+extern ino_t nilfs_inode_by_name(struct inode *, const struct qstr *);
 extern int nilfs_make_empty(struct inode *, struct inode *);
 extern struct nilfs_dir_entry *
 nilfs_find_entry(struct inode *, const struct qstr *, struct page **);