Former Japanese PM donates large number of books to Chinese library
Few in China know that former Japanese prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa is an enthusiast of traditional Chinese culture, particularly poetry from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Hosokawa, who nows heads Eisei Bunko, a Tokyo-based private archive and museum, was in Beijing for the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan on Tuesday, when he also donated 4,175 copies of ancient books in the Chinese language from his own collection to the National Library of China.
Eisei Bunko houses more than 100,000 artworks and literary files since the 14th century.
“Cao Pi (a Chinese emperor who founded the Wei Dynasty in 220 AD) had said that literary works are crucial to run a country and build prosperity,” Hosokawa, 80, said at the ceremony.
“The books are evidence of the communication between the two countries in ancient time.”
Hosokawa, who was prime minister from 1993 to 1994, tried to mend ties with China and other Asian neighbors by acknowledging that Japan had waged a war of aggression during World War II.
Now, he would like to contribute more toward Sino-Japanese relations, he says.
Hosokawa reveals that many of the books he donated were collected by his grandfather and father.
According to Zhang Zhiqing, deputy director of the national library, this is the largest one-time donation the Beijing institution has received.
A special exhibition that runs through late July also kicked off at the National Museum of Classic Books, an affiliate of the NLC, on Tuesday, seeking to promote the ancient books among visitors. More than 50 copies from the new endowment are on display alongside 44 copies of ancient Chinese books from the library’s original inventory, which have similar contents and thus offer comparison.
“The books donated (by Hosokawa) are quality material but with some missing parts,” Lin Shitian, a researcher of ancient books at the NLC, says, adding that the variety will offer significant reference for academic studies.
The more than 4,000 books fall into 36 categories, including 25 published in China and later taken abroad and 11 printed in Japan.
Some of the books can assist Chinese academia. For example, the 50-volume Qunshu Zhiyao (Books on Governing Principles) was published in the Tang era as a collection of articles on ancient Chinese political studies. The manually copied editions got lost in China due to war after the dynasty’s fall. Some editions of this precious book were brought by Japanese envoys to China. Many more editions were reprinted in Japan.
“The book was recommended for reading by Japanese emperors and other high officials in imperial court,” Lin says.
“In the Edo period (16031868), it was not only admired by royals, but was also popular among scholars in Japan.”
But the original book was absent in China for about a millennium until 1796, while some copies of Qunshu Zhiyao were brought back to China by merchants.
“Only then did Chinese scholars begin to rediscover the book,” Lin explains. “Such mutual exchange is an example of the cultural communication between China and Japan.”
A copy of the 1787 edition from Japan is among exhibits at the Beijing display.
From 630 to 894 AD, Japan sent multiple envoys to China to learn about the political system and social rituals from Tang officials.
An exhibited copy of Tanglyu Shuyi (Explanation of Tang Law) is another example. The statute law in China back then influenced the formation of the Japanese legal system, according to Lin.
Also included among exhibits are Japanese versions of well-known Chinese classics such as the 1836 edition of Zizhi Tongjian (History as a Mirror), which is a 11th-century work of Chinese historiography.
In the Edo period, foreign trade was tightly controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate. China and the Netherlands were the only countries allowed to do trade with Japan.
“Almost every Chinese ship to Japan then carried books,” Lin says.
The number of imported books in Japan rocketed in the early 19th century.
“Once a new book was published in China, it only took a few months before it was taken by traders to Japan,” he continues. “They had an impact in enlightening Japanese society.”
The exchange also triggered many Edo-era Japanese scholars to write books on imperial Chinese politics, and some old copies are among the books donated by former prime minister Hosokawa.
According to Luo Shugang, minister of Culture and Tourism, more cooperation between the NLC and Eisei Bunko will follow on collections, studies and exhibitions.
“We will use this opportunity to improve communication between Chinese and Japanese libraries,” he said on Tuesday, adding that it would be a way to acknowledge the donation of the books.