Previously unknown Ogai Mori manuscript identified

Two pages of a previously unknown manuscript written by literary great Ogai Mori (1862-1922) for what appears to be a lecture or critical biography on an Italian poet have been identi ed, the University of Tokyo Library System announced on Oct. 12.

e un nished manuscript on 19th century Italian poet Gabriele Rossetti has about 800 characters, written in sumi black ink on the ruled paper used by the medical school of the Imperial Japanese Army.

e pages were discovered between the pages of a German magazine that was categorized under general publications and kept in a storage room, when the library was putting materials in order several years ago.

Ogai’s vast private collection of books was donated to the university library a er his death and is currently being kept in a section of its own, but the manuscript had not been listed in the collection catalog.

Ogai gave lectures on Rossetti, who moved to Britain in the mid-19th century, and his artist son from 1897-98 at the Tokyo Fine Arts School, the predecessor of the Tokyo University of Arts’ Faculty of Fine Arts.

“is tells us that when it came to art history, Ogai took particular note of individuals, rather than their works and styles,” said University of Tokyo associate professor Tomoyuki Deguchi, who specializes in modern Japanese literature.

“is is a resource that links with his works based on historical facts in later years.”

e dra is currently on display at the university’s General Library in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, through Nov. 22. (Oct. 18)

The Yomiuri Shimbun The recently identified manuscript by Ogai Mori is exhibited at the University of Tokyo’s General Library in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on Oct. 12.