In October 2022, the Tateuchi East Asia Library (EAL) welcomed Professor Takahiro Sasaki. Professor Sasaki is the immediate former Director of the Keio Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.  He has been teaching and doing research at Shido Bunko for more than 20 years. The multi-day visit included a lecture, class visits, collection assessment, staff training and was part of the exchange program between the University of Washington and Keio University funded by a generous grant from the Tateuchi Foundation.

During his visit, Professor Sasaki spent much time helping us evaluate our Japanese special collection at the University of Washington Libraries to observe our preservation process for premodern Japanese material and to recommend the best training for our staff to improve the UW Japanese book preservation process, as well as future directions for collection development.

Professor Sasaki’s scholarly expertise and research in the history of books and Japanese classics has benefited us significantly in development and curation of our collections of premodern Japanese books.  In addition to the collection evaluation, he also gave a public presentation to a “packed house” on “The History and Character of Premodern Japanese Books,” which vividly introduced the audience to the invaluable premodern Japanese books in our Tateuchi East Asia Library and his own personal collection, using examples from the special collection. Prof. Paul S. Atkins served as the translator and facilitator. His excellent translation and facilitation significantly enhanced the event. Many library staff, faculty and students from East Asian studies programs on campus, as well as many community friends, attended the presentation.  It was a cultural feast for our faculty, students and library staff, and we all learned a lot.

“We had a lovely time with Professor Sasaki in my class,” said Atkins. “Our reading assignment was the final chapters of The Tale of Genji, and he just happened to have a 17th manuscript copy of the final chapter, which he explained to students, with an emphasis on how the shape of the cover reflects the status of the text. He let students take a close look at the books, including their gold covers.  He took some questions and the students were thrilled!”

Professor Sasaki met with staff of the Tateuchi EAL and the UW Libraries Preservations Department to discuss prospects for future exchange between our institutions. He also met with faculty and students from the Departments of Asian Languages and Literature, History, School of Art/Art History/Design, and spent many hours with them to discuss Japanese classics and special collections.

In a meeting with Dean Simon Neame of the UW Libraries, Sasaki presented a gift of two precious Japanese rare books and four important Japanese scholarly publications on the history of Japanese books.  They are excellent additions to our collection and will benefit our library users for generations to come.

仲文集 (Nakabumi shū) This rare, hand-written Japanese text (donated by Professor Sasaki) is likely from the late-17th century from the collection of waka (Japanese poems) by 藤原仲文(Fujiwara, Nakabumi) (908-978),  one of the 36 famous poets in the Heian-era (794-1185). This copy is one of 36 volume sets (each volume is a collection of each poet’s waka). This is a type of book that a young woman would receive from her family to take to her new home upon marriage, an old custom of the medieval period practiced by high-ranking, aristocratic families. The family would prepare a series, or set of books, such as novels, stories and poems meant to showcase her intellectual status. Because the books were used more for display purposes at a wedding, rather than actual reading, such books are usually in very good condition. The cover is so called “紺紙金泥 (konshi kindei),” which is a paper dyed in indigo color, and beautifully designed pattern with gold.  Mikaeshi (page 2 of the cover) is a paper made from gold and the family crest (probably of the Honda Family) is integrated.

At the end of his visit, Tateuchi EAL  co-hosted a cultural tour of Seattle with one of its donors, who is also a Seattle-area alumna of Keio University. The tour included an exciting outing to many iconic places, including stops at Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Chihuly Glass and Art museum, the Museum of Flight and a Seattle waterfront cruise. The special day ended with a visit to the Keio alumna’s beautiful home.  

Professor Sasaki prepared a thorough report of his visit with many great insights that will help us better understand the Japanese works held at the Tateuchi East Asia Library and UW Libraries’s Special Collections.  It will also provide guidance in our efforts to further develop and strengthen these treasures of UW Libraries.

Professor Sasaki’s visit was the first post-pandemic visit through the UW Libraries and Keio University Library exchange program. It was a wonderful experience, and we cherish the friendship and collaboration developed through these informative exchanges between our libraries. It is through such efforts, we as libraries build bridges between cultures across the Pacific.  We look forward to continue strengthening the special and long tradition between UW and Keio libraries and between our universities, for which Mr. and Mrs. Tateuchi have helped lay the foundation.

Our special thanks to the Tateuchi Foundation for its generous support and a grant that made this visit possible.  We thank Professor Paul Atkins of UW Department of Asian Languages and Literature for his strong support and collaboration.

One of the top East Asia libraries in North America, Tateuchi East Asia Library’s collections include all subject areas in the humanities and social sciences. With the rapid growth of digital technology and digital resources, library special collections play a unique role in supporting teaching, learning and research.  As scholarly research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, libraries become an ever more collaborative space for students and scholars to meet and discuss their learning and research. Professor Sasaki’s visit helped enhance such collaborations and further strengthen our library collection development and preservation.

More About Professor Sasaki

Professor Sasaki is the immediate former Director of the Keio Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko).  He graduated from the Faculty of Letters of Keio University, and later received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees there. After serving in the Research Information Division at the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL), he returned to Keio. He is now a full professor and has been teaching and doing research at Shido Bunko for more than 20 years.

He is a member of the Association of Waka Poetry Studies and the Academy of Middle Ages Literature. In 1995, he was awarded the 21st annual Japan Classic Literature Foundation Prize and was selected for the Keio Prize from Keio University in 2016. He was chosen for the 39th Kadokawa Gen’yoshi Prize in Literature in 2017. A renowned scholar of the history of Japanese books, he was the lead educator for the FutureLearn MOOC courses on “Japanese Culture Through Rare Books” and “The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books.”

Through his outstanding scholarship, Professor  Sasaki brings an indispensable point of view to the Japanese classics, one firmly based in the field of bibliography, sitting at the crossroads of physical material and cultural context.

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