A Japanese couple, Eiko and Goro Murase, who are retired teachers, came to Iceland in May 2003 to experience a solar eclipse, having traveled to many countries for that purpose. They were very impressed by the beauty of the country and the friendliness of the people. After returning home, they decided to donate Japanese books, both classical and modern works of literature, to the Japanese Department at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Iceland. These are carefully crafted and beautiful reproductions, from the beginning of the 8th century to the 20th century, which are preserved here in the museum. The goal of the gift is to promote interest in the Japanese language and culture among young Icelandic students. They also hope that the friendly relationship between Iceland and Japan will continue to develop.
Literature has always been about more than the superficial meaning of words in the Japanese mind. During the Hei Dynasty, from the ninth century to the late twelfth, the court saw a person’s writing style—the way they formed the letters on the page—as a window into their soul. Love letters (or letters from would-be lovers) were scrutinized for their supra-material meaning—the handwriting, the thickness of the ink, the use of space, the type of paper—everything spoke for itself. Writing was both visual and oral. Reading was also closely related to writing, as the absence of printing meant that even great works like the famous Tale of Genji had to be copied by hand.
During the Edo period (17th–19th centuries), printing became widespread, but the desire of readers to "read" in the sense of handwriting meant that even in printed language, a curved style of writing continued to be used. During this period, many literary works contained illustrations, sometimes by the authors themselves, but more often by professional artists. This complex interaction between text and illustration introduced many new possibilities for reading and opened up the texts to readers of different educational backgrounds. The well-known Japanese admiration for comics (manga) is perhaps only a continuation of these precursors to modern reading.
Our experience today of reading the printed text of classic Japanese literature is vastly different from how these texts were originally read and enjoyed when they were written. Publishers in Japan have produced deluxe editions of famous works that faithfully reproduce the original calligraphy and illustrations. This exhibition provides a glimpse into the visual richness of Japan's literary heritage through the reproduction of some of its most famous masterpieces.