1000 Years of the Art of Japanese Books

Treasures from the Tenri Central Library

Tenri Central Library, in Japan, holds an extraordinary collection of rare books, including manuscripts and documents, about 1,830,000, roughly two-thirds of which are Japanese, Korean and Chinese books, and one-third Western, including Arabic and African books.

2013 will see J400 an international celebration of the 400th anniversary of Japan- UK relations with a series of cultural events planned in Japan and the U.K throughout the year. This exhibition is to be part of that cultural programme intending to present together and show for the first time in this country some of the finest and most interesting Japanese antiquarian books, manuscripts and documents held by the Tenri Central Library. Presenting the public with an accessible insight into the historical relationship between Japan and the U.K. and encouraging a greater understanding of some of the shared knowledge, interests and experiences and the influence of the previous 400 years on this relationship today.

The exhibition will have a programme of public events and demonstrations throughout April, May and June to introduce and explain some of the key themes in the exhibition to new audiences – these will include Gagaku, Tea Ceremony, calligraphy, Sake tasting, origami, and lectures using the exhibition as their setting.