On March 19, the Graduate School of Humanities and Osu Kannon (Hoshoin) Temple entered into an agreement regarding the research and investigation of the Osu Library collection, as well as the preservation of cultural properties. This agreement aims to promote awareness of the collection's value as a cultural asset through comprehensive cataloging and examination. Additionally, it will contribute to cultural property preservation efforts while supporting academic development and the cultivation of educational talent.
The Graduate School of Humanities has long served as an academic and research center for the humanities in the Tokai region of central Japan, with its undergraduate department, the School of Humanities, celebrating its 75th anniversary. Since its establishment in 2014, the Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Texts--an affiliated research institute within the graduate school--has conducted advanced academic research on cultural heritage both in Japan and abroad. The Center also promotes practical research on the preservation, restoration, and utilization of cultural heritage, contributing to both international and local communities through these efforts.
Osu Kannon Temple, a special head temple of the Chisan sect of the Shingon school, was originally founded around 1333 during the late Kamakura period in present-day Osu, Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture. In 1612, by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the temple was relocated to its current location near Nagoya Castle (Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture). The temple houses four National Treasures and 37 Important Cultural Properties, including the Kojiki, one of Japan's oldest written records. Its collection comprises approximately 15,000 Buddhist texts, classics, and ancient documents dating primarily from the Nara period (710-794) through the Heian period (794-1185) to the Muromachi period (1336-1573). Osu Kannon served as a key regional center within the intellectual network of medieval scholar-monks and continues to preserve its rich cultural heritage as one of Japan's foremost repositories of historical texts.
Since 2000, the Graduate School of Humanities and Osu Kannon Temple have conducted joint investigations of the Osu Library collection, led by Professors Yasuro Abe and Kensuke Chikamoto from the Center for the Study of Texts and Cultural Heritage. These efforts have focused on organizing fragmented manuscripts and creating a comprehensive catalog. This newly formalized agreement reaffirms the continuation of this project and promotes proactive efforts to share with the public the valuable cultural heritage of the Osu Library, a source of pride for Nagoya.
From left: Kazuyuki Torii, Director of the Osu Library, and Kaien Okabe, Chief Abbot of Osu Kannon Temple;Yoshiyuki Suto, Dean of the Graduate School of Humanities, and YoshimitsuKajiwara, Director of the Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Texts, Nagoya University.
This article was originally published in Japanese and has been translated and edited for clarity and readability by the Nagoya University International Communications Office while preserving the original content's intent. The original Japanese version is available here.