Formation of an Academic and International Center
for Research into The Tale of Genji

Traditional Research of The Tale of Genji

Educational Research on The Tale of Genji by Utako Shimoda, Founder of the University

Utako Shimoda, founder of the university, was dedicated to the development of education for women and, in the midst of undertakings such as founding the university, also engaged in activities such as giving lectures and teaching Waka, or traditional Japanese poetry. In charge of the Department of Moral education, she advocated practical ethics and underpinned by her profound scholarship in Japanese literature, Chinese classical literature and home economics, her lectures earned a unique reputation. Acclaimed for their excellence and regarded as being on a par with the lectures given by Shoyo Tsubouchi on Shakespeare at Waseda University, some of her lectures on The Tale of Genji were recorded and later published (“Lectures on The Tale of Genji,” first volume (1934 - 1936)).
The university’s library took a central role in the reprinting and publication of “Stories from The Tale of Genji, Wakamurasaki” by Utako Shimoda.

Inherited Tradition of Research on The Tale of Genji

After the war too, researchers belonging to the university including Tokuhei Yamagishi, Akio Abe and Seiichi Nomura published a great many results of their research on The Tale of Genji. Furthermore, the university owns an extensive store of materials relating to The Tale of Genji, including the highly-acclaimed distinctive Kurokawa, Tokuhei Yamagishi and Tokiwamatsu collections.

In recent years, looking to the future, as well as materials from the Muromachi Period, which have served as focus of research on literature to date, the university is taking the lead over other research institutes in collecting materials from the Kamakura Period to realize a world top-class collection including ancient copies and calligraphy fragments relating to The Tale of Genji.

Dissemination of Research Results to Society

The university has actively disseminated the results of this research to society through open lectures, symposiums and other such undertakings.
Among these various events, “The Tale of Genji Millennium Commemorative Lecture Meeting” held in 2008 to celebrate the thousandth anniversary of The Tale of Genji and The Essence of the Palace "Kyutei-no-Hana", The Tale of Genji, the first event to be held after the move to the Shibuya Campus in 2014, attracted large audiences, generating great interest in The Tale of Genji.