Paleography and the Book Lecture 2024 with Japanese Manuscript Expert Peter Kornicki

"Why Did Matsudaira Sadanobu Copy the Tale of Genji Seven Times? Manuscript Culture in Edo Period Japan (1600‒1868)"
Despite Japan’s Edo period's boom in commercial printing, Matsudaira Sadanobu, Japan's ruler from 1787-1793, hand-copied the Tale of Genji seven times. This highlights a fascinating contradiction: printed books were available, but many, including Sadanobu, clung to the art of manuscript writing. During his lecture, Peter Kornicki, one of the foremost experts in the history of the book in Japan, exposed the underworld of manuscript books, dealing with secret knowledge, shocking scandals, and obscure rituals.