Special Exhibition "Seike Exhibition—The Scholarship of the Kiyohara Family"

May 15, 2017

On the Occasion of the "Seike Exhibition"　　　　　　　　　　　　Michio Sato, Professor, Faculty of Letters

The Kiyohara family (abbreviated as Seike) is a distinguished lineage of doctors of Myōgyōdō (the study of Confucian classics) that lasted for a long time, from the Heian period to the end of the Edo period. Myōgyōdō was originally a department of the Daigaku-ryō (the Imperial University) that focused on the study of Chinese Confucian classics, but the Kiyohara family strove to expand its area of expertise over time. They studied any book, whether Chinese or Japanese, that could contribute to the art of government and statecraft. This proactive approach to scholarship was likely the reason why the Kiyohara family remained a distinguished house for so long.

The former collection of the Kiyohara family is now housed in the Kyoto University Library under the name "Seike Bunko" (Seike Collection). While the "Seike Bunko" collection forms the core for understanding the scholarship of the Kiyohara family, many other valuable materials related to the Seike family actually exist outside the Kyoto University Library. These materials not only supplement the "Seike Bunko" collection but are also indispensable for understanding the scholarship of the Seike family.

The Keio Juku Library holds books that are particularly important for understanding the Seike family during the Muromachi period. The Major in Japanese Literature of the Faculty of Letters has decided to exhibit materials related to the Kiyohara family held in the library, under the title "Seike Exhibition—The Scholarship of the Kiyohara Family." We hope this exhibition will provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about the scholarship of the Seike family.