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Beginning on Monday, November 14, 2022, the Keio University Library put on its 357th exhibition, The Ultimate Materiality: the Splendour of Western Medieval Manuscripts, an event showcasing some of the library's most impressive holdings from its collection of rare books.

Keio's copy of the Gutenberg Bible, a valuable cultural heritage item, was even on limited display for four days from Wednesday, December 14 to Saturday, December 17. The Gutenberg Bible is the first bible to have been printed using movable type printing technology which was invented around 1455 by Johann Gutenberg, a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany. Only 48 bibles have been preserved into modernity, with Keio University possessing the only copy in Asia.

In conjunction with the limited exhibition of the Gutenberg Bible, Professor Takami Matsuda from Keio's Faculty of Letters held gallery talks on Wednesday, December 14 and Thursday, December 15. This event was a "digest" of items displayed during Keio's 2019 The Ultimate Materiality: the Splendour of Western Medieval Manuscripts rare books exhibition where the Keio University Library displayed over 300 texts from its collection of medieval Western manuscripts at the Maruzen Marunouchi Main Store. These included various religious volumes, "books of hours," and general theological treatises.

During the gallery talks, Professor Matsuda explained the highlights of the different exhibition areas, describing how Keio University came to possess one of the largest collections of medieval Western manuscripts in Japan as well as detailing the unique texture and beauty inherent in the manuscripts' parchment and handwritten designs. Participants were even allowed to touch an incomplete French 15th century manuscript to get a feel for the parchment's texture. They listened with great interest to the hidden stories behind the manuscripts, each boasting a different size and purpose. One such manuscript was used as a textbook in the 13th century while another from the 15th century was believed to have been carried by noblewomen as a fashion accessory. These tales led to a lively discussion, with participants eager to ask questions about the exhibited items.