Mutsuyo and Jim Unger have been weeding research materials no longer needed. Prior to leaving for Japan on sabbatical, they donated these books and journals to the Ohio State University Libraries. Subjects range from Japanese culture and language to linguistics, business, and many other fields. Of particular importance are rare works on the history of computers and word processing in Japan, script reform, and Japanese romanization. It is wonderful to have these materials in the Japanese collections! Some can be searched under Gift of Mutsuyo Okumura and J Marshall Unger.
The Japanese collections have received a number of other major donations recently.
Of particular note is the large collection of works on linguistics and Japanese language donated by Osamu Fujimura when he retired from the University last year. Professor Fujimura’s collection included many complete runs of journals, as well as conference proceedings and other scarce items. Some titles come up with a keyword search on Osamu Fujimura.
Barbara Arnn, a scholar of medieval Japanese literature, donated 399 volumes, including reference works and variant editions of important works of literature. Her collection includes many Heike-related materials that complement items already at Ohio State. A few titles bear a record of her gift; others were used to replace worn copies in the collection.
The Japan Foundation Library donated many volumes of standard references, including Dai Nihon Shiryo, enabling us to make a huge step forward in completing that set (still incomplete…). We previously received many volumes in that set as a donation from the late Professor Marius B. Jansen (Princeton U.).
Isao Shimizu 清水勳, a noted scholar of manga, donated some exemplars of “akahon manga” (early postwar manga) — about which he wrote a book, Manga shōnen to akahon manga, Comic Box (a journal about manga), and other sources for the Cartoon Research Library’s manga collection. A search on Shimizu Isao Collection brings up books that he donated.
In addition to these, there have been many other donations to the Japanese collections recently. Thanks to one and all!!
