A part of the handwritten manuscript of the biographical novel "Shibue Ryosai", which depicts scholars of the Edo period by Ogai Mori, a literary master who has passed 100 years since his death, was newly found.
The expert who conducted the survey said, "It is a valuable material that shows the hardships of Ogai."
We found 24 autographed manuscripts of the biographical novel "Shibue Rensai", which was serialized in newspapers by Ogai Mori from 1916 and then published as a book.
This work is one of Ogai's three biographical novels in his later years, and is one of Ogai's masterpieces, depicting the life and achievements of Shibue Ryosai, a scholar and doctor of the Hirosaki Domain in the late Edo period. It is highly evaluated as.
After being serialized in the newspaper, the whereabouts of the manuscript at that time were unknown, but last fall, the owner of the material consulted with the Mori Ogai Memorial Hall in Bunkyo Ward, and as a result of examining the handwriting etc. It was confirmed that it was a handwritten manuscript, so the ward purchased it.
In the manuscript, sentences are written with pencil on a paper without squares, and Ogai himself can see the process of creation, such as writing corrections and supplements with ink in some places.
Expert "It is a valuable material to understand the hardships of Ogai"
Professor Emeritus Kazuhide Yamazaki of Atomi Gakuen Women's University, a researcher of Ogai, said, "It can only be said that it was a coincidence that the manuscript for serialization in the newspaper was left until now. It's a valuable resource that shows how it was completed and how hard it was. "
The manuscript will be open to the public at an exhibition to be held at the Mori Ogai Memorial Hall from October this year.