September
28
/ 2020
Experts believe that they have found the oldest work on Confucian teachings in Japan. The find dates back almost 1500 years when the Japanese nation was only just emerging. This collection of commentaries on Confucius can help researchers to better understand the early history of Japan, as well as Chinese philosophy and religion. Keio University purchased the manuscript from a rare book dealer in 2017. It consists of twenty pages that have been glued together into a scroll that measures 27 cm long (9 inches). The document has been deemed “invaluable” and Keio University formed a multidisciplinary team to investigate the text. Members of the team included experts in ancient Chinese and Japanese history and literature. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"78201","attributes":{"alt":"The manuscript (part of
