Active collaboration with Bungo Comics! Inspiring the younger generation to take an interest in literature - Initiatives of the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature

– On the way to the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature, I passed through Port View Hill Park, and the scenery was beautiful, especially on this side of the bridge where there were many trees, making it a quiet and wonderful location.
First of all, please tell us about the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature and what kind of facility it is.

Handa: The Museum of Modern Literature opened in 1984 (Showa 59), and this year marks its 32nd year. It is a ``museum'' that preserves and exhibits materials related to writers and literary works connected to Kanagawa Prefecture, but it is also a ``library'' specializing in modern Japanese literature, and an ``event hall'' where lectures and other events are held. .

The permanent exhibition is titled ``Scenery and Literature of Kanagawa,'' and exhibits works from five regions in Kanagawa Prefecture, including Yokohama/Kawasaki, Kamakura, Miura/Shonan, and Odawara, including Atsushi Nakajima, Yukio Mishima, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Hakushu Kitahara, and Soseki Natsume. We introduce manuscripts and materials by writers with deep knowledge.

– Kanagawa is home to many towns associated with famous literary figures.

Handa: Yes. The works are presented in an immersive display that combines seasonal landscape photos of the town with works of art.

There is also an exhibit that recreates Natsume Soseki's study. A drama about the Natsume Soseki couple was aired on NHK this fall (Saturday drama ``Natsume Soseki's Wife''), and the production staff came to see the drama set for reference.

Currently, the special autumn exhibition ``Shotaro Yasuoka Exhibition - From ``Me'' to ``History'' is being held until November 27th (Sunday).

–What kind of exhibitions have you had so far? Which exhibition was your favorite?

Handa: Exhibitions of writers who are considered literary greats are popular. In recent years, there was the Chuya Nakahara exhibition in 2013, the Osamu Dazai exhibition in 2014, and last year's Junichiro Tanizaki exhibition and the Yoko Sano exhibition of ``The Cat That Lived a Million Times.''

This year, the Natsume Soseki exhibition held in spring (special exhibition "Encountering Natsume Soseki 100 years ago" from March 26th (Sat) to May 22nd (Sun)) was well received and attracted many visitors. .

–Could you please introduce the “Shotaro Yasuoka Exhibition” currently being held?

Handa: Yes, this is the first exhibition to comprehensively trace the life and literature of Akutagawa Prize-winning author Shotaro Yasuoka (1920-2013).

Shotaro Yasuoka was born in Kochi Prefecture, and when he was young he moved around a lot due to his father's work, which led to him becoming a so-called ``truant,'' and although he was allowed to go to university, his grades and behavior were poor.

Then, World War II began and he was drafted into the military at the age of 24, but he contracted tuberculosis while on the battlefield and was sent back.

– (Looking at the exhibit) But after that, it says that his unit was wiped out on Leyte Island. He must have been a very lucky person. At the time, the atmosphere may not have been so strong, but...

Handa: He lived a long life, passing away at the age of 93.
However, his house in Tokyo was burnt down in an air raid, and he continued to struggle with illness for some time after the war. It was during this time that he began writing novels, and his works depicting himself as an ``inferior'' and ``sloth'' attracted attention from around the world. His humorous essays were also popular, but in later years he also wrote historical novels set at the end of the Edo period, as his paternal ancestor was a samurai of the Tosa clan.

–He was active in a wide range of fields for a long time. There are not only manuscripts but also many letters in the exhibit, and it seems like he was very diligent with his writing. You take a lot of photos, but was photography your hobby?

Handa: At the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, I was invited by the film director Kon Ichikawa to be part of the filming crew for the movie ``Tokyo Olympics.''

-amazing! His camera skills also transcended the level of a hobby.
By the way, since you are from Kochi Prefecture, materials from the end of the Edo period are also on display. Picture scrolls, family trees, old letters, etc.

Handa: The story of the ancestor of the Yasuoka family, who was a samurai of the Tosa domain at the end of the Edo period, is told in a full-length novel called ``Ryuuritan.'' This is a historical novel about an ancestor named ``Yasuoka Kasuke,'' who belonged to the Tosa Kinno-to party and was involved in the assassination of Yoshida Toyo, who aspired to revere the king and expel the joi, and was also a work written by Yasuoka about his own roots.

– Tosa Kinnoto! ...So your ancestor was active in Tosa during the same era as ``Ryoma Sakamoto'' and ``Hanpeita Takeichi.''
I had never read any of Shotaro Yasuoka's works before, but when I saw the exhibition here, I became very interested. Opportunities like this are important.

Handa: That's right. At the Literary Museum, we are always thinking about ways to create opportunities for people to come into contact with literature and get them interested. For example, the artist Haruki Murakami wrote an essay for the catalog for this exhibition.

Mr. Murakami was greatly influenced by Mr. Yasuoka's writing style, and was kind enough to send us his writing.

By displaying Haruki Murakami's contributions this time, we have received many visitors from Haruki fans.

–By the way, when I entered the museum today, I noticed a large illustrated panel at the entrance. What was that?

Handa: There is a manga/anime called "Bungo Stray Dogs" that is currently very popular among the younger generation, and in October a stamp rally event was held in collaboration with Yokohama City and KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. (starting October 1st). Open until the 31st *The Literary Museum is closed on the 31st and Monday).

Our museum is one of the focal points of the stamp rally, so many fans came.

–Why is this a rally point?

Handa: In ``Bungo Stray Dogs,'' the characters are characters with the same names as real literary greats, and the main character's name is ``Atsushi Nakajima,'' famous for ``Sangetsuki.'' She used to be a teacher at a girls' school in Yamate, so she is a writer with close ties to Yokohama.

Our museum holds almost all of Nakajima's manuscripts and related materials, nearly 4,700 items, as the ``Nakajima Atsushi Bunko''.

Therefore, the main character Atsushi Nakajima's stamp is now in our museum. This is the third time we have held a stamp rally, and it has been very popular with young fans.

Therefore, for the fans who visited the museum, we set up a corner where, after the event, they could send a message book to the editorial department of the magazine in which the work was published and the author's teacher.It was so popular that there was a line of people waiting to write it on the weekends. What is it?

The book received many comments from people who said that this work inspired them to read works by Atsushi Nakajima, Osamu Dazai, and Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

– (While showing me the book) I’m happy to hear that you have come to like literature! There are a lot of illustrations, and everyone is really good at it!

Handa: When I read the contents, I was impressed to see that even elementary and junior high school students were able to write kanji properly. Rather than just stamping and moving on, they also take you through the permanent exhibitions and special exhibitions. I'm very happy to see the range of people who love literature expand through manga and anime.

– Since the story is set in Yokohama, I hope you will enjoy the “sacred place pilgrimage” (visiting the places where the work is set), which is popular among anime fans.

Handa: That's right. There are many landscapes that appear in the works around the Museum of Modern Literature.

It's been a long time since we've been told that young people are turning away from print, but we hope to enrich the lives of many people through the power of literature by giving them a little push into the world of literature that will continue to spark their interest. I would like to think of a plan like that.

Handa: In addition to exhibitions, we also carry out various promotional activities such as lectures, book readings, and lifelong learning support activities.

Materials in our library's collection can be used free of charge in the reading room on the first floor of the main building (we do not lend them out). There are many valuable literary materials that are difficult to obtain, so we hope that you will find them useful for a wide range of purposes such as research and research.

The Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature is about a 10-minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station. Please feel free to come and visit us while taking a walk and enjoying the scenery of Yokohama's port, the streets of Yamate lined with Western-style buildings, and the garden of Port View Hill Park.

• Location: 110 Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Phone number: 045-622-6666
• Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a public holiday), exhibition change period, year-end and New Year holidays
• Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. to 17:00 p.m.
  *The reading room is open until 18:30 on weekdays (17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays).
• Closed: Mondays (open on holidays), the last weekday of every month, and February 1st to 10th.

• Period: October 1st (Saturday) to November 27th (Sunday), 2016 (Heisei 28) Closed on Mondays (open on October 10th)
• Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Last entry is 4:30 p.m.)
• Venue: Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature Exhibition Rooms 2 and 3
• Admission fee: General 600 yen (400 yen), 65 and over/under 20 and students 300 yen (200 yen), High school students 100 yen, Junior high school students and under free
• *Figures in parentheses are group rates for 20 or more people.
• *Free admission for those with a physical disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, or mental disability health and welfare certificate (please contact us for details)
• *Free admission if you present a disaster victim certificate or disaster damage certificate from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

A popular comic with book sales exceeding 4.1 million copies, written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by 35 Harukawa.
A battle action manga set in Yokohama where characters modeled after real-life literary greats such as Atsushi Nakajima and Osamu Dazai fight using supernatural powers. Currently being developed in various media mixes such as novelization and animation.