Japonica

The collection consists of several donations and acquisitions, which are closely connected to researchers of Japanology and the relationship between Finland and Japan. In 1936, the Finnish-Japanese Society gave 390 volumes as a donation carrying the name of the society's president, Baron Takaharu Mitsui. After the Second World War, Karl Gustav Idman (1885-1961), who acted as Finland's ambassador of Japan from 1939 to 1944, donated around 20 significant books. After the Japanese embassy left the country in 1944, librarian Aarne Mustonen acquired the embassy's estate from a junk shop and donated 168 titles in the 1950s. In the 1950s, the collection was expanded with a section containing 138 titles as a consequence of correspondence between the Head of literary department of Japan's Ministry of Education, Shigenori Baba and researcher of Japanology Marta Keravuori. In addition to this, all research literature concerning Japanese studies from the home library of Gustaf John Ramstedt (1873–1950), the first chargé d'affaires of Japan in Finland, was added to the collection. These works have plenty of markings made by Ramstedt himself. The collection is still complemented with various acquisitions, such as transfers from the departments of Asian and African languages and cultures.