A Century of Friendship: Presenting the Japanese Donation to Emperor Naruhito

On 24 June 2026, I had the privilege of presenting two remarkable works from the Japanese Donation, preserved at UCLouvain, to Their Majesties Emperor Naruhito of Japan and King Philippe of Belgium, during the Emperor's State Visit to Belgium.

As postdoctoral researcher and scientific curator of the Japanese Donation at UCLouvain, it was a deeply meaningful moment to share part of this extraordinary collection with the very institution — the Imperial Family of Japan — whose generosity made it possible in the first place. The Donation, comprising nearly 14,000 volumes dating from the 12th to the 20th century, was given to the University of Louvain between 1924 and 1926, after the destruction of its library during the First World War. Today, it is preserved at UCLouvain's Rare Books Reserve in Louvain-la-Neuve, where it continues to serve as a unique resource for research, teaching, and cultural exchange between Belgium and Japan.

The visit carried particular resonance this year. 2026 marks the centennial of the Japanese Donation itself — it was a century ago, between 1924 and 1926, that the books arrived in Louvain as a gesture of friendship following the destruction of the university's library during the First World War. It also coincides with the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan, the very occasion that brought Emperor Naruhito to Belgium on this State Visit. Presenting these works to Their Majesties was, in that sense, a moment where two histories of friendship converged.

For the occasion, I presented two works carefully chosen to resonate with the moment. The first was Eiga monogatari (The Tale of Flowering Splendour), a kokatsujiban edition — printed using Japan's early movable-type technique — from the first half of the 17th century. This particular copy carries a personal connection to the Imperial family: its seals identify it as one of the works originally donated by the Library of the Imperial Household in 1924.

Pointing out one of the Imperial Household seals on Eiga monogatari to Their Majesties Emperor Naruhito and King Philippe.

The second work, Yodogawa ryōgan ichiran (Both Banks of the Yodo River at a Single Glance), was selected for a different reason: its connection to Emperor Naruhito's own scholarly interests. Compiled by Akatsuki no Kanenari and illustrated by Matsukawa Hanzan around 1861, this richly illustrated four-volume work documents life and navigation along the Yodo River between Kyoto and Osaka — including the practice of teams hauling boats upstream by rope, a subject the Emperor, then Crown Prince, discussed in his 2003 address at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto.

Presenting these works was a reminder of what the Japanese Donation truly represents: not simply a historical curiosity, but a living connection between two countries, sustained for over a century through scholarship, friendship, and — every now and then — moments like this one.