Azaleas around the Palaceside Building are in beautiful bloom, adding color to streets that have entered a refreshing season. In front of the National Archives of Japan in Kitanomaru Park, large purple azaleas are flowering vividly, delighting passersby.
The National Archives is now holding its spring special exhibition “Books Open an Era of Peace: Publishing Culture in the Edo Period” through May 11. Centered on early-modern literary works, it introduces distinctive printed books on the theme of Edo publishing. The “bookshops” that appeared in the Edo period oversaw everything from production to publication—authors, painters, carvers, and printers—as overall producers. The most famous shop, which sent out many bestsellers, was Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750–1797), protagonist of the NHK taiga drama “Berabou.”
Printing techniques established in the Edo period made mass printing, reprints, added illustrations, and multicolor printing possible, giving rise to the rich expression of early-modern literature. The exhibition looks at an age when a flourishing publishing culture coexisted with strict controls that led to the punishment of popular writers and booksellers. Admission is free.