Kano Collection

This book collection was previously owned by Kokichi Kano (1865 - 1942), a doctor of literature from Odate City, Akita Prefecture. He served consecutively as principal of the First Higher School (1898-1906), and president of the College of Letters of Kyoto Imperial University (1906-1908). He is also well known for discovering hidden talents: Tadao Shizuki, a scholar of the Edo period, Shoueki Ando, a philosopher, and Toshiaki Honda, a political economist.

Kano's book collection was brought to Tohoku University through the efforts of Masataro Sawayanagi (1865 - 1927), Kano's close friend and the first President of Tohoku Imperial University. On that occasion, Kano handed over the collection on condition that all the books be stored together and forever at Tohoku University. Subsequently, materials collected by Kano were added four more times by March 1943 through purchases and donations, and the collection now totals approximately 108,000 volumes. It contains a wide range of materials, mainly Japanese and Chinese classics, and is also called the "Encyclopedia of Classics" or " Treasure House of Edo Studies”. Two national treasures, 「史記　孝文本紀　第十」（延久5年（1073）写）and 「類聚国史　巻第二十五」（平安時代末期写） were included in this collection.