Zwischen den Kulturen. Mori Ôgai 1862–1922

In the middle of the 19th century, Japan opened up at the urging of the states of Europe and North America, after the country's extensive isolation had lasted for more than two hundred years. The island kingdom was faced with the challenge of transforming itself into a modern nation state within a few decades in order to assert itself in the "stream of world history". Education and science were at the centre of the reforms, which penetrated all areas of social life. Foreign specialists were called to Japan, where they built up basic structures of the educational system. At the same time, young students were sent abroad to acquire new knowledge or perfect their skills. Nearly 750 of them enrolled at the "Berlin University" between 1870 and 1914. After their return, these bridge-builders found themselves in influential positions in education, culture, politics, administration, business and science, among them Mori Ôgai.

By approaching another culture, he not only gained a new understanding of himself, but also became familiar with new concepts of state and religion as well as art and science. In this sense, his experiences are paradigmatic for a generation of Japanese intellectuals who, during the transition to modernity, were searching for a new identity in the field of tension between Asia and Europe.the Mori Ôgai memorial sees itself in this tradition of working between cultures. It fathoms the life and work of this symbolic figure of German-Japanese relations and explores the complex encounters between Japan and Europe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries