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The Institute for Japanese Studies, with support from the Japanese Graduate Studies Association, will present its annual Brad Richardson Memorial Lecture, featuring Shigehisa Kuriyama, Harvard University, on Friday, February 24 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 001 Jennings Hall. Prof. Kuriyama will present "Happiness in Ordinary Places: Lessons from Edo Japan."
Abstract: How can one evoke a happy ordinary place? Sad places, sublime places, places that promise adventure, mystery, or romance—all these are relatively easy to portray. But how can one communicate the promise of ordinary happiness? What sorts of pictured places inspire viewers to think: “There is nothing special there, but life there seems happy”? Certain prints in 19th century Japan are quite effective in inspiring this thought. As we probe the secret of their effectiveness, we discover something startling—that the key elements in their evocation of happiness are mostly things that wouldn’t readily occur to us today. And so these prints prompt us, ultimately, to reflect anew not only on the imagination of everyday life in late Edo Japan but also on our own horizons of happiness.
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Since 1999, the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio has hosted the annual Ohio Japanese Speech Contest to promote Japanese language learning in the state of Ohio. The contest showcases achievement in Japanese language learning and presents ideas and experiences that promote JASCO’s mission: to enrich lives by bringing Ohio’s Japanese and American communities together.
