Centre for Japanese Research:
CJR Lunchtime Lecture series:
<Enlightenment for Plants and Trees:
Somoku Jobutsu in Medieval Japanese Short Stories>
Haley Blum, Doctoral candidate
Tuesday, January 22, 12:30-1:30
Asian Centre, Room 604
In medieval Japan, popular arts often took advantage of a blending of religious ideology and entertainment in order to educate, attract audiences, and solicit donations. Enter otogizōshi
-a genre of short stories from the Muromachi period (1392-1573). Originating in popular performance and "picture explaining" (etoki
), otogizōshi
frequently delivered didactic messages through highly entertaining tales. The content of these tales varies greatly, but one subgenre that stands out is that of iruimono
, or "tales of non-humans." While many iruimono
are quite humorous, there exist tales in which a plant or tree becomes human, and these stories are generally treated in a more nuanced or even tragic manner. This talk will explore the Buddhist ideology of sōmoku jōbutsu
("plants and trees becoming buddhas") and its connection to this phenomenon of plant anthropomorphization in tales such as Kazashi no himegimi
(also known as Kiku no sei monogatari
) and Kajō monogatari
. It will also consider the relationship of Noh plays such as Bashō
to this phenomenon.
Click here for full details!
Opportunity:
Research Assistant at
Japanese Think Tank
The personal research assistant for Charmain of API, Yoichi Funabashi. Depending on
experience, the candidate may also be asked to support or manage events
and projects. Since the candidate will be working directly with the
Chairman, this is a key strategic position within the Foundation with a
high degree of responsibility.
For more information about API, click here
Click
here for full job posting
For those apt and interested, please send your CV in English and Japanese
and a covering letter in English including reasons for applying,
That's all for now
Have a great week!
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