Kenny Endo Ensemble to present taiko demonstration, lecture on April 14

The East Asian Studies Center, Institute for Japanese Studies, and partners will present two events featuring the Kenny Endo Ensemble on Thursday, April 14 in Sullivant Hall Collaboratory, Room 141 (registration required). The ensemble will present "The Art of Taiko – History, Cultural Background, and Demonstration" from 12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and "'Ame' (Tears of the Earth) – The Healing Rain: The Fostering of Unity, Harmony, and Balance through Arts and Culture" from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

"The Art of Taiko" Abstract: With their deep experience in taiko performance in Japan and the U.S., Kenny Endo and members of his ensemble will speak to taiko’s cultural and historical contexts and its evolution as an art form both in Japan and globally through demonstration of instruments and styles of drumming.

"'Ame' (Tears of the Earth)" Abstract: Kenny Endo’s lived experience and his social and musical activism make him a valued resource during this time of social upheaval—a time that has inspired grassroots movements seeking equity. Kenny believes that our current historical moment mirrors in salient ways the 1970s when he came of age as a musician. In this panel discussion, Kenny will be joined by members of his Ensemble to discuss the role of arts and culture as social mediators of unity, harmony, and balance in the United States and in Japan. They will address multiple topics, including Kenny’s journey as the first non-Japanese national to be honored with a “natori” (stage name) in classical Japanese drumming and the personal activism of the Ensemble members. They will also speak to Asian-American history and the fight for rights; the impacts of persecution; cultural pride; and the role of the arts in bridging differences. In their own work, the members of the Kenny Endo Ensemble have presented various cultures and art forms on stage in a spirit of unity and respect for diversity—a coming together to foster harmony, uplift spirits, and manifest a better world.

OATJ Spring Workshop to feature Elena Kamenetzky on April 9

The Ohio Association of Teachers of Japanese, with support from the East Asian Studies Center, will present it's 2022 Spring Workshop featuring Elena Kamenetzky, Eastern High School, Louisville, KY, on Saturday, April 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. online (registration required). Ms. Kamenetzky will present "Supporting Our Students: Building Connections for Communication."

Abstract: These past few years have brought unprecedented uncertainty into students’ lives. But the world language classroom can support students in unique and unexpected ways! In this workshop we will explore how language learning can develop communication skills and self-confidence to build learners’ resilience and support their mental health. Participants will acquire strategies to help learners lower their affective barriers and develop healthy relationships.

Yukina Sato, Forrest Hershey, and the Columbus Koto Ensemble to perform on April 16

The Department of Dance, with support from the Institute of Japanese Studies, will present a performance featuring OSU's Yukina Sato and Forrest Hershey, and the Columbus Koto Ensemble, on Saturday, April 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Barnett Theater, 320 Sullivant Hall (registration required). Ms. Sato, Mr. Hershey, and the Columbus Koto Ensemble will present "Transcendence 時を超えて"

Abstract: This performance invites the audience to transcend time and space. This collaboration between two Ohio State dancers and the Columbus Koto Ensemble honors the memory of Saeko Ichinohe, a Japanese pioneer in the 1970s performing arts scene. Ichinohe merged her Western concert dance training with Japanese traditional dance. The process of reconstructing one of her dance pieces “Chidori” from Labanotation allows us to understand the intersection between contemporary and traditional art. Yukina Sato, a 2nd-year MFA candidate in Ohio State’s Dance Department, will also showcase her own choreography to pieces performed by the Columbus Koto Ensemble. This collaboration seeks to present an embodied history of cultural interflows and the meeting of old and new.

Brian Hurley to present on aesthetics, economics in Japanese fiction on April 18

The Institute for Japanese Studies will present a lecture by Brian Hurley, University of Texas at Austin, on Monday, April 18 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the OSU campus (registration required). Prof. Hurley will present "Market Literacy: Reading Aesthetics and Economics in the 1980s Fiction of Murakami Haruki."

Abstract: Every prominent novelist in twentieth-century Japan made money by selling their writings in the market. But one of them has been criticized more than any other for profiting from his craft: Murakami Haruki. His rise to stardom beginning in the 1980s enchanted millions of readers at the same time that it generated a pervasive disquiet among some scholars and critics, who feared that his stunning commercial success indicated the dawn of a market-dominated age at “the end of history” that spelled the end of serious literature, too. Drawing on recent scholarship that has illuminated the imbrications of aesthetics and economics in contexts ranging from art and literature to philosophy and beyond, this lecture argues that reports of literature’s death in the market have been greatly exaggerated. In so doing, it poses a challenge to the conventional wisdom surrounding Murakami’s rise by showing that what was most distinctive about his early career was not how the market made his novels into lucrative objects for sale, but how his fiction made market life itself into an intriguing object of literary representation.

CFP for 6th Workshop on Innovations in Cantonese Linguistics

The Ohio State University will host the 6th Workshop on Innovations in Cantonese Linguistics May 27-28. The WICL conference -- an event hosted every two years by different institutions in North America -- focuses on new advances in Cantonese linguistics, including innovations in methodologies, tools, and/or computing software. New approaches and research on language variation within the Cantonese (or “Yue”) subgroup of the Chinese language family, language contact phenomena, and new subfields and their interfaces are especially welcome. The biennial WICL events, with presentations delivered in English, are free and open to the public, although pre-registration is required.

In addition to keynote speakers and parallel sessions, there will also be a special workshop that will be held in conjunction with the parallel sessions, as well as a special panel.

The deadline to submit abstracts is Sunday, April 24, 11:59 p.m. PDT (Monday, April 25, 2:59 a.m. EDT).

JSO to host Japanese Spring Festival on April 3

Ohio State's Japanese Student Organization will host the 14th Annual Japanese Spring Festival on Sunday, April 3 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students, staff, faculty, kids, and adults are all welcome to play games, learn Japanese culture, and try Japanese candy. Enjoy the atmosphere of a Japanese Festival in the Performance Hall in the Ohio Union with your friends, colleagues, and family. A list of the performances and booths will be finalized soon.

A free shuttle bus will be available from the JSO Spring Festival to the JASCO's Sakura Matsuri at the Franklin Park Conservatory, running from 10:30 a.m. from the Ohio Union until 5:00 p.m.