Cardiff-Japanese Webinar Series – Seasons of the Soul: Waka Poetry and the Shaping of Japanese Culture
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A public talk/ lecture with Dr Thomas McAuley, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
12:00 - 13:00
Online via Zoom
Open to all
About the series
Students of Japanese as a Foreign Language have fewer opportunities to grasp relevant contemporary information or understand cultural contexts because they study outside Japan. Furthermore, recognising Japanese society in a broader sense and considering how their own Japanese language ability may be applied to their own futures are challenges for such learners.
It is therefore essential not only to learn the target language but also to know the multifaceted aspects of the country. Moreover, teachers involved in Japanese language education outside Japan need support in obtaining and sharing up-to-date information reflecting many of the current trends and norms in contemporary Japanese society, in order to provide a more authentic learning experience.
The Cardiff-Japanese Online Lecture Series aims to explore and understand sociocultural aspects of language learning for those studying Japanese language and culture at Cardiff University, as well as various learners, teachers and researchers with an interest in Japan. The series is funded by the Japan Foundation in London.
Abstract
Cherry blossoms in spring, scarlet maple leaves in autumn, the singing of cicadas in summer and gentle snowfall in winter: all these images have been used and reused countless times in Japanese media ranging from tourist information videos to the latest anime production, to say nothing of how these and similar seasonal symbols appear on menus, in shops and ticket offices throughout Japan to mark the progress of the year.
To a great extent, these images define and describe modern Japan, and yet all ultimately derive from the conventional images developed for use in waka poetry in the 8th through 12th centuries by the aristocrats in the early capitals of Nara and Heian-kyō (Kyoto).
This lecture will trace the development of waka from its earliest beginnings through its use as an elegant and refined form of social communication between members of the nobility that, nevertheless, could be utilised for nakedly political purposes, and its final maturity as a literary form which was to dominate Japanese high culture, and stimulate low culture, long after the society which produced it had ceased to exist. It will discuss how poetry was produced, critiqued and preserved for later generations in a range of anthologies and other texts, and how, even today, the cultural cachet of waka continues to be leveraged by localities throughout Japan through the establishment and promotion of botanical gardens dedicated to display the plants mentioned in Japan’s earliest waka anthology, Man’yōshū.
Biography
Dr Thomas McAuley is a Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield, and an expert on premodern Japanese poetry and culture.
Among his publications is the complete translation and commentary of Roppyakuban uta’awase (‘Poetry Contest in Six Hundred Rounds’; 1193-94), one of the most significant poetic and critical texts of the period.
An experienced translator, he regularly posts new translations of premodern Japanese poetry on his website, www.wakapoetry.net.
Among his current projects are studies of premodern critics’ attitudes to the inclusion of Chinese-influenced material in waka poetry and the impact of poets’ gender on their compositional practice.
Event format & recording
The event will take place online as a Zoom webinar and will be recorded for publication after the event.
Simultaneous translation
The event will be delivered in the medium of English. You are welcome to ask questions in the medium of Welsh during the Q&A session. If you intend to do this, please contact mlang-events@cardiff.ac.uk by Wednesday 17 January to request simultaneous translation.
Please note that 10% or more of those planning to attend will need to request this provision in order for it to be sourced and will be subject to resource availability.
Registration
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