Ghosts, Spirits & Monsters: Japanese Popular Culture LA&S101 TLC Seminar, Fall 2005 Mondays, 4:00-4:50, August 22 to December 8, 2005 Place: Wescoe Hall 4051 Faculty Facilitator: Michiko Ito Office: East Asian Library mito@ku.edutel: (785) 864-4669 Office hours: by appointment Peer Educator: Dennis Andy Golden dgolden@ku.edutel. (913) 579-4241 Office Hours: by appointment Introduction Welcome to KU! The Thematic Learning Communities (TLCs) program is designed to help freshmen adapt themselves into a new academic environment by providing interaction with faculty members at the seminar as well as through outside activities, mentoring by a “peer educator,” and encouraging networking among students. TLCs are built around two core courses, and students who take this seminar “Ghosts, Sprits & Monsters: Japanese Popular Culture” are required to take: “HIST118: China and Japan” and “EALC130: Myth, Legend, and Folk Belief in East Asia.” These courses are co-related and complement, but do not duplicate, each other. For more information on these core courses, please see the syllabi provided by the instructors of the courses. There are a variety of ways to approach the history and culture of Japan, and this seminar focuses on such supernatural beings as ghosts, spirits and monsters. Such supernatural beings exist in every culture, yet every society imagines such ghouls and beasts in different and unique ways. This TLC will examine how Japanese conceptions of the supernatural have infused traditional literature, theater and art. In the later stage, the seminar will also examine how contemporary forms of popular culture, such as anime, comics and films, revive, reproduce and/or make use of traditional images of supernatural beings. Besides studying about supernatural beings, this course has multiple objectives: 1) to meet faculty members in Japanese Studies at KU, 2) to become familiar with library materials, including traditional print materials and online resources, and 3) to become familiar with the academic environment and lay strong foundations for more advanced study. For these reasons, this seminar consists of: 1) regular seminars, 2) lectures by KU faculty members, and 3) outside activities. The students are expected to attend these activities. They are also expected to complete required assignments before class meetings, arrive for classes on time, and remain attentive for the entire class period. In terms of the outside activities, there are three outside activities students are required to attend: two movie screenings with guest speakers (tentatively on 9/9 and 10/28) and an evening tea ceremony (during the week of Oct. 30). This seminar will also screen

several other Japanese movies and, though students are strongly encouraged to attend, these are optional and not required. Assignments In order to contribute to the seminar, students are required to read/watch materials related to the subject of each session, and these are indicated on the syllabus as “required.” This seminar will not concentrate on discussing or explaining the background of the subject. For those who are not familiar with the history of Japan, which may be needed to properly understand the subject, several book chapters are noted as “optional.” Sources listed in “References” are encyclopedias useful for looking up specific information. Required Books A collection of tales from Uji: a study and translation of Uji shūi monogatari.

Translated by D. E. Mills. Cambridge: University Press, 1970. Call number: PL790.U4 M5

Brazell, Karen, et al., eds. Traditional Japanese theater: an anthology of plays. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. Call number: PL782.E5 T73 1998.

Hearn, Lafcadio. Kwaidan: stories and studies of strange things. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1904. Call number: PS1917 .K8

Iwasaki, Yōko. Ōto ayakashi kitan. v. 1. Tokyo: Akita Shoten, 1991. Call number: PN6790.J33 I93768 1991 [East Asian Library]

Keene, Donald, ed. Twenty plays of the Nō theatre. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. Call number: PL782.E5 K4

Miraculous tales of the Lotus Sutra from ancient Japan: the Dainihonkoku hokekyō kenki of Priest Chingen. Translated by Yoshiko Kurata Dykstra. Hirakata City, Osaka-fu, Japan: Intercultural Research Institute, Kansai University of Foreign Studies, 1983. Call number: BQ2052.E5 D94 1983.

Mizuki Shigeru. Gegege-no-Kitaro. 3 v. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2002- Call number: N6790.J33 M599313 2002

Murasaki Shikibu. The tale of Genji. Translated by Royall Tyler. New York: Viking, 2001. Call number: PL788.4.G4 E3 2001

Nihongi; chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697. London : Allen & Unwin‚ 1956. Call number: DS851.A2 N53 1956x

The Ōkagami: a Japanese historical tale. London: Allen & Unwin, 1967. Call number: DS856 .O3813 1967

Okano, Reuko. Onmyōji. v. 1. Tokyo: Hakusensha, 1999. Call number: PN6790.J33 O4766 1999 [East Asian Library]

The Taiheiki: a chronicle of medieval Japan. New York: Columbia University Press, 1959. Call number: PL790 .T313 1959

Tales of tears and laughter: short fiction of Medieval Japan. Translated by Virginia Skord. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991.

Tales of Times Now Past: sixty-two stories from a medieval Japanese collection. Translated by Marian Ury. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.

Call number: PL787.K62 E5 1985 Tsutsui, William. Godzilla on my mind: fifty years of the king of monsters. New

York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Call number: PN1995.9.G63 T78 2004. Ueda, Akinari. Tales of moonlight and rain: Japanese gothic tales. Translated

by Kengi Hamada. New York: Columbia University Press, 1972. Call number: PL794.8 .U313x 1972

DVDs Kawamoto, Kihachirō. Kihachiro Kawamoto film works. [Tokyo]: Paionia LDC

Kabushiki Kaisha, 2002. Call number: PN1997.5.K393 Nō Dōjōji. 2 discs. Tokyo: Kinokuniya Shoten, 2001. Call number: PN2924.5.N6

N528 2001 Optional Books and Articles Graham, Patricia J. "Naritasan Shinshōji and Commoner Patronage During the

Edo Period," Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Fall-Winter 2004:11-25.

Hane, Mikiso. Premodern Japan: a historical survey. Boulder: Westview Press, 1991. Call number: DS850 .H36 1991

Varley, Paul. Japanese culture. 4th ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2000. Call number: DS821 .V36 2000.

DVDs Kyōkanoko musume Dōjōji. Tokyo: Shōchiku Kabushiki Kaisha Bideo Jigyōshitsu,

2003. References Bocking, Brian. A popular dictionary of Shintō. Richmond: Curzon Press, 1996.

Call number: BL2216.1 .B63 1996 Encyclopedia of religion. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Call

number: BL31 .E46 2005 [Watson Library Reference Area] JapanKnowledge: encyclopedias, dictionaries and databases (available via KU

Library) Picken, Stuart D. B. Historical dictionary of Shinto. Lanham: Scarecrow Press,

2002. Call number: BL2216.1 .P53 2002 Methods of Evaluation and Assignments: Attendance and participation: 50 pts. First Paper: 15 pts. Second Paper: 15 pts. Final Project (presentation and report): 20 pts. Total: 100 pts. Grading Scale A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = 0-59 Students are expected to submit two individual papers and one group presentation/report. Individual papers: The seminar offers seven lectures, including two movies with guest speakers, and three optional movies. Each student will select one lecture and one

movie for each individual paper (two movies with guest speakers are considered “lectures”). First Paper Due: 10/12/2005 Second Paper Due: 11/22/2005 Group project: A group of three or four students will do an oral presentation at the end of the seminar. The group can select from the following topics or create their own. Either way, the group must submit a proposal and consult with the faculty facilitator and peer educator for their approval. After the oral presentation, the group is expected to produce a paper of approx. 1000 words to be submitted to the faculty facilitator. This presentation/report requires at least one scholarly source (monograph or article). The grade is based on both the presentation and the final paper. The grade is not given to the individual but to the group. Each member of the group should share and contribute to this group project. Suggested topics: Select one or more titles and analyze how traditional Japanese concepts are reproduced and/or how the role of supernatural beings is described in the work: Miyazaki Hayao’s films Production I.G’s “Otogizoshi” Inuyasha Ringu (original novel and/or film) Select one of the themes this seminar has dealt with and analyze further: Dōjōji and demonic women Abe no Seimei (or exorcists) in Pop Culture NOTE: Although this seminar requires students to attend all sessions and outside activities, considering unforeseen personal events, students are allowed to miss one session which will not be the subject to the deduction of attendance points. Course Outline Week 1 8/22 Course Introduction Blackboard Week 2 8/29 Library orientation (CIC, Watson Library) Get familiar with reference tools available at KU Week 3 9/5 Labor Day Holiday -- No class

9/9 Oustide Activity I: Movie "Gojira," guest speaker: Dr. William Tsutsui (3001 Wescoe, 6:00-9:00)

Required: Tsutsui, chapter 3 Week 4 9/12 Seminar: Changing concept of "kami"

Discuss the relationship between "kami" and human kind, focusing Sujin Emperor's ritual and Sugawara Michizane's curse

Required: Nihongi, pp. 150-154; Ōkagami, 52-62; Taiheiki, 351-362 Optional: Hane, chapters 1-2; Varley, chapters 1-3 9/16 Friday Movie Night #2 (title undecided)

Week 5 9/19 Lecture: "Spirit Possession Belief in Early Japan," guest speaker, Dr. Maggie Childs

Required: Tale of Genji, chapter of "Yūgao" and "Aoi" Optional: Hane, chapter 3; Varley, chapter 3

Week 6 9/26 Lecture: "Buddhism and Pop Culture in Japan—18th Century to the Present," guest speaker, Dr. Pat Graham

Optional:

Pat Graham, "Naritasan Shinshōji and Commoner Patronage During the Edo Period."

Seattle Art Museum: Discovering Buddhist Art http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/buddhism/enter.asp# Gods of Japan http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/buddhism.shtml Japanese temple: Kosanji http://www.kousanji.or.jp/etop.htm Japanese temple: Naritasan Shinshoji http://www.naritasan.or.jp/english/ Contemporary Artist: Yamanaka Manabu http://www.ask.ne.jp/~yamanaka/ Contemporary Artist: Mori Mariko http://www.mcachicago.org/MCA/exhibit/past/Mori/ 9/30 Friday Movie Night #3: Onmyōji Week 7 10/3 Seminar: Abe no Seimei boom

Discuss how Abe no Seimei, Yin-Yang divinatory, becomes contemporary pop culture icon

Required: Tales of Times Now Past, pp.143-149; A collection of tales from Uji, 175-176, 339-341, 411-412; Okano, v. 1, 3-98; Iwasaki, v. 1, 6-51

Optional: Hane, chapter 3 10/8, 9 Japan Festival (optional)

Week 8 10/10 Workshop and discussion on the final project (CIC, Watson Library)

Faculty facilitator will be out of town 10/4-12/2005. Peer educator will be in charge of this session.

Students will do web source evaluation.

Students will plan final project (proposal will be submitted to the faculty facilitator later)

Fall Break 10/13-16/2005 Week 9 10/17 Lecture: Dōjōji by Dr. Eric Rath

Required: Brazell, 115-125; Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra, 145-146; Keene, 237-252; Nō Dōjōji (DVD), disc 1, Umewaka Rokurō's performance, chapter 2 and 4; disc. 2, "The Sources of Dōjōji."

Optional: Kyōkabuki Musume Dōjōji (DVD); Hane, chapter 5; Varley: chapter 5

Week 10 10/24 Seminar: Djojōji II

Discuss how Dōjōji has been adapted in different performing arts and entertainment

Required: Tales of Tears and Laughter, 129-155; Kawamoto Kihachirō (DVD), "Dōjōji"

Optional: Kyōkanoko Musume Dōjōji (DVD); Hane, chapter 5; Varley, chapter 5

10/28 Friday Movie Night #4 "Ghost of Yotsuya" with Dr. Michael Baskett (required)

Optional: Hane, chapter 7-9; Varley, chapter 7-8

Week 11 10/31 Ghost prints or ghost pictures in Edo: Spencer Museum's prints collection

11/4 Outside Activity III: Evening Tea Ceremony Optional: Varley, chapter 6 Week 12 11/7 Lecture: "In Ghostly Japan," by Erik McCarthy Week 13 11/14 Seminar: Folklore to Literature: Ugetsu Monogatari and Kwaidan Discuss how these tales reproduce Buddhist tales to literature. Required: Ueda, “Demon”; Hearn, “Jikininki” 11/18 Friday movie night "Pompoko" (DVD)

Week 14 11/21 Seminar: Monsters in comics: Mizuki Shigeru and "Ge-ge-ge no Kitaro"

Discuss how Mizuki Shigeru revived old monsters in Japanese comics Required: "Gegege no Kitaro" bilingual edition Thanksgiving Break 11/23-27/2005 Week 15 11/28 No class: students are expected to prepare their final presentation Week 16 12/5 Final presentation Students are expected to present their final project and submit paper. 12/7 Recognition Ceremony (TBA) Possible movies Miyazaki Hayao, "Nausiccaa: the Valley of Wind" Miyazaki Hayao, "Princess Mononoke" Fukasaku Kinya, "Samurai Reincarnation" Nakata Hideo, "Ringu" Kobayashi Masaki, "Kwaidan"