The Institute for Research in Humanities (IRH), Kyoto University, held the 10th Tokyo Kanseki (Chinese classics) Seminar at the National Center for Sciences in Tokyo, attracting 141 participants.
The Kanseki Seminars aim to make publicly accessible the achievements in Chinese studies that the Institute has accumulated over 80 years, and to increase the general public's interest in the culture of Kanseki and Kanji (Chinese characters).
After an opening address by Professor Itaru Tomiya, Director of the Center for Informatics in East Asian Studies, Kyoto University, three lectures related to the main theme of "Seigan (appreciating beauty): A scholarly perspective" were delivered by IRH faculty: "Seigan and old mirrors: Song and Ming scholars and Taneshige Aoyagi" by Professor Hidenori Okamura, "Li Yu's artefact storytelling: Living and leisure design in Xianqing Ouji " by Assistant Professor Takane Takai, and "The shape of altruism and compassion: Bunzaburo Matsumoto's view on Buddhist art" by Associate Professor Yasuo Inamoto.
Participants provided a variety of feedback, including "I am now interested in the way Chinese scholars viewed old mirrors", "The story about Li Yu was very intriguing", "I want to hear more about Buddhist art", and "I cannot wait for the next seminar".
From left, Associate Professor Inamoto, Professor Tomiya, Professor Okamura, and Assistant Professor Takai
Seminar scene
