"Genjimonogatari no Jissen" -Putting The Tale of Genji into Practice
In our Branding Project we have not been restricted to the humanities-based viewpoint that has been prevalent until now. Through advanced initiatives—for example, a method for optical research into paper that combines the humanities and sciences, and research for recreating the attire of the Heian era—we have been further developing the research into The Tale of Genji that has been a tradition of Jissen Women’s University since it was founded by Utako Shimoda. This event is being held to share the fruits of that research.We are also holding lectures and workshops, not just to describe the outcomes of our research, but to provide content that enables participants to experience the world of The Tale of Genji with their five senses.
This project has been eligible for support from the 2022 Japan Cultural Expo as an innovation
(Japan Arts Council/Agency for Cultural Affairs)
Schedule and Location
Location: Shibuya Campus, Jissen Women’s University
[Symposium] The Future of Research into Kohitsugire (Fragments of Classical Calligraphy)
11 a.m. on Sunday, July 10, 2022
[Lecture]
1 p.m on Saturday, July 16, 2022
[Workshops]
Sunday, July 10, Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 24, 2022
*The workshops on July 10 and 24 will be held to coincide with the open campus.
[Exhibition]
Monday, July 4 to Friday, August 5, 2022 from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m
Supported by Shibuya City Board of Education
[Symposium] The Future of Research into Kohitsugire (Fragments of Classical Calligraphy) (July 10)
11 a.m.-1 p.m. (planned)
Co-hosts: National Institute of Japanese Literature
Jissen Women’s University has formed a research partnership with The National Institute of Japanese Literature for this symposium.
As a practical example of combining the humanities and sciences, researchers from both institutions will announce the results of globally state-of-the-art research that utilizes a high-resolution digital microscope.
(*The content of this symposium is mainly aimed at researchers.)
*Advance booking no longer required. It will not be possible to come and go from the venue while the symposium is in progress. (Updated June 17)
*A video of the symposium is scheduled to be made public at a later date.
Lecture (July 16)
[Schedule (planned)]
1:00-1:15 p.m.: About the Jissen Women’s University Branding Project. Satoru Sato
1:20-1:50 p.m.: About dyeing in the Heian era. Hiromi Gocho
1:55-2:25 p.m.: Attire, incense, and music in the world of The Tale of Genji. Takashi Yokoi
2:25-2:40 p.m.: break time
2:40-3:20 p.m.: Demonstration of how to wear junihitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial kimono worn by noblewomen and ladies-in-waiting). Tomoko Nagai
*Advance booking not required/participants are free to come and go during the lecture.
Workshops (July 10, 16, and 24)
It is hard to imagine the world of The Tale of Genji simply from reading or listening to it. Why not experience that world for yourself by wearing a junihitoe and exploring incense at these workshops?
*Workshops will be held on July 10, 16, and 24 only.
*The workshops on July 10 and 24 will be held to coincide with the open campus.
Let’s try on junihitoe!Traditional Clothing Workshop
Many aristocratic women appear in The Tale of Genji, which includes descriptions of them wearing various traditional attire.
For this workshop, participants will be able to experience firsthand a kobai no kasane junihitoe (“kobai no kasane” means “layers of Japanese apricot” and is one of the combinations of colors created in such garments). This kimono is given to Lady Murasaki by Hikaru Genji in a scene from Tamakazura (a chapter in The Tale of Genji), in which gifts of clothing are being given at the year’s end. Please feel free to try on a junihitoe and have your picture taken.
*July 10 and 24 workshops only. Starts at 1:00 p.m. on both days.
What were the fragrances of the Heian era?Incense Workshop
Incense features in various scenes in The Tale of Genji and the mixing of incense is described in Kunjuruisho, a handbook from the late Heian era. Based on the descriptions therein, a summer incense called kayo—which appears in two chapters from The Tale of Genji, Umigae and Suzumushi—has been recreated for this workshop. The workshop is a special arrangement between Gyosui Sanjonishi, a teacher and grand master of the Oie style of calligraphy, and the Nippon Kodo Group. Do please experience the fragrances of the Heian era for yourself.
What exactly is research that combines the humanities and sciences?Microscope Workshop
In this project, as a new way of combining the humanities and sciences for researching The Tale of Genji, we have utilized a state-of-the-art, high-resolution digital microscope, the VHX7000. At first glance, this kind of research may appear difficult, but participants in the workshop can observe not just what the kohitsugire (fragments of classical calligraphy) used in this research look like when magnified by a high-resolution digital microscope, but everyday objects, too. Through this, you will be able to gain a genuine experience of the combined research.
*Only taking place on July 10 (from 2:00 p.m.) and 24.
Exhibition (July 4-August 5)
Because the original manuscripts of The Tale of Genji that were written by Murasaki Shikibu are no longer in existence, the work has been passed down until the present day through copies transcribed over the proceeding centuries. As well as displaying for the first time in public materials thought to have been transcribed in the Kamakura era, this exhibition will contain a number of the precious classical manuscripts owned by Jissen Women’s University. The results of optical research into paper undertaken for this project will be exhibited, along with formal attire used in the present day, thereby enabling visitors to gain a real sense of what research into The Tale of Genji has uncovered.
Exhibition location: Utako Shimoda Memorial Room/Scheduled Exhibition Room 1, Kosetsu Memorial Museum