New Perspectives on Waka Culture:
Women, Patronage, and Genre in Medieval Japan

The following items have been posted for viewing or download.

Workshop Programme (webpage; PDF; Word file)

Presentation Abstracts (webpage; PDF; Word file)

Readings (Fuyôwakashû PDF; Yoru no tsuru PDF)

Approach and Questions for Consideration (webpage; PDF; Word file)

The Department of Asian Studies and the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia are pleased to announce a two-day workshop, "New Perspectives on Waka Culture: Women, Patronage, and Genre in Medieval Japan," at the University of British Columbia on October 6 and 7, 2006.

The workshop follows the successful gathering held at UBC last March (“Constructing Style and Poetic Affiliation via Anthologization: The Mikohidari House in the ShokuShûishû, 1278”). During the October workshop we will turn our attention to two more late-Kamakura works that allow us to consider waka culture from new perspectives. Last March we focused on the male-dominated world of imperial anthologies and the influence of lineage. This October we will look at texts that, while produced in the same milieu, invite us to address how female patrons and authors came to participate in waka culture by drawing from prose traditions (monogatari and karon).

On Saturday, October 7, we will follow a seminar-style format and consider short selections from two works. First, Fuyôwakashû (1271), an anthology commissioned by Go-Saga’s consort Ômiya-in and compiled by Fujiwara Tameie. It resembles a chokusenshû (standard organization, 20 books, etc.) but contains only poems from monogatari. Second, Yoru no tsuru (ca. 1280) a short karon written by the Nun Abutsu (1222-1283) for a high-ranking female patron. These two works come from the same period as ShokuShûishû and touch on topics discussed in March, such as anthologization, Mikohidari poetics/authority, dai, etc. In addition, new topics and issues are brought to the table, such as gender and patronage, genre and prestige (e.g., the situating of monogatari poetry, karon by women, etc.), authorship (a love poem by Kashiwagi?), dai and its relationship to situation/context/occasion, etc. Selections from the two texts will be limited and made available in advance to all attendees. Saturday will not involve any formal presentations. Since October is a busy time of year, the format will be an informal roundtable discussion in which all participants are encouraged to share their expertise and interests.

Friday, October 6 will feature paper presentations of works-in-progress and new research. The presentations address issues of gender and patronage, generic interstices (karon, monogatari, shû), the intersection of context and text (dai, headnotes, utaawase,etc.), and other topics that complement Saturday’s readings.

This workshop is made possible by a generous private donation and support from the Department of Asian Studies and the Faculty of Arts. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, as an attendee or presenter, please contact Stefania Burk or Christina Laffin.