Greetings!

 

On behalf of the International Japanese Studies Group at Kanagawa University's Minatomirai Campus, in Yokohama, Japan, I am pleased to announce the following lecture:

 

Presence and Performance: Devotional Images of Shaka and His Sacred Body in Medieval Nara 

 

Yen-Yi Chan 

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University

 

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 (in person only)
15:30-17:00
Room 6019
Kanagawa University, Minatomirai Campus
Yokohama

 

Abstract

The Kamakura period (1185-1333) witnessed a renewed interest in Shaka (Sk. Śākyamuni), which was particularly prominent among a group of monks associated with the religious communities of Nara. These monks regarded Shaka not merely as a sage of the distant past, but also as a savior actively present in this world. Their understanding of the Buddha drew on the Hikekyō (Compassionate Flower Sutra), which gained currency in the twelfth century. Scholars have often interpreted this devotion to Shaka as a reaction against the widespread belief in Amida, an argument largely grounded in textual sources. This presentation takes a different approach by examining visual representations of Shaka, including carved icons, painted nirvana scenes, and relics or reliquaries, particularly those associated with the monk Jōkei (1155-1203) and his broader social circle. Born from the Southern branch of the Fujiwara clan, Jōkei entered Kōfukuji at a young age and was among the religious leaders who revived Shaka worship in the twelfth century. This talk investigates the relationship between these visual representations and the vision of Shaka articulated in the Hikekyō and Jōkei's teachings. I argue that these images and objects made the Buddha's body present and performative, enabling devotees to envision his existence across multiple spatial and temporal realms. Furthermore, they reveal a new devotional program in which the image of Shaka was integrated with that of Amida, not in opposition but in a complementary relationship that reflected the pluralistic soteriology embraced by clerics in Nara at the time.

To Attend

 

Preregistration via the link below at least a day in advance for those coming from outside the KU community is greatly appreciated. If you are coming from off campus, please also register as a Guest at the Information counter near the entrance before coming up to the room.

 

ご来場の⽅： 神奈川⼤学関係者は事前登録不要です。学外の⽅は前⽇までに下記のリンクにて事前登録をお願いします。当⽇は1FのInformationカウンターでGuest登録を済ませてから、部屋までお越しください。Zoom でのご参加は事前登録不要です。当⽇は上記の Zoom ミーティング ID とパスコードでログインしてください。

 

https://forms.gle/UVqqjNYpsgbqL6cY9

 

Inquiries・お問い合わせ: James Welker jrwelker@kanagawa-u.ac.jp

 

Future Lectures

The International Japanese Studies Group at Kanagawa University also plans the following future lecture the remainder of the Japanese academic year. All lectures will be from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at our Minatomirai Campus. Please mark your calendars. 

 

For details, please also refer to the flier here: http://human.kanagawa-u.ac.jp/kenkyu/symposium/pdf/autmun_2025.pdf

 

Wednesday, 22 October 2025 (hybrid)
Alejandro Morales Rama, Kanagawa University
Monstrous Obsessions: The Undercurrents of Desire in the Aesthetics of Izumi Kyoka

 

Wednesday, 19 November 2025 (hybrid)
P.A. George, Kanagawa University
Difficulties of Translating Japanese Literature into Foreign Languages: With Special Reference to Malayalam Translation of Ishikawa Takuboku's Ichiaku no suna (A handful of sand)

 

Wednesday, 17 December 2025 (hybrid)
Elise Voyau, Kanagawa University
Japan in Tension After 1968: The Workshop School of Photography in Focus

 

Wednesday, 21 January 2026 (in person only)
Quintana Scherer, Kanagawa University
Bodies of Proof: Little People, Yokohama-e, and the Imagined Foreigner

 

Details on upcoming lectures will be announced one to two weeks in advance. If you would like to be on our direct email list to be sure you do not miss an announcement, please contact James Welker (jrwelker@kanagawa-u.ac.jp). 

 

Best regards,

 

James Welker

Kanagawa University

===================================================================
|| James Welker  |  ジェームズ・ウェルカー  (he/him)
|| Professor  |  教授 

|| Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Faculty of Cross-Cultural & Japanese Studies

|| Kanagawa University--Minatomirai Campus

|| 神奈川大学 みなとみらいキャンパス 国際日本学部 国際文化交流学科

|| jrwelker@kanagawa-u.ac.jp  |  jrwelker@me.com

|| Linktree (Professional profiles & social media)

===================================================================

Co-editor of the Global Queer Asias book series (University of Michigan Press)

Kanagawa University International Japanese Studies Talk Series, Autumn-Winter 2025-2026

Selected Publications:

--James Welker, Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth Century Japan: Feminists, Lesbians, and Girls' Comics Artists and Fans (University of Hawai'i Press, 2024)
--James Welker, ed. Queer Transfigurations: Boys Love Media in Asia (University of Hawai'i Press, 2022)
--James Welker, ed. "Queer(ing)," special issue of Mechademia: Second Arc 13, no. 1 (2020)
--ジェームズ・ウェルカー 編著『BLが開く扉　変容するアジアのセクシュアリティとジェンダー』(青土社  2019)  [James Welker, ed., BL Opening Doors: Transfiguring Sexuality and Gender in Asia (Seidosha, 2019)]