The Night Parade of Hundred Demons Picture Scroll (Owned by National Diet Library) https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/2540972/1/22/

*The time is subject to change.

Join us on Thursday, August 1st, 5pm – 6:00pm in the Tateuchi Community Room for a lecture by Nobuko Horikawa.

This lecture will introduce the yokai culture in Edo-period Japan (1603-1867). Yokai are strange creatures that roughly translate into English as monster, spirit, demon, etc.  This lecture will discuss how yokai, which have a long history in folk narratives, came to be enjoyed by people as popular entertainment in urban centers during the Edo period.

In Japan, since ancient times, a variety of spooky supernatural creatures have been recorded in myths and folk tales. These creatures have been passed down and evolved in Japanese culture for over a thousand years. Today, they thrive as characters featured in popular culture such as manga, anime, and film. This lecture will introduce these creatures, now collectively known as yokai, exploring their origins and historical development. Additionally, the lecture will give a virtual yokai tour of the Seattle Japanese Garden, highlighting where yokai might appear.

About Nobuko Horikawa:

Nobuko Horikawa is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Japanese in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Seattle University. She teaches courses on Japanese language, culture, and literature. She received a Ph.D. in Classical Japanese Literature at the University of Washington in 2023. During her doctoral studies, she received the Washin Kai Fellowship in 2020-2021 and 2022-2023, which funded her research trip in Japan as well as her dissertation research and writing at UW. She completed a dissertation that illuminated life and poetry of a Japanese Zen nun, Taisei Shōan (1668-1712). Her dissertation was selected for the 2023 Distinguished Dissertation Award from UW.

About Washin Kai:

Washin Kai(和心会), also known as Friends of Classical Japanese at UW, supports and promotes the scholarship of classical Japanese language, literature, and culture at the University of Washington. They award fellowships to graduate students to support their research in classical Japanese studies. They also hold a series of free public events on classical Japanese studies to support and foster the development and education of classical Japanese studies. Learn more at their webpage: https://asian.washington.edu/washin-kai-friends-classical-japanese.

About the Japanese Program at Seattle University:

Seattle University’s Japanese Language and Culture Program provides students with a foundation to understand Japanese language, culture, and society. The program offers two years of language courses and cultural courses such as Japanese Culture and Civilization, Japanese Manga Classics, and Classical Japanese Culture and Literature. SU students can earn a Minor in Japanese. Seattle University has an exchange program with Sophia University in Tokyo Japan. Learn more at the program webpage: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/languages/japanese/.

Admission is free all day on August 1st for our Free First Thursday.

Final entry to the garden is 45 minutes before closing.