The Institute for Japanese Studies presents:
“Saigyō: Poet and Sorcerer”
Jack Stoneman
Brigham Young University
Flyer: Jack Stoneman Flyer [PDF]
Abstract: Over more than eight centuries of reception, the occult side of the genial wandering monk and poet Saigyō (1118-1190) has been largely ignored, even though he uttered mysterious incantations, ensorcelled with mudras, and employed the power of numinous words to achieve magical ends. This wonderworking aspect of Saigyō is very important to understanding how he was viewed in the pre-modern era as a religious figure, even a thaumaturge and necromancer. It is also very important to understanding his spellbinding poetics. I will analyze a variety of sources, including poems, setsuwa (Buddhist anecdotes), and karon (poetic treatises), to better understand Saigyō the poet-sorcerer. By uncovering this long-obscured aspect of his poetry and legend, we will be better able to comprehend both the unique position Saigyō held in the pre-modern Japanese imagination and the enduring effects of his poesy.
Jack Stoneman received his PhD from Columbia University, where he studied under Haruo Shirane, Tomi Suzuki, Ryūichi Abe, and Melissa McCormick. He specializes in the poetry and legends of the late-Heian-period monk-poet Saigyō as well as the culture of recluses and literati. In recent years, he has been involved in the cataloging and curation of the Harry F. Bruning collection of Japanese rare books, maps, and manuscripts at Brigham Young University. He currently serves as head of the Japanese program at BYU, Humanities Faculty Representative and Executive Committee Member of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources, and Director of the Bungo Special Interest Group of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese.
Free and Open to the Public
If you require an accommodation, such as live captioning, to participate in this event, please contact Stephanie Metzger at metzger.235@osu.edu or 614-247-4725. Requests made at least two weeks in advance of the event will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
This event is supported by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant to The Ohio State University East Asian Studies Center.
