The Center for International Understanding presents Japan’s Storied Hero: From a Warrior Tale to a Kurosawa Film
Guest speaker: Dr. Linda Chance, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature, University of Pennsylvania
Friday, November 21, 2014
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.—Presentation and Q&A
12:40–1:40 p.m.—Recap, Film Clips and Discussion
Winnet Building, Room S2-3
Dr. Chance, who teaches the courses "War and Literature in Japan: Tales of the Heike" and "Loyal Warriors in Japanese Literature," will examine the vast differences over time in the portrayal of Japan’s most renowned warrior, Yoshitsune, and his companion Benkei, the fighting monk.
Yoshitsune first appeared in the medieval song-tale The Tale of the Heike as the leading general of a disastrous war. A clever, brave and successful leader in 1185, Yoshitsune becomes almost a silent player in theater and in Kurosawa’s 1945 film “The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail.” Why did this happen, and how is Yoshitsune portrayed today?
To RSVP and to receive further information, please contact Professor Fay Beauchamp at fbeauchamp@ccp.edu.