https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSSUJapanSemester
Students, please complete a short survey after each Japan Semester event you attend. Use the link or scan the QR code to access the survey.
10 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free
Godzilla Unbound Event Recording
Event number: 1
Over 67 years, and nearly 40 motion pictures, Godzilla has changed: his appearance, his size, and his purpose. Originally the avenging agent of outraged nature, Godzilla became, for a time, the defender of the Earth. Now, he features, prominently, as a Titan combatant in the Monsterverse. In Ebert’s Bigger Little Movie Glossary, critic Roger Ebert speaks of villains who outshine heroes and are “resurrected in sequels as quasi-good guys.” He includes Godzilla in this group. It is a strange journey, indeed. This presentation will follow that arc to discover how an angry atomic lizard became a significant cultural icon.
Dr. Jim Lile is a professor of theatre at MSSU. He likes monster movies. A lot.
1 p.m.
Billingsly Student Center
Admission: free
Event number: 2
Virtual Beginner Origami Class Zoom link
Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures. This class will be held virtually via Zoom. The link will be available at www.mssu.edu/japan a week before the event. Paper will be available to pick up in the Student Activities Office beginning Monday, Aug. 30.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday
MSSU Spiva Art Gallery
Admission: free
Event number: 3
Artist Talk (virtual Zoom event) - September 9, 2021 at 6 p.m.
De/Tension/Past:
Landscapes of American Incarceration
On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued executive order 9066 authorizing the forced removal of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans and immigrants to concentration camps for the duration of World War II.
Between 1999 and 2014, Emily Hanako Momohara traveled to several of the former sites of incarceration, photographing the visual remains of the wartime imprisonment infrastructure. Reviewing these photographs in the light of the present moment, Momohara re-photographed her original images, reframing and reflecting on the parallels between the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans and the incarceration of migrants and the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico Border. “This is only relevant if we do something with it,” the artist explains. “If we don’t, then it is in the past. It is only relevant if we can look at it and see that these mistakes were made before and we don’t need to make them again.”
Momohara was born in Seattle, Washington, where she grew up in a mixed race family. Her work centers around issues of heritage multiculturalism, immigration and social justice.
Momohara has exhibited nationally, most notably at the Japanese American National Museum in a two-person show titled “Sugar Islands.” She has been a visiting artist at several residency programs including the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Headlands Center for the Arts, Fine Arts Work Center and Red Gate Gallery Beijing. In 2015, her work was included in the Chongqing Photography and Video Biennial. Momohara has created socially driven billboards for For Freedoms and United Photo Industries. She lives and works in Cincinnati, where she is associate professor of art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and heads the photography major.
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Billingsly Student Center
Admission: free
Event number: 7
The word “Bon-sai” (often misspelled as bonzai or banzai) is a Japanese term which, literally translated, means “planted in a container.” This art form is derived from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice, part of which was then redeveloped under the influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Kits will be given out beginning at 10:30 a.m. while supplies last. Sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.
1 p.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall (Zoom Presentation)
Admission: free
Event Recording
Event number: 4
“Our motto is ‘Let us create something strange.’ Something strange, that is the hesitant appearance of something unheard of, hidden away at the base of humanity. TheGutaiartists are only the hammers or drills to break down the wall.” –SadamasaMotonaga
A dress made of hundreds of flickering lights, pools of tinted water suspended in trees, dynamic paintings made with the artist’s feet – the goal of Gutai artists was to experiment with materials and traditional art practices, finding radical ways to incorporate art into everyday life and inject life into familiar materials. The Gutai Art Association (1954-1972) was an avant-garde group of artists, originating in Osaka, Japan and led by their founder Jiro Yoshihara. Known for expressive action paintings and performances, the Gutai Art Association had 59 artists join over its 18-year history. This presentation will guide viewers through the variety of works created by Gutai artists, focusing on the action paintings of the movement and the artists’ conceptual rethinking of art during this period.
Caitlin Overton is manager of educational programming at The Warehouse in Dallas, Texas – a project initiated by Howard and Cindy Rachofsky to make their collection available to curators, scholars, critics, and students, and to open new dialogues about postwar modern and contemporary art. She has assisted in research and development for The Rachofsky Collection and created the annual graduate symposium, inviting graduate students to view works in person and present their research on themes within the collection. Raised in Dallas, Overton received her B. A. at The University of Texas at Austin in art history and her M. A. from Southern Methodist University. Her research focused on modern and contemporary art, ranging from Italian Futurism and the European avant-garde to visual culture of Northern Ireland during the Troubles. She was the McDermott Curatorial Intern at the Dallas Museum of Art and an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College.
9:30 a.m.
Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 5
Founded by MSSU chemistry graduate Kelly Meares and a partner in
Webb City in 1986, Ozark Technical Ceramics was acquired by Tateho Chemical Industries of Japan in 2015. Tateho (Tah -teh-ho) Ozark Technical Ceramics mainly uses magnesium oxide powders to manufacture ceramic insulators for high temperature measurement devices. Nine of the 33 employees have visited the Tateho headquarters in Tokyo or the production plant in Ako, Japan. Three Japanese employees also work at the Webb City plant, and students from Ryukoku University serve one-week internships there each year. Tateho also has a sales office in the Netherlands and works closely with companies worldwide.
MSSU graduates Chris Turner (management degree in 2005) and Trishia Hallmark (management degree in 2006) manage Tateho Ozark Technical Ceramics in Webb City. Chris is director and Trishia is sales manager.
10 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster hall
Admission: free
Causing the Earth to Earth Event Recording
Event number: 6
“The highest level of expression is not to create something from nothing, but rather to nudge something which already exists so that the world shows up more vividly.” – LeeUfan
Mono-ha (School of Things) was a group of like-minded artists working in Tokyo in 1968 who presented natural materials alongside man-made industrial objects in careful groupings that emphasized material properties, surrounding space, and active physical forces. The artist does not alter their materials, but rather arranges them in new phenomenological states, inviting viewers to encounter the work in an active, ever-unfolding present. This talk will focus on artists Nobuo Sekine, Lee Ufan, Kishio Suga, Koji Enokura, and others whose simple interventions result in levitating stones, concrete suspended in a state of softness, and ephemeral moments of wetness.
Caitlin Overton is manager of educational programming at The Warehouse in Dallas, Texas – a project initiated by Howard and Cindy Rachofsky to make their collection
available to curators, scholars, critics, and students, and to open new dialogues about postwar modern and contemporary art. She has assisted in research and development for The Rachofsky Collection and created the annual graduate symposium, inviting graduate students to view works in person and present their research on themes within the collection. Raised in Dallas, Overton received her B. A. at The University of Texas at Austin in art history and her M. A. from Southern Methodist University. Her research focused on modern and contemporary art, ranging from Italian Futurism and the European avant-garde to visual culture of Northern Ireland during the Troubles. She was the McDermott Curatorial Intern at the Dallas Museum of Art and an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College.
11 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall (Zoom presentation)
Admission: free
American Life in Postwar Japan Event Recording
Event number: 8
When American soldiers first glimpsed a defeated Japan in September 1945, they were confronted with streets full of rubble and a demoralized population. After rebuilding transportation systems and clearing debris, the Allied Occupation quickly put measures into place to house the new occupiers. This included apartment buildings and barracks in areas like Washington Heights and Granite Heights in central Tokyo. By late 1946, officers could begin to bring their families to live in a newly-rebuilding Japan where few knew how long the Occupation would last. One of these officials included Dr. Oliver L. Austin, an ornithologist at the rank of lieutenant colonel in charge of the Wildlife Bureau for the Natural Resources Service (NRS). His positive relations with Japan’s political elites, many of whom were also scientists, helped pave the way for democratization, while the nearly 1,000 color photographs he took provide an intriguing documentation of the time period. His wife, Elizabeth, was active in the U. S. expat community and co-authored the iconic book The American Way of Housekeeping, a guide for Japanese housekeepers that reveals the social structures and daily routines in place during the Occupation. How the American military made their homes amidst a former enemy turned ally reveals much about the contemporary cultural and social values in the U. S. and Japan and also shows democracy and consumerism intersected in an occupied space in the late 40s and early 50s.
Dr. Annika A. Culver is an associate professor of East Asian History at Florida State University (FSU), where she specializes in modern Japan and northeast Asia-related topics, including teaching one of the nation’s only courses on North Korean history. She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago and also holds an A.M. degree in Regional Studies East Asia (RSEA) from Harvard University, with a history degree from Vassar College. Since 2012, Dr. Culver has served as a scholar in the U. S. -Japan Network for the Future, which connects academics to the foreign policy community. In addition, she is a Next Generation Fellow (2018-2021) affiliated with the International House-Japan, and belongs to the Mansfield Foundation’s Bridging the Divide-Korea Program.
Dr. Culver’s research and publications have focused on advertising and propaganda, cultural production in Manchukuo and the Japanese empire, and more recently, history of science. Her publications include Glorify the Empire: Japanese Avant-Garde Propaganda in Manchukuo (University of British Columbia Press, 2013), which won the Southeast Conference for the Association for Asian Studies 2015 Book Prize, and the co-edited volume Manchukuo Perspectives: Transnational Approaches to Literary Production (Hong Kong University Press, 2019).Dr. Culver's latest book, Japan's Empire of Birds: Aristocrats, Anglo-Americans, and Transwar Ornithology (Bloomsbury), will be published in early 2022. Her research has been funded by the Japan Foundation, Association for Asian Studies, D. Kim Foundation for the History of Science and Technology, USIIE (Fulbright) and other institutions. In addition, Dr. Culver regularly gives media and television interviews on East Asian topics, most recently for Voice of America, New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Nikkei News, and regularly presents at national and international venues. Professor Culver is proficient in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, and German.
4:30 - 7 p.m.
Mayes Dining Hall
Admission: $10 plus tax
Event number: 9
Sponsored by: Fresh Ideas
Join us for a full Japanese meal prepared by the MSSU Fresh Ideas executive chef. The menu includes BYO sushi bowl, a ramen bar, yakitori (skewered chicken), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes), tsukune (chicken meatballs), seafood mix, miso-glazed cod, rice, Japanese mixed vegetables, edamame, soba noodles, shrimp and vegetable dumplings, miso soup, and a garnish/pickle bar.
Afterwards, join us for a showing of the Japanese film Tokyo Story at 7 p.m. in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall.
9:30 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall (Zoom presentation)
Admission: free
Event number: 10
Thank You, Mr Soldier! Event Recording
From the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) onwards, military care packages, known in Japanese as imon bukoro [“comfort bags”], were an important way for people in imperial Japan to comfort troops and augment their morale on the battlefield. The 1931 Manchurian Incident and the 1937 outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) re-energized this practice and prompted shoppers to feel that they were engaging in patriotic consumption that might lead to military victories. Japanese advertisements during wartime reveal how companies drew upon popular patriotism and sympathy with troops abroad to sell their wares at a precarious time when the government began to announce that “luxury is the enemy” and families were encouraged to curtail consumption of non-essential items. Instead of being marketed to children (and their mothers), candies were now shown as a snack to comfort troops, while department stores promoted sales in tandem with military campaigns. Newspapers also instructed consumers on what the troops might desire or need. All of these practices reveal how businesses, corporations, and the military worked in tandem to generate profit and patriotism during an atmosphere of total war.
Dr. Annika A. Culver is an associate professor of East Asian History at Florida State University (FSU), where she specializes in modern Japan and northeast Asia-related topics, including teaching one of the nation’s only courses on North Korean history. She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago and also holds an A.M. degree in Regional Studies East Asia (RSEA) from Harvard University, with a history degree from Vassar College. Since 2012, Dr. Culver has served as a scholar in the U. S. -Japan Network for the Future, which connects academics to the foreign policy community. In addition, she is a Next Generation Fellow (2018-2021) affiliated with the International House-Japan, and belongs to the Mansfield Foundation’s Bridging the Divide-Korea Program.
Dr. Culver’s research and publications have focused on advertising and propaganda, cultural production in Manchukuo and the Japanese empire, and more recently, history of science. Her publications include Glorify the Empire: Japanese Avant-Garde Propaganda in Manchukuo (University of British Columbia Press, 2013), which won the Southeast Conference for the Association for Asian Studies 2015 Book Prize, and the co-edited volume Manchukuo Perspectives: Transnational Approaches to Literary Production (Hong Kong University Press, 2019).Dr. Culver's latest book, Japan's Empire of Birds: Aristocrats, Anglo-Americans, and Transwar Ornithology (Bloomsbury), will be published in early 2022. Her research has been funded by the Japan Foundation, Association for Asian Studies, D. Kim Foundation for the History of Science and Technology, USIIE (Fulbright) and other institutions. In addition, Dr. Culver regularly gives media and television interviews on East Asian topics, most recently for Voice of America, New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Nikkei News, and regularly presents at national and international venues. Professor Culver is proficient in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, and German.
5:30 p.m.
Bookhouse Cinema, 715 Broadway, Joplin
Admission: free
Event number: 12
The Japan Semester Book Club features two recent releases for English-speaking audiences. Hosted by the Missouri Southern English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, the book club is open to the public. Join us for one, two, or all three evenings.
On Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, we will talk about The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (English translation, Vintage, 2019; originally published in Japan, 1994). Time Magazine describes the book as echoing “the themes of George Orwell’s 1984, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it has a voice and power all its own.” The story takes place on an island where things are going missing. Most of the people living there are unaware of the disappearances, but those who can remember are hunted by the Memory Police, a fascist group that breaks into homes and confiscates any evidence of what has been forgotten. The main character learns that her editor is in danger and hides him under her floorboards. Through the main character’s writing, the author creates a powerful narrative exploring themes of loss.
Yoko Ogawa’s work has won every major Japanese literary award; The Memory Police was a finalist for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award. We will discuss the first half of the book (to page 136) on Sept. 23 and finish the book on Oct. 7. Join us for these two meetings at Bookhouse Cinema, 715 E Broadway, Joplin, and consider ordering from their food and beverage menu while you are there.
On Nov. 11, we will discuss They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (Top Shelf, 2019). This graphic memoir tells the story of George Takei’s experiences of Japanese American internment camps during WWII. During his childhood from age 5 to 9, he and his family were part of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forced into these camps. The memoir explores themes of family, country, and loyalty. Gorge Takei is an actor, author, and activist, best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek. They Called Us Enemy won the Eisner Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature. We will meet in the Spiva Library, room 413A, on the MSSU campus.
11 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall(Zoom presentation)
Admission: free
Event number: 13
In the United States and throughout the world, Japanese manga [comics] and anime [animated films] have become incredibly popular since the 1980s when they first attained a global presence. Celebrated by youth and adults alike in special conventions devoted to consumption of these cultural products, consumers of these media proudly call themselves “otaku,” a Japanese word that now refers to passionate collectors or enthusiastic consumers of a particular product. Packaged as “Japanese,” these cultural products also came to mean “Japan Cool,” where Japanese companies, and then the government, marketed them as part of a global soft power marketing strategy. Yet, what were the origins of the otaku phenomenon, and what might collecting mass-produced Japanese consumer products mean in a more personal sense? Why is collecting these items such a compelling practice for individuals and groups? Also, what makes Japanese popular culture so appealing worldwide?
Dr. Annika A. Culver is an associate professor of East Asian History at Florida State University (FSU), where she specializes in modern Japan and northeast Asia-related topics, including teaching one of the nation’s only courses on North Korean history. She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago and also holds an A.M. degree in Regional Studies East Asia (RSEA) from Harvard University, with a history degree from Vassar College. Since 2012, Dr. Culver has served as a scholar in the U. S. -Japan Network for the Future, which connects academics to the foreign policy community. In addition, she is a Next Generation Fellow (2018-2021) affiliated with the International House-Japan, and belongs to the Mansfield Foundation’s Bridging the Divide-Korea Program.
Dr. Culver’s research and publications have focused on advertising and propaganda, cultural production in Manchukuo and the Japanese empire, and more recently, history of science. Her publications include Glorify the Empire: Japanese Avant-Garde Propaganda in Manchukuo (University of British Columbia Press, 2013), which won the Southeast Conference for the Association for Asian Studies 2015 Book Prize, and the co-edited volume Manchukuo Perspectives: Transnational Approaches to Literary Production (Hong Kong University Press, 2019).Dr. Culver's latest book, Japan's Empire of Birds: Aristocrats, Anglo-Americans, and Transwar Ornithology (Bloomsbury), will be published in early 2022. Her research has been funded by the Japan Foundation, Association for Asian Studies, D. Kim Foundation for the History of Science and Technology, USIIE (Fulbright) and other institutions. In addition, Dr. Culver regularly gives media and television interviews on East Asian topics, most recently for Voice of America, New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Nikkei News, and regularly presents at national and international venues. Professor Culver is proficient in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, and German.
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Billinsly Student Center
Admission: free
Event number: 14
A Zen garden creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and branches, and gravel or sand that is raked to represent ripples in water. Mini Zen garden kits will be given out beginning at 10 a.m. until supplies last. Sponsored by Campus Activities Board.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday
MSSU Spiva Art Gallery
Artist Zoom talk at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 in Corley Auditorium
Passcode: 634293
Admission: free
Event number: 15
Artist Hironobu “Nishi” Nishitateno travels with notebook in hand, sketching designs and shapes that are worthy of incorporation into new works. These ideas are then translated into his ceramic forms, which are based on the simplicity and functionality of Japanese pottery but enhanced by international influences.
His soothing glaze palette is based upon colors found in nature while much of his work showcases traditional Japanese techniques, including stamping with homemade stamps, faceting the surfaces of his pots, or altering the shapes of his forms after they are thrown on the potter's wheel. This approach of working each piece by hand after their formation allows for a greater and more variable range of objects than what would be typical of a production potter and results in a constantly evolving body of work.
Raised in Saitama Prefecture, just north of Tokyo, Hironobu “Nishi” Nishitateno graduated from Hosei University with a degree in economics but then entered a year-long intensive pottery course at Kagoshima Kogyo Gijutsu Center. He then moved back to the Tokyo area and began working for the late Eisaku Mitsuhashi, a potter well known for his bright red signature glaze.
Nishitateno won the Arts Association Prize at the Funabashi City Annual Exhibition and was invited to exhibit his work at the All Japan Tea Bowl Exhibition. In 2008, he relocated to just west of Chicago. His work was recently featured in the nationally known St Croix Valley Pottery Tour.
11 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 16
Black Ships to Little Boy Event Recording
In his speech given to Congress on Dec. 8, 1941, American President Franklin Roosevelt would famously call the previous day’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor “a day that will live in infamy.” Yet, to anyone aware of the past century of interactions between the Eagle and the Sun, the air raid and subsequent conflict were anything but a surprise. Beginning with the arrival of Commodore Perry’s flotilla in Edo Bay in 1853, this presentation traces the history of American-Japanese relations during the 92-year period between the appearance of the Black Ships and the dropping of Little Boy on Hiroshima. This presentation seeks to frame the coming of the Pacific War against the backdrop of nearly a century of often contentious diplomacy between Japan and the United States, with factors as myriad as geopolitical conflicts in China, struggles over racial equality, and the pervasive ideology of Social Darwinism ultimately driving the two countries to blows in 1941.
David Harris is an upper school history teacher at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin. He received his M.A. from the University of Central Arkansas in 2018, studying global history with a focus on modern Japan and Korea. His research interests include imperial formations, World Systems analysis, and diplomatic history. His work on the 1910-11 American-Japanese War Scare has been nationally recognized and was featured at the 2020 Association of Asian Studies Annual Conference.
5:30 p.m.
Bookhouse Cinema, 715 Broadway, Joplin
Admission: free
Event number: 17
The Japan Semester Book Club finishes its discussion of The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. See Sept. 23 event description for complete details. Join us at Bookhouse Cinema, 715 E Broadway, Joplin, and consider ordering from their food and beverage menu while you are there.
11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
MSSU Bud Walton Theatre
Admission: free
Event number: 18
Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater is the only theater in the United States that performs the traditional Japanese puppetry known as “ningyo joruri” or Bunraku. The “bay” of the theater’s name derives from the Bay State of Massachusetts, where the theater was first organized, and from the “bei” (pronounced “bay”) of the Japanese word “Beikoku,” which means “America,” suggesting the theater’s slogan, “Traditional Japanese Puppetry in America.”
The performers of the Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater have been trained in Japan by artists from the 170-year-old Tonda Puppet Troupe of Biwa-cho in Shiga Prefecture, northeast of the old capital of Kyoto, and the Imada Puppet Troupe and Kuroda Puppet Troupe – both more than 300 years old – of Iida City in Nagano Prefecture in central Japan. Under the direction of Prof. Martin Holman of the Japanese Studies Program at the main campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater offers performances of pieces from the traditional Bunraku repertoire, as well as puppetry demonstrations and workshops. Eric L. Lancaster is the assistant director of Bunraku Bay and director of the Japanese program at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
1 p.m.
MSSU Bud Walton Theatre
Admission: free
Event number: 19
Join thecast of the Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater for a puppetry demonstration and workshop.
9:30 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 20
Can you be both a follower of Shintoism and a Buddhist? In Japan this is not only possible but commonplace. Shintoism, Buddhism, and to a lesser degree Christianity and other religious traditions coexist in Japan, sometimes even within a single individual. This unusual pluralism allows for an exploration of questions pertaining to what is means to be religious and how individuals and groups practice their faith.
Dr. Paul Christensen is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2010. Paul is a cultural anthropologist specializing in contemporary Japan; his research interests include the use of psychoactive substances and recovery from addiction. He is the author of Japan, Alcoholism, and Masculinity: Suffering Sobriety in Tokyo with Lexington Books.
11 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission:free
Event number: 21
Japan is widely permissive of alcohol consumption and drunkenness. Simultaneously, narcotic use is met with severe stigma and harsh punishments. Together these opposing views create a society that is antagonistic in its perception and treatment of those trying to stop using and live “in recovery.” The result is a place where self-identified addicts struggle to make their lives fit the dictates of recovery programs imported from outside Japan while fearful of being labeled and treated as a stigmatized figure. Such a situation is also the opposite of the message put forward by recovery groups, leaving Japan’s addicts in an impossible situation as they work to manage their condition in a society that does not recognize its validity.
Dr. Paul Christensen is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2010. Paul is a cultural anthropologist specializing in contemporary Japan; his research interests include the use of psychoactive substances and recovery from addiction. He is the author of Japan, Alcoholism, and Masculinity: Suffering Sobriety in Tokyo with Lexington Books.
9 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 22
Japan’s origin myth is a tale of divine intervention that gave rise to the world’s longest and still unbroken Imperial lineage and shaped a nation that sought to dominate the globe before becoming an influential technical and economic power. Drawing from thousands of years of history, this presentation offers a broad overview of trends to explain how such events allow for a better understanding of contemporary Japan.
Dr. Paul Christensen is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2010. Paul is a cultural anthropologist specializing in contemporary Japan; his research interests include the use of psychoactive substances and recovery from addiction. He is the author of Japan, Alcoholism, and Masculinity: Suffering Sobriety in Tokyo with Lexington Books.
11 a.m.
Corley Auditorium in Webster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 23
Since 2008 more of humanity lives in cities than does not. Our future is an urban one and Japan, home to the world’s largest city in Tokyo, has much to offer in terms of understanding what such a reality demands. This presentation looks at the rise of cities generally before considering Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto in greater detail. Each city has distinct aspects; Tokyo is a massive global center, Osaka is rich in cultural and culinary history, and Kyoto remains the center of religious tradition and practice. Taken together they illustrate the importance of understanding and appreciating cities as center of life and our collective futures.
Dr. Paul Christensen is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at Rose- Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2010. Paul is a cultural anthropologist specializing in contemporary Japan; his research interests include the use of psychoactive substances and recovery from addiction. He is the author of Japan, Alcoholism, and Masculinity: Suffering Sobriety in Tokyo with Lexington Books.
7:30 p.m.
Bud Walton Black Box Theatre
Admission: free
Featuring the works of Japanese composers Daiki Kato, Daiya Hamaguchi, Tetsunosuke, Kushida, and more.
For more information and updates about MSSU Music Department events, please visit our website and Facebook page.
11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1st Floor Webster (11-2) and Bud Walton Theatre (2:15-5:30)
Admission: free (food for purchase)
Event number: 26
Experience the rich culture of Japan, right at MSSU! Take part in a wealth of interactive arts, games, and cultural events where you can learn about many famous Japanese traditions.
10:30 a.m.: View exhibition by Japanese potter Hironobu “Nishi” Nishitateno in the MSSU Spiva Art Gallery until 1 p.m.
11 a.m.: The festival begins in MSSU’s Webster Hall. Games and exhibition tables are open, and the snacks and shops are ready to sell.
11:15 a.m.: Enjoy traditional Japanese street vendor food provided by Daughters Through Faith from Faith Lutheran Church in Carthage.
11:15 a.m.: Japanese Kamishibai storytelling in Japanese and English by MSSU students in Webster Hall
11:30 a.m.: Tea ceremony by Mrs. Hiromi Elliston and Kizuna group in Bud Walton Theatre
12 noon: Bonsai workshop by Chris Cox in Webster Hall 106 and Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) by Katie Keith in Webster Hall 105
12 noon: Storytelling in Webster Hall
12:30 p.m.: Samurai film presentation by Erick Wolfe in Webster Hall’s Corley Auditorium
1 p.m.: Bonsai workshop by Chris Cox in Webster Hall 106 and Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) by Katie Keith in Webster Hall 105
1:15 p.m.: Japanese Kamishibai storytelling in Japanese and English by MSSU students
1:30 p.m.: Samurai sword demonstration by Erick Wolfe in Bud Walton Theatre.
2 p.m.: Kimono fashion show by Mrs. Mika Logan and Kizuna group in Bud Walton Theatre
2:30 p.m. Koto (Japanese-plucked instrument) performance by Dianne Daugherty in Webster Hall’s Corley Auditorium
3 p.m.: Bon odori (bon dance), a kind of participatory folk dance that welcomes the spirits of the dead, by Kizuna group, Bud Walton Theatre
3:30 p.m.: Taiko drum performance by Three Trails Taiko in Bud Walton Theatre
While living and working in Japan, Dianne Daugherty studied many Japanese cultural arts and obtained a teaching license for Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging). Her love of music instantly drew her to unique sounds of traditional Japanese instruments, particularly the Taiko drum and Japanese koto. She has studied the koto for the past 15 years with Yoko Hiraoka of Boulder, Colorado. Dianne is a founding member of Three Trails Taiko.
Dianne is a veteran teacher of Japanese language and culture with teaching experience in both public education and college settings in the U.S. and Japan. Her educational achievements include an M.S. in Education, Ph.D. hours in Public Health and Gerontology, and an M.A. in Contemporary East Asian Studies. She served as president of the Heart of America Japan America Society for two years, the emcee and director of performing arts for the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival for nearly 20 years, and has led tours to Japan since 1998.
Three Trails Taiko, a volunteer community group based in Olathe, Kansas, has a passion for Taiko whether in the practice room or on stage. They have performed for the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, the Independence Cherry Blossom Festival, and various charity, library, and business events.
7 p.m.
Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall
Admission: free
Event number: 27
A Conversation with Yoko Ogawa Zoom link
Passcode: 563840
Join us for a conversation with Yoko Ogawa, the author of the Japan Semester Book Club selection The Memory Police. Ogawa studied creative writing and graduated from Waseda University. She is the best-selling author of more than 50 works of fiction and nonfiction and has won every major Japanese literary award. Her work often addresses themes of memory, loss, confined spaces, and women’s roles. In an interview with Nippon.com, Ogawa says of this book that she meant it to be like the past, an homage to Anne Frank, but after rereading it recently she understands why readers of this new English translation are making connections to current political situations, saying, “it’s frightening to think that rather than getting further away from the world I created in the book, contemporary readers are connecting it with the near future.” Learn more from the author about this timely and timeless tale of memory and loss.
This conversation and question/answer session will be conducted live via remote video technology, with Chieko Hedin providing Japanese/English interpretation.
7 p.m.
Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall
Admission: free
From Kyushu to Hokkaido Zoom link
Passcode: 551264
Event number: 28
Join students and friends of the Missouri Southern chapter of the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta for an evening of literature from Japan, featuring stories and poetry from all over the island nation. Professor Jody Jensen will provide an introduction that gives context for the readings that follow. You may have never heard of such Japanese genres as setsuwa (oral folktales) and zuihitsu (personal essays and musings gathered loosely around a central theme), but you can rest assured that more familiar genres, like haiku poetry, will also be presented. Whether you are an East Asian literature connoisseur or just hoping to broaden your horizons, we hope you will join us. Readings are primarily in English translation. 
Murasaki Shikibu Composing Genji Monogatari (Tale of Gengi) by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691), Wikimedia Commons.
5:30 p.m.
MSSU Spiva Library 413A
Admission: free
Event number: 29
The Japan Semester Book Club, hosted by the Missouri Southern English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, will discuss They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (Top Shelf, 2019). This graphic memoir tells the story of George Takei’s experiences of Japanese American internment camps during WWII. During his childhood from age 5 to 9, he and his family were part of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forced into these camps. The memoir explores themes of family, country, and loyalty.
Gorge Takei is an actor, author, and activist, best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek. They Called Us Enemy won the Eisner Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature.
9:30 a.m.
Plaster Hall Room 103
Admission: free
Event number: 30
Missouri exported over $469 million worth of goods and services to Japan in 2020 and Japan was the United States’ fourth-largest goods export market in 2020 – representing numerous opportunities for Missouri businesses. Japan is a larger market, importing over $102 billion of United States products and services per year. With trade agreements and favorable economic policies, Japan is a country worth exploring. Learn more about the many opportunities and assistance available for any business interested in exploring international trade with Japan.
Krista Hinrichs is t rade m anager for the Missouri International Trade & Investment Office in the Missouri Department of Economic Development. She coordinates the state’s efforts with Missouri’s foreign offices in Seoul, Republic of Korea; Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan; Pune, India; and works closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s foreign office in Taipei, Taiwan. She assists Missouri businesses with expor ting throughout Asia and helps existing foreign direct investment companies in the state grow and prosper. Hinrichs is a Certified Global B usiness Professional and enjoys sharing her knowledge with Missouri companies to help them grow and sell their products and services overseas.
International Art Seminar: The Art and Crafts of Japan
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday
MSSU Spiva Art Gallery (Reception, 6-8 p.m., Monday, December 13)
Admission: free
Event number: 31
A group exhibition of artwork created for the course, “International Art Seminar: The Art and Crafts of Japan” will be featured in the MSSU Spiva Gallery.
“The Impossible Journey” is the culmination of the Art Department’s long planned and twice cancelled study abroad trip to Japan. Due to the closure of national borders and difficulties of traveling brought on by the COVID pandemic, plans had to be modified, resulting in an alternative study domestic trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.
The trip became a 7-day immersion into the art and culture of Japan by visiting the Japanese collections, gardens, and cultural neighborhoods in two of the nation's oldest Japanese enclaves, Japan Town in San Francisco and Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. The featured works in this exhibition are inspired by objects, architecture, aspects and/or experiences from the trip.
The trip was sponsored by the Institute of International Studies and served as part of the Fall 2021 Japan Semester programming.
The exhibition includes artwork by art majors Sarah Clements, BA Visual Arts; Sadie Maples and Aspen Read, BFA Studio Art; and Norman Lewis, Grace Maples, Olivia Martin, and Casandra Williams, BFA Design along with faculty trip leader, Professor of Art and Chair, Department of Art and Design, Frank A. Pishkur.
The MSSU Spiva Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Complex and is free and open to the public. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A reception with light refreshments will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 13 with the student artists.
For the Fall 2021 Japan Semester, MSSU ceramics students will build a traditional Japanese multi-chamber continuous downdraft/crossdraft climbing kiln which will be fired solely with wood. Based upon a kiln located in Kyoto, Japan, this style of kiln showcases an historical example of what was then a cutting-edge, technological advance. Nobori-gama-style (step climbing) kilns feature an initial firebox at the bottom, secondary fireboxes in each chamber, and end with a tall chimney.
As the kiln is fired, each chamber preheats the next, increasing energy efficiency, greater capacity, and more uniform heat distribution. Firing with wood as a fuel source releases fly ash and volatile salts, which produce surfaces that are unmatched by any other form of firing. These surface characteristics served to reinforce the Japanese philosophical/cultural development of wabi-sabi.
