Workshop: Buddhist Literature and Emaki

December 6, 2002

Workshop: Buddhist Literature and Emaki
Organized by Professor Shunsho Manabe (President & Professor of Esoteric Buddhist Art, Hosen Gakuen College; Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center*)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM

This workshop will explore a broad range of issues related to works of literature, emaki (picture scrolls), and other forms of art that emerged in Japan from Buddhist influences from the Heian and Kamakura periods. Professor Shunsho Manabe and leading scholars from Columbia and other academic and art institutions will participate.

Workshop Schedule
Each participant will give a 30-min. presentation, which will be followed by a 15-min. discussion. (presentation titles TBA)

Morning Session (Moderator: Prof. Ryuichi Abe)
• 10:00 am-10:45 am: Shunsho Manabe (Hosen Gakuen College)
• 10:45 am-11:30 am: TBA
• 11:30 am-12:15 pm: Yukiko Shirahara (Seattle Asian Art Museum)
• 12:15 pm-1:00 pm: Melissa McCormick (Columbia University)

• 1:00 pm-2:30 pm:  Lunch Break

Afternoon Session (Moderator: Prof. Melissa McCormick)
• 2:30 pm-3:15 pm:  Ryuichi Abe (Columbia University)
• 3:15 pm-4:00 pm: Masako Watanabe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
• 4:00 pm-4:45 pm: Samuel Morse (Amherst College)
• 4:45 pm-5:30 pm: Concluding Discussion

MANABE Shunsho (President and Professor of Esoteric Buddhist Art, Hosen Gakuen College)

Professor Manabe is an eminent specialist on Esoteric Buddhism in China and Japan, a painter of Buddhist art, an accredited restorer of Japanese art treasures, and a renowned curator of exhibitions, in addition to being a Shingon Buddhist priest. He received his M.A. in Indology and Buddhist History from Tohoku University and his Ph.D. in Literature from Toyo University. He currently is President of Hosen Gakuen College as well as Professor of Esoteric Buddhist Art. He was Director of the Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa Bunko Museum from 1997 to 2000 after consecutively serving as Head Curator and Vice Director. In addition, he was Adjunct Lecturer in Chinese Art History at Toyama University from 1994 to 1995, Adjunct Lecturer in Western Art History at Seishin Women’s College from 1993 to 1994, and Adjunct Lecturer in Japanese Art History at Tokai University from 1983 to 1992.

Professor Manabe has published numerous academic papers and books on topics including Esoteric Buddhist art, mandalas, and Tibetan art. His publications include Kobo daishi gyojo ekotoba; Mandala no sekai; Tanka Chibetto, Neparu no butsuga; and Mikkyo zuten. He has appeared on NHK TV as a lecturer on Tibetan Buddhist art.

As a Visiting Fellow during fall 2002, he taught a graduate seminar on the history of Japanese Buddhist art at Columbia, which was attended by students in religion, art history, and history. He also traveled to numerous universities to give lectures on Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and mandala art, including Stanford University, the University of Washington, Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. At Columbia, in addition to teaching and lecturing, Professor Manabe presented a paper at an international symposium on the study of Shinto across various interdisciplinary fields. He also co-organized a workshop with other Columbia faculty on Buddhist literature, emaki, and other forms of art that emerged in Japan from Buddhist influences from the Heian and Kamakura periods. The participants included scholars from Columbia and other institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.