What is the relationship between samurai warriors and art?  It is hard to imagine the two words—warriors and art—in one sentence.  However, many of samurai warriors practiced and enjoyed various types of arts.  For example, the powerful feudal samurai warriors Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi practiced closely with a tea master, Sen No Rikyu, and enjoyed tea ceremony.  In addition, during the Edo period when Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate, various art forms such as Kabuki and Ukiyoe were developed and created a unique culture.

In this course, students will examine how the samurai culture fostered Japanese art.  Students will specifically read the history of tea ceremony, Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), Noh, Kabuki, Bunraku, Ukiyoe, and Rinpa, and discuss the connections between the social events and art forms.  This course is designed for students to obtain a deeper understanding of the Japanese history and society as well as to practice linguistic skills.  Conducted in Japanese. Low-Intermediate level.

Corequisite: Students must attend at least two Languages Series events (Mondays, 7:00pm – 8:00pm)