Guest Lecture on Japanese Aesthetics
On March 25, Dr. Makoto Aoki, assistant professor at Ehime University in Japan, gave a lecture entitled “Sakura in Anime, Literature, and More,” which was attended by approximately 30 students.
During this one-hour virtual lecture, Dr. Aoki offered insight into the significance of Sakura (cherry blossoms) in anime, manga, haikus, and more. He also used anime and haikus to discuss mujō (impermanence or transience) and mono no aware (the pathos of things), concepts essential to understanding traditional Japanese interaction of life and nature and esthetic in life.
Four students from JAPN 402, Asher Berwick, Randy Berry, Ben Carmin-Kruger, and Rheese Chen, worked as interpreters for Dr. Aoki.
“Professor Makoto Aoki’s lecture was truly helpful for me to better understand all of those Japanese aesthetic experiences and get closer to the subtle essence of mono no aware and the beauty underneath the piled Sakura petals. I do feel closer to this culture composed of sophisticated emotions through his lecture,” one student commented.
