Asian Division of The Library of Congress and Asian Division Friends Society
Present:

2008 Florence Tan Moeson Fellow's Talk

Date and Time: Friday, June 6th, Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Place: Asian Division Conference Room (Jefferson Building - LJ149)

Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Oyler (The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Title: The LC's Heike mabushi and Edo Period Amateur Heikyoku

This presentation will contextualize the Library of Congress' Heike mabushi, a libretto used for sited amateur performers of Heike monogatari (Tales of the Heike) recitation. Performance of Heike monogatari by blind professional performers had been very popular in Japan from the medieval period and was instrumental in popularizing the narrative of the Genpei War of 1180-85, a foundational tale of warrior society. During the Edo period, members of the samurai class began to study recitation of the Heike, and the Heike mabushi was created to aid these sighted amateurs in learning the tale. This presentation will introduce the Heike mabushi, focusing on the ways the larger narrative was divided up and used as an instructive tool for amateur performers. Dr. Oyler will also address some of the differences between the LC's Heike mabushi and the better-known version held by Kyoto University, and posit possible ways to interpret them.

Contact: Eiichi Ito (202) 707-8054 or eito@loc.gov

Note: Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362
(voice/TTY) or email ADA@loc.gov