ART 345 Monsters & the Supernatural in Japanese Art & Culture

The skies of Japanese culture are sprinkled with hundreds of stars of ghosts, spirits, apparitions, demons, monsters, goblins and other forms of supernatural beings called yókai. This AAU course will introduce the world of yókai as we meet them in Japanese literature, art, theatre and cinema (each field represented by 3 specialized lectures). Recently popular in anime, manga, and computer games, many yókai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories. The course will start from the oldest tale versions and offer full versions of illustrated monster hand-scrolls, samples of three complete Noh, Jóruri and Kabuki ghost plays called kaidan and on-line versions of three classical ghost movies that will be discussed in an interactive way in the three-hour classes. One museum excursion is included. During the course the students will be able to obtain basic orientation in the development of Japanese art thanks to historical introductions to each lecture and individual mandatory readings. The course assignments include: one written essay on a Japanese horror tale, drama or film, and one class presentation, as well as two concise written tests (mid-term and final test). The course study material will be provided in electronic form. The lecturer is a former curator of Japanese art from the National Gallery in Prague.