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JAPAN YEAR IN INDIA LECTURE SERIES ON JAPAN-INDIA RELATIONS |
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When Buddhism was introduced into Japan, several kinds of exotic performing arts were brought through China and Korea. Though they have been modified or transformed for a long time, we can still find a lot of Indian elements among them. One of the Gagaku (the orchestra music preserved by the Imperial House and Buddhist temples) repertoires called the Rinyugaku is said to have been brought by Buddhist monks from India. The Shomyo (the Buddhist chants and its name derived from sabda-vidya) is said to have been originated from the Vedic Chants. A gogen-biwa (a five-stringed lute with a straight neck) preserved in the Shosoin Imperial Repository is said to have been originated in India though its music was obsolete. The Gigaku (the dance drama with masks) was also obsolete, but we can find some Indian characteristics such as Brahman and Garuda among its preserved masks. In addition to these examples, the Indian epic stories were adopted in the traditional theatres such as Noh and Kabuki.
In her lecture, she will introduce such Indian elements in Japanese traditional performing arts together with sample music, pictures and videos, and explain how they were adopted and transformed. Prof Inoue did her Masters from University of Tokyo and also from University of Delhi (Karnatak Music). She did her Ph. D. from University of Tokyo on the theme of “The Transformation of Musicology and Performing Arts in Modern India”. She is currently Professor at Daito Bunka University’s Department of International Culture. |
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