In elucidating Japan’s spiritual culture, we cannot forget its aspects of vagrancy and itinerancy. Vagrants and itinerant people comprised not only a lot of religious people, waka and haiku poets, but also performers such as goze (Japanese historic term referring to visually-impaired Japanese women, most of whom worked as musicians) and e-toki picture tellers. This event places renewed focus on the culture of drifters who placed themselves at the heart of the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, and supported society from a lowly position. The event will also include as guests overseas researchers in itinerant peoples, and explore common horizons.

Series direction by Yoshio Ito/ Production by Yaeko Kurosaki

May 5, 2015 (Sunday)
1st session: “Why do we journey?”
Screening: “I hear the goze song ” (34 minutes, made in 2009, directed by Yoshio Ito)
A film documentary of the lives and final journeys of the Echigo-Takada goze, custodians of traditional performing arts who have also been selected as an intangible cultural property.

Lecture: Why do we journey? Japanese culture and the genealogy of itinerant performers/Masahiko Hayashi (Japanese history of ideology, folklore)

Stage: Nagaoka Kuzu no ha kai (Nagaoka Goze-uta songs by a sighted group carrying on the traditions of Nagaoka Goze-uta) Keiko Yokokawa, Mamiko Kanekawa

Symposium: (speakers) Masahiko Hayashi, Keiko Yokokawa, Mamiko Kanekawa, Yoshio Itoh
Facilitator – Hiromi Saito

September 13, 2015 (Sunday)
2nd session: “The world of E-toki picture teller in the present days – from mandala to kamishibai paper theater”
-Screening: From “Patua, Painters of Bengal” (made in 1995, produced and directed by Minao Kitamura and Yoko Miura)
Clip exploring the depths of Indian culture through Santhal picture storytelling from West Bengal.
-Stage: “Zenkoji nyorai eden” with e-toki picture-telling by Asako Hayashi (Researcher at Shodo culture research institute)/ India compilation and Patua by Kenichi Higashino (Patua performer)
-Lecture: The history and significance of e-toki/ Masahiko Hayashi (Kokusai Kumano Gakkai representative, emeritus professor at Meiji University, Shodo culture research institute representative)
-Symposium: (speakers) Masahiko Hayashi, Kenichi Higashino, Asako Hayashi, Yoshio Ito
Facilitator- Hiromi Saito

January 24, 2016 (Sunday)
3rd session: “The World of Shamanism shared by Korea, the Ryukyu Islands and Japan.”
-Screening: Documentary on mudang (Korean female shamans) “Shigokekkon” (posthumous marriage), photographed by Choe Kilsung
-Stage: “Seopyeonje” in musical digested form by Cho Bak (singer songwriter and musical artist)
-Lecture: The World of Shamanism shared by Korea, the Ryukyu Islands and Japan / Choe Kilsung (lecturer at University of East Asia, head of Research Institute of East Asian Cultures, University of East Asia, emeritus professor at Hiroshima University)
-Symposium: (speakers) Choe Kilsung, Cho Bak, Yoshio Ito
Facilitator- Masahiko Hayashi
General facilitator – Hiromi Saito