Steve Forrest

Animals in Premodern Japan This Open Access book is presented with an outlook on current developments in Japanese Animal Ethics and how Andō Shōeki's depictions of non-human animals.

🔓
Melissa Ann Kaul: Animals in Premodern Japan. The Encyclopaedia of Andô Shôeki 安藤昌益 (1703-1762), 2026

doi.org/10.1007/978-...

Really cool work by historian Dr. Seal! The BBC story doesn't mention them so worth checking out here.

wellcomecollection.org/stories/medi...

large, brightly-colored and somewhat fantastical owl painted on the curving wall of a stairwell -- painting is signed "Nayana Thimmiah, 2018"

It's evidently the day for #SuperbOwl pics -- here's one from UMass's W. E. B. Du Bois Library's wonderfully decorated stairwells (just don't ask me which floor!)

I'm a bit surprised (but happy) that 速達便 still exists!

a George V pillar box, red with black base, standing at the edge of a shop forecourt on a damp September day in Cambridge. Some flowering weeds reach out over the tarmac of the forecourt; the shop sign reads "Go glass" and there are posted in the window reading, "We have moved. Visit our new class design and production center" followed by the address & phone number.

All this white is a bit overwhelming, so here's a splash of red, since it's also #PostboxSaturday today
(pic is from Sept. 2025 visit to Cambridge for the 近世文学会 conference)

view along straight section of a rail trail under snow, lined by bare woods (but all trees have sticky snow on them), with track of a fat-tire bike stretching ahead, and two sets of hoof prints from horses that must have trotted along next to the bike??

view along canal-side trail, curving gently right off in the distance, with X-country ski tracks making parallel lines off into the distance. The canal water looks dark, cold.

view across wetlands, partly frozen over and covered with snow, next to canal trail, with snow dusted mixed woodland beyond. The trail in foreground shows quite a lot of foot traffic in the snow, but no other signs of activity in the scene.

view along other side of canal, a narrower, as yet untracked trail.

At least four fresh inches of the white stuff this morning, plus a wild wind -- srsly cold but ran anyway as the trails offer some shelter, & snowmobiles had gone through & reduced depth. Didn't take pics today, but here's a couple from a run a few w/ends ago, much nicer snow then!
#AmRunning

here we go again, urg 🙃

Especulacions sobre l'escena. Antologia de textos de teoria dramàtica. Vol I: De l'Antiguitat a la Il·lustració Especulacions sobre l'escena. Antologia de textos de teoria dramàtica. Vol I: De l'Antiguitat a la Il·lustració, , 20,90€. Aquesta antologia, de la qual teni...

Molt content de sentir que ja ha sortit _Especulacions sobre l'escena_ (Ed. Institut del Teatre), una antologia de textos de teoria dramàtica per a la que vaig traduir una secció del tractat sobre Noh _Fūshikaden_ de Zeami.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Associate Curator for Asian Art

Job Opportunity: Harvard Art Musuems are hiring for a position of Associate Curator for Asian Art, specialising in Japan. Please help us circulate widely!

careers.harvard.edu/job/abby-ald...

Thanks for Typing

It's hard to believe good things can still be happening, but if you are in the Boston area between now and May 1st, there is an free-to-the-public exhibition on women's type labor in literature and the arts (co-curated by me and the great Dale Stinchcomb).

library.harvard.edu/exhibits/tha...

大英博物館で「サムライ展」始まる 世界初公開も多数 www.msn.com/ja-jp/news/o...

羽衣 -Hagoromo- This is a multi-column Bluesky client.

マルチカラム対応Blueskyクライアント「羽衣 -Hagoromo- v0.58.0」のリリースです。

更新内容
・ポストダイアログを表示中にその他の操作ができるように変更
・ポストダイアログを移動できるように変更
・ポストダイアログを複数同時に開けるように変更
・キャッシュタグ（株式ティッカーシンボル）に対応
・投票ボタンの動作を修正

Applications for our rare books librarian position at the University of Arizona are open until Feb 9 (next week)
We have a fab diverse collection, great people to work with, and amazing Mexican food.
arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

I'm not on the search, please feel free to reach out w qs!

Deadline 2 weeks away! ⬇️

late afternoon view of a snow covered trail (that I've just run down) curving up a slope into woodland -- it's all in shade, a bit gloomy, but the low sun is glinting in the treetops at right, and the sky visible through the trees is clear and still sunlit

view of same trail from same spot but looking ahead, down the slope to a small open area -- all snow covered -- and then curving right into some trees. The trees beyond the space are fully lit by the late sun, and my shadow is visible at lower right.

Another stretch of trail through deep snow winding down a slope through bare woods, which are mostly in bright sunshine.

one more pic from same trail as previous but looking up the hill, out into the woods to the left: lots of slender dark tree trunks and in the background a blue sky.

Still below freezing here, but two sunny days this weekend -- got out into the trails finally for a snow run yesterday. Deep enough that even after snowmobiles had passed through it was still hard work; maybe time to invest in some Yaktrax?
#AmRunning #Winter2025-2026

Happy birthday to Kenzaburo Oe (1935-2023).

Oe was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature for creating "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today".

Learn more about Oe (and Yukio Mishima) with the RJL podcast.

One final detail that jumped out: the first word "If..." (character 若) is missing from the text in the fragment--that's just where the line started in the original setting, a sutra scroll, and that absence makes the fragmentary, broken nature of the object clear, for all its gorgeousness. 完璧、とも言える。

宿王華よ、もし人あってこの薬王菩薩本品を聞けば、無量の功徳を得るであろう。もし女人がこの薬王菩薩本事品を聞いて信じれば、女人としての最後の生となるであろう。もし末法の世に、女人がこの経を聞きその教えの通りに修行すれば、命尽きてのち、阿弥陀仏の世界に行き、菩薩たちに囲まれ、蓮華の法座の上に生まれるだろう。愛欲、怒り、愚痴に悩まされず、また自惚れ、嫉妬にも囚われず、菩薩の神通力と不生不死の法を得るだろう。眼は清浄になるだろう。この清浄な眼で七十二のガンジス川の砂の数に等しい仏を見るだろう。諸仏は最高の賛辞を以って賞賛するだろう。 宿王華よ、もし人あってこの薬王菩薩本事品を聞き、歓び、讃えれば、この人は現世において、口から青蓮華の香を出し、身体の毛穴より栴檀の香を出すだろう。そして無量の功徳を得るだろう。宿王華よ、お前にこの薬王菩薩本事品を委ねよう。わたしの入滅ののちの末法の世に、この世に弘く流布し、この経を守れ。この経はこの世の人の良薬であり、この経を聞けば病はたちまちに消滅し、不老不死になるだろう。仏道を求めるものは、この経を持ち、信じる人を見れば、まさに尊敬の心を起こすべきである」 この薬王菩薩本字品を説いたとき、八万四千の菩薩たちは一切衆生の言葉を解する陀羅尼を得たのである。宝塔のなかの多宝如来は宿王華菩薩を誉めて言った。 「宿王華よ、よくぞ釈迦牟尼仏によい質問をしてくれた。一切衆生に大きな利益を与えたのである」

And, for those of us whose 漢文 skills are rusty, in Japanese translation too, here (there are probably more standard sources, but this is a sidequest for a 2-min. section of a GenEd lecture; happy to delve further if a student expresses interest!)
www.james.3zoku.com/pundarika/pund…

若有人聞是薬王菩薩本事品 者。亦得無量無辺功徳。若有女人聞是薬 王菩薩本事品。能受持者。尽是女身後不 復受。若如来滅後後五百歳中。若有女人。 聞是経典如説修行。於此命終。即住安 楽世界阿弥陀仏大菩薩衆圍繞住処。生蓮 華中宝座之上。不復為貪欲所悩。亦復 不為瞋恚愚癡所悩。亦復不為慢嫉 妬諸垢所悩。得菩薩神通無生法忍。得是 忍已。眼根清浄。以是清浄眼根。見七百万 二千億那由他恆河沙等諸仏如来。是時諸 仏遥共讃言。善哉善哉。善男子。汝能於釈 迦牟尼仏法中。受持讀誦思惟是経為他 人説。所得福徳無量無辺。火不能焼。水 不能漂。汝之功徳千仏共説不能令尽。 汝今已能破諸魔賊壞生死軍。諸余怨敵皆 悉摧滅。善男子。百千諸仏以神通力共守 護汝。於一切世間天人之中無如汝者。唯 除如来。其諸聲聞辟支仏乃至菩薩智慧禪 定。無有與汝等者。宿王華。此菩薩成就如 是功徳智慧之力。若有人聞是薬王菩薩本 事品。能随喜讃善者。是人現世口中常出青 蓮華香。身毛孔中。常出牛頭栴檀之香。

所得功徳如上所説。是故宿王華。以此薬 王菩薩本事品。囑累於汝。我滅度後後五百 歳中。広宣流布於閻浮提無令断絶。悪魔 魔民諸天龍夜叉鳩槃荼等得其便也。宿 王華。汝当以神通之力守護是経。所以者 何。此経則為閻浮提人病之良薬。若人有 病。得聞是経病即消滅。不老不死。宿王 華。汝若見有受持是経者。応以青蓮花 盛満末香供散其上。散已作是念言。此 人不久。必当取草坐於道場破諸魔軍。当 吹法螺撃大法鼓。度脱一切衆生老病死 海。是故求仏道者。見有受持是経典人。 応当如是生恭敬心。説是薬王菩薩本事 品時。八万四千菩薩得解一切衆生語言陀 羅尼。多宝如来於宝塔中。讃宿王華菩薩 言。善哉善哉。宿王華。汝成就不可思議功 徳。乃能問釈迦牟尼仏如此之事。利益無 量一切衆生。

The original text of this section is also available digitally, here: www.mitene.or.jp/~hokkekou/hoke…

"If there is a person who, hearing this chapter on the Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King, is able to welcome it with joy and praise its excellence, then in this present existence this person's mouth will constantly emit the fragrance of the blue lotus flower, and the pores of his body will constantly emit the fragrance of ox-head sandalwood. His benefits will be such as have been described above. "For this reason, Constellation King Flower, I entrust this chapter on the Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King to you. After I pass into extinction, in the last five hundred period you must spread it abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allowed to be cut off, nor must you allow evil devils, the devils' people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas or kumbhanda demons to seize the advantage! "Constellation King Flower, you must use your transcendental powers to guard and protect this sutra. Why? Because this sutra provides good medicine for the ills of the people of Jambudvipa. If a person who has an illness is able to hear this sutra, then his illness will be wiped out and he will know neither old age or death.

"Constellation King Flower, if you see someone who accepts an upholds this sutra, you must take blue lotus blossoms, heap them with powdered incense, and scatter them over him as an offering. And when you have scattered them, you should think to yourself: Before long this person will pick grasses, spread them as a seat in the place of practice, and conquer the armies of the devil. Then he will sound the conch of the Law, beat the drum of the great Law, and free all living beings from the sea of old age, sickness and death! "For this reason when those who seek the Buddha way see so someone who accepts and upholds this sutra, they should approach him with this kind of respect and reference." When [the Buddha] preached this chapter on the Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King, eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas gained the dharani that allows them to understand the words of all living beings. Many Treasures Thus Come One in the midst of his treasure tower praised the bodhisattva Constellation King Flower, saying: "Excellent, excellent, Constellation King Flower. You succeeded in acquiring inconceivable benefits and thus were able to question Shakyamuni Buddha about this matter, profiting immeasurable numbers of living beings."

The text in this mounted fragment is the ending part of Ch. 23, available in Burton Watson's translation here nichiren.info/buddhism/lotus…

Thank you, HAMbot, for turning up a perfect addition to the intro to Heian-era Buddhism I'm prepping for Tuesday! (and there's a much higher res. image on the site if you click through)

MJHA is delighted to announce that the 2026 Modern Japan History Association Book Prize has been awarded to Simon Partner (Duke University) for "Koume's World: The Life and Work of a Samurai Woman Before and After the Meiji Restoration" (Columbia University Press, 2024)!

Fun with frozen soap bubbles: if it's zero F (-17.8 C) or below, soap bubbles freeze in the air. They shatter like plastic when they land, or roll around like little balls (If you search "frozen soap bubbles" on YouTube, you'll come up with way better videos, but this is mine from this morning :-)

Today, on Fred Korematsu Day, we honor the man whose refusal to comply with the mass removal and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II became one of the most significant challenges to government authority in U.S. history.

White VW Golf, roof still laden with snow (a yard stick stuck in the middle shows just over 15"), but with side cleared, on a driveway mostly clear. Two snow shovels, one orange, one black, are leaning on the car.

Same car viewed from the front. The hood is clear of snow but the windscreen is still covered, making the depth of the snow layer starkly visible.

Getting shovelled out ready for campus tomorrow and first classes on Thursday -- spring semester here we come! (no I am not ready for so much people time but will adjust somehow)
I love the rounded shape of the car when it's snow-covered, like a manga version of itself!
#Winter2026-26

The Crisis of the Humanities and the Future of Japanese Studies: A Book Launch and Conversation with Seth Jacobowitz & Jonathan E. Abel. Date Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Next week Seth Jacobowitz & Jonathan E. Abel will be launching the new book "Modern Japanese Literary Studies" at the University of Pittsburgh. Register for the virtual conversation at pitt.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Today is Handwriting Day, and we are celebrating it in a truly fitting manner: our new colleagues present their research in a flash talk marathon using 25 written artefacts. This marks the end of two intensive kick-off weeks in our new old cluster of excellence. More info here:
uhh.de/csmc-uwa2

en serio? すばらしい！

Snowed here again too

view along a straight road after a snow -- no colors, just shades of grey, it seems. At left a few trees and bushes are scattered along the road, and at right a line of telegraph poles march in single file. The sky is similarly monochromatic, shaded with cloudier patches.

three (apple? cherry) trees, broad branched and not too tall, heavily covered with sticky snow, standing on a recreational plaza next to a low dorm building at UMass. All is black/grey/white except for one warmly lit window in the building.

Drove to campus yesterday to pick up some books (class prep- -still way too much left to do!) It was an almost monochrome afternoon, but happily not too cold, and the roads were mostly clear.
#Winter2025-26