Constellations: HAA 2660 Japanese Handscrolls

Narrative picture scrolls produced in Japan between the 12th-14th centuries function as mirrors of Japanese life and customs, allowing us to study the clothing styles, modes of travel, interior and exterior architectural styles, gender roles, and religious beliefs of medieval aristocrats, warriors, and commoners.  In this course we will read sections of primary texts—Buddhist sutras, literary works, historical accounts, moral tales, biographies, military histories, poems, fables, and legends—in conjunction with our study of the illustrations in order to get a fuller picture of the function of the scrolls, as well as how men and women lived in medieval Japan.