Arts of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
International Symposium

The islands between China and Japan have long been embroiled in a sea of multiple identities, lasting into the present. A few of these islands, an archipelago that was called, at various points in time, the Loochoo Islands, the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and recently Okinawa, have been enmeshed in a complex mix of multiple identities throughout their history, resulting in a complex and controversial understanding of their arts and culture. The arts of these islands have been described as 1) expressions of a distinctly Japanese tradition, 2) as resulting from a mixture of Japanese and Chinese traditions, or 3) as a distinct culture of its own with receptions from other neighbouring cultures. The works of arts in this symposium will be examined from these conflicting parameters in order to explore the questions of cultural heritage and national identities.

Themes of the symposium
The symposium on Ryūkyū and Okinawa arts is organized by the University of Zurich in collaboration with the Museum der Kulturen, Basel (MKB). It is part of a multi-year project between the two institutions that is based on the remarkable collection of Ryūkyū textiles in the collection of the MKB. The university, the museum, and Japanese researchers from Okinawa have been examining the museum's textile collection in a survey to be completed in 2018. This symposium marks a milestone in the project and will be followed by major exhibitions in Japan and at the MKB.


PROGRAM

Friday, 14th December 2018
University of Zurich, Room: HAH-E-11, Häldeliweg 2, 8044 Zürich

9:30 – 10:00 Registration for speakers

10:00 – 10:15
Welcome from the University of Zurich (UZH) Organizers
Prof. Dr. Hans Bjarne Thomsen (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)
with Natasha Fischer-Vaidya, PhD Candidate (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)


10:15 – 12:15
Panel 1: Ryūkyū /Okinawa History and Documents
Chair: Prof. Dr. Hans Bjarne Thomsen (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)

10:15 – 10:55
Dr. Ayumi Harada, Curator, Kyushu National Museum
"Ryūkyū: Maritime Trade through the Asian Sea Lanes"

10:55 – 11:35
Prof. Dr. Shinichi Aso, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
"Kamakura Yoshitarō and the Culture of Ryūkyū and Okinawa"

11:35 – 12:15
Dr. Amanda Mayer Stinchecum, Independent Scholar, Brooklyn, New York, USA
"'Invented tradition,' Legend, and History: Yaeyama Minsaa, Tiisaaji, and the Spiritual Power of Women"

12:15 – 14:00 Lunch Break


14:00 – 15:20
Panel 2: Collections of Ryūkyū/Okinawa Textiles
Chair: Sabine Bradel, PhD Candidate (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)

14:00 – 14:40
Prof. Dr. Hans Bjarne Thomsen, Section for East Asian Art, University of Zurich
"Ryūkyū and Okinawa Textile Collections through Western Receptions"

14:40 – 15:20
Ichiko Yonamine, Chief Curator, Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum
"Textiles of Ryūkyū: The Background of Bingata Dyeing"

15:20 – 15:50 Coffee Break


15:50 – 16:30
Keynote Speech
Prof. Dr. Yoshikuni Yanagi, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
"Okinawa Textiles with Woven Patterns at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum"

16:30 – 17:00
Welcoming Speeches
Minister Katsuya Ikkatai, Japanese Embassy in Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarzenegger, Vice President Faculty Affairs and Scientific Information (University of Zurich) and others

17:00 Reception, Häldeliweg 2, 8044 Zürich


Saturday, 15th December 2018
University of Zurich, Room: HAH-E-11, Häldeliweg 2, 8044 Zürich

10:00 – 12:00
Panel 3: Ryūkyū/Okinawa Textile Collection of the Museum der Kulturen, Basel
Chair: Alessandra Lardelli, PhD Candidate (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)

10:00 – 10:40
Minako Hirata, Research Associate, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
"The Bingata Textiles of the Museum der Kulturen"

10:40 – 11:20
Prof. Dr. Setsuko Nitta, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
"Okinawa Woven Textiles in the Collection of the Museum der Kulturen"

11:20 – 12:00
Stephanie Lovász, Curator, Museum der Kulturen, Basel
"Provenance of the Okinawa Textiles in the Collection of the Museum der Kulturen in Basel"

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch Break


13:30 – 15:30
Panel 4: Lacquer, Ceramics and Documents in Ryūkyū/Okinawa Studies
Chair: Jonas Rüegg, PhD Candidate (Harvard University)

13:30 – 14:10
Prof. Shigeru Tōma, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
"Regarding the Decorating Techniques and Restoration of the Ryūkyūan Lacquer Arts"

14:10 – 14:50
Yōko Yamada, Curator, Naha City Museum of History
"Ryūkyū Kingdom Shō Family Records in the Collection of Naha City Museum of History"

14:50 – 15:30
Tarō Kuranari, Curator, Naha City Museum of History
"History and Special Characteristics of Okinawa Ceramics"

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break


16:00 – 18:00
Panel 5: Case Studies in Object-Based Research on Ryūkyū/Okinawa
Chair: Alina Martimyanova, PhD Candidate (Section for East Asian Art, UZH)

16:00 – 16:40
Jonas Rüegg, Harvard University
"Pictograms and Knot-Ropes: Administrative Records in the Borderlands of Early Modern Ryūkyū"

16:40 – 17:20
Tessa Meier, University of Zurich
"Object Description of a Ryūkyūan Textile"

17:20 – 18:00
Maria Stepanova, University of Zurich
"As Seen on Woodblock Prints: Banana Fiber Bashō-fu from Museum der Kulturen Basel"

18:00 Dinner for speakers and staff


The detailed program and individual abstracts can be found here: https://www.khist.uzh.ch/de/chairs/ostasien/Aktuelles/Ryukyu.html

The symposium will take place at the University of Zurich on Friday, 14th and Saturday, 15th December 2018 in room HAH-E-11 (University of Zurich, Häldeliweg 2, 8044 Zurich)

The symposium is free and open to the public, no prior registration is necessary. Presentations will be held in Japanese and in English. Texts in English will be supplied for presentations given in Japanese.

For questions, please contact the Section for East Asian Art: kgoakhist.uzh.ch