Satsuma Chair

Teacher(s)

Vielle Christophe (coordinator);

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

None.

Main themes

Series of conferences on the Far Eastern, Indian or Buddhist world.
The Chair will propose an in-depth analysis of a theme relating to the Far Eastern, Indian and Buddhist world, in its widest sense, in history as well as in the contemporary world.
This theme will change each year, and may treat, without this list being restrictive or exhaustive, religious, philosophical, socio-anthropological, cultural, historical, philological or literary questions.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of the series, students will be capable of identifying the sources, methods and results, notably in terms of logic and/or structure, of an in-depth analysis of a question relating to the Far Eastern, Indian or Buddhist world, in its widest sense. He will also be able to reconstitute the analyses proposed in teaching productions and to identify the limits or the biases of the proposals, as well as alternative angles of approach.

Content

The Satsuma Chair, inaugurated at the University of Louvain in 1927 thanks to the patronage of Baron Satsuma, at the same time as the exceptional Donation of precious books by Japan to the university, a collection now kept at the Central Library in Louvain-la-Neuve, is returning to Japanese studies thanks to its present holder, Dr Freya Terryn, japonologist and art historian, in charge of research for the Japan Mirai Fund set up to promote this extraordinary collection of Japanese books.
The theme of the 2025-2026 Chair will be:
Theatre and Travel in Dialogue: The Japanese Prints of Utagawa Kunisada
Abstract:
The Satsuma Chair 2025–2026 explores the connections between theatre and travel in nineteenth-century Japanese prints through an analysis of a series created by Utagawa Kunisada and published in 1852. Now mounted in an album and preserved in UCLouvain’s Japanese donation (RES JAP 36E09), these works illustrate a visual dialogue between two central themes of Edo-period culture: kabuki theatre and the Tōkaidō road. Each print pairs a Tōkaidō station with a dramatic scene or an actor, within a serial structure characteristic of Japanese publishing.
Through a combination of lectures and hands-on workshops (each two hours long), students will gain both a historical and cultural understanding of these works, as well as a methodological approach to their analysis.
Session dates:

1. Tuesday, 3 February, 1–3 pm
2. Tuesday, 10 February, 1–3 pm
3. Tuesday, 17 February, 1–3 pm
4. Tuesday, 24 February, 1–3 pm
5. Tuesday, 10 March, 1–3 pm

Teaching methods

Relying on the competences of Asian or Western experts in the Far Eastern, Indian and Buddhist world, the Chair consists of (3 to 5) lectures or practical sessions, each of two hours.

Evaluation methods

The evaluation of the student is based on a written work, whose exact subject and modalities will be fixed by the holder of the Chair.

Other information

The timetable and place of the lectures are fixed at the beginning of the second term at the latest, according to the availability of the invited lecturer. Additional information on the contents of the annual programme is available with the holder of the Chair.
Coordinator of the Chair: Prof. Christophe Vielle.
This is an English-friendly course, with supporting materials provided in English and discussions also possible in English.

Online resources

An exchange of emails with the holder will permit students to know the on-line resources useful for their written work.

Bibliography

Faculty or entity

> EHAC