Lecture on Japanese tradition with Sophia Univ. students
We held a one-day workshop for international students at Sophia University!
First, we covered traditional crafts. We shared success stories of traditional crafts that have successfully adapted to the modern era, and then led a group discussion on what form traditional crafts in their home countries have taken today, and how they think mizuhiki should be passed down to future generations. There was a lively exchange of ideas! The suggestion to create a system that makes young people think mizuhiki is cool is spot on—it’s definitely a challenge we need to address.
At Risshō-ji Temple, the venue for the event, the head priest and assistant priest taught us about the introduction of Buddhism to Japan and how to offer incense.
Mako Hattori performed a traditional Japanese dance while providing commentary, and some international students even said they wished they could have tried dancing themselves!
Finally, it was time for the mizuhiki workshop. We heard delightful comments like, “It’s harder than I thought!” “This is something a machine couldn’t do,” “That was fun!” and “I’d like to try making other things too.” Since many hadn’t known about mizuhiki before, they said we should spread it more widely around the world! Amid comments like, “We should start a TikTok account,” the fun-filled day came to an end.
Thank you to JTB for organizing this event. And thank you to everyone who participated! Let’s meet again!