His Blade Bore Well Its Name: (S)wordplay and Manhood in Eight Dogs
A Lecture by Professor Glynne Walley, University of Oregon
Thursday February 27, 2025 | 5:30pm
Smith Memorial Student Union Room 327/8/9
PORTLAND, OR – February 27, 2025 – The Portland State University Center for Japanese Studies presents a free talk by Associate Professor Glynne Walley of University of Oregon. The presentation will take place Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU), room 327/8/9 on the PSU campus. SMSU is located at 1825 SW Broadway.
The sword (as the saying goes) is the soul of the samurai.
But what if the sword has its own soul?
In his presentation, Dr. Walley will investigate the role of swords in the epic 19th century samurai novel Eight Dogs, or Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, by Kyokutei Bakin.This talk will explore swords as real objects embedded in a culture of connoisseurship; as imaginary objects imbued with magical powers; as tokens of the wielder’s legitimacy as a samurai, as a man, or as a human being; as symbolic objects of desire in all its permutations; as functions of language, existingly only as wordplay; and just possibly as beings with their own agency.
For more information contact the PSU Center for Japanese Studies at cjs@pdx.edu or 503-725-8577.