The lecture “Saigyō’s Waka Poems and Renzen’s Sinitic Poetry: Intersecting Engagements with Non-Elite People” by Professor Ivo Smits from Leiden University was held on Thursday, October 5, 2023. Professor Smits specializes in Japanese literature, particularly medieval poetry. Featuring the 12th century waka poet Saigyō and the Sinitic poet Shaku Renzen, he gave a fascinating talk on the common characteristics of their works and significance in the history of literature using several key words.
On the day of the lecture, graduate students, research fellows, visiting scholars, faculty members, and researchers from inside and outside of the university gathered one after another, and the venue (Conference Rm.10, Building 33, 16th Fl) was filled with great enthusiasm and anticipation even before the lecture began. Professor Smits began his lecture with an overview of the activities of Saigyō and Shaku Renzen, explaining that the style of untitled poetry is characterized by personalization and immediacy. 
He also noted that both of these poets left travel poems, not written in their study rooms, but poems about non-elite people based on their actual experiences and interactions in the margin of society. He also noted that the marginality of both poets’ poems is not only social marginality, such as their provincialism away from the court and their interaction with non-elite people, but also the existence of marginal texts, such as long forewords and self-commentaries with emphasis on the immediacy and realism of the poems. This was taken up in conjunction with the term “paratext” proposed by Gérard Genette. These characteristics common to the waka poet and Sinitic poet of the same time indicate an interesting period in the history of Japanese waka and Sinitic poetry, and Professor Smits vividly elucidated their significance.
Following the lecture, Professor Nobuyuki Kanechiku of Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences commented on the lecture. Professor Kanechiku commented that the lecture was based on Professor Smits’ past research, and that new perspectives and concepts were added to the lecture. After the lecture, participants actively asked questions about the concept of paratexts and the background of the emergence of poems about non-elite people. The lecture concluded with a presentation of poems written by Professor Kanechiku, who ended the lecture in a friendly and intellectually stimulating atmosphere.
The lecture was organized by Global Japanese Studies Model Unit, Waseda University Top Global University Project, and the Ryusaku Tsunoda Center of Japanese Culture, and co-organized by Research Institute of Japanese Classical Books.
Event Overview
- Date and time: October 5, 2023, 17:00 – 18:30 (JST)
- Venue: Conference Rm.10, Building 33, 16th Fl. Toyama Campus, Waseda University
- Timetable
17:00-17:10 Opening remarks: Kimiko Kono (Professor, Waseda University)
17:10-18:00 Lecture: Ivo Smits (Professor, Leiden University)
18:00-18:30 Comment: Nobuyuki Kanechiku (Professor, Waseda University) and Q&A session - Language: Japanese
- Participation was free.
- Organized by: Global Japanese Studies Model Unit, Waseda University Top Global University Project,
The Ryusaku Tsunoda Center of Japanese Culture
Co-organized by: Research Institute of Japanese Classical Books
