Vorträge Mittwoch, 14. Januar 2026, 18:30–20:00 Matt Gillan: „Echoes of Lumbinī – Music, Buddhism, and Women’s Organizations in Early 20th Century Japan“

On 8th April 1901 more than 300 people gathered in the Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel in Berlin to attend an event celebrating the birth of the historical Buddha some 2500 years previously. The gathering, titled Hana Matsuri (flower festival), or Blumenfest in the language of the many German guests, had been organized by the Berlin-resident Jōdo Shinshū priests Sonoda Shūe and Chikazumi Jōkan and was also attended by the prominent Japanese Buddhist scholar Anesaki Masaharu and many other Japanese scholars and dignitaries. The celebration was widely reported in both German and Japanese newspapers, and similar events soon began to be organized in Japan itself. The Hana Matsuri soon became one of the most prominent public manifestations of Buddhism in modern Japan.

This talk explores the development of the modern Japanese Hana Matsuri, and particularly how the role of music and dance in disseminating the Buddhist nativity story in a modern Japanese context. Lumbinī, the site in modern Nepal where the Buddha’s mother Māyā is believed to have given birth, soon became one of the central images of the modern Hana Matsuri. The importance of Māyā in this story also meant that the Hana Matsuri was often promoted and performed by female Japanese Buddhists.

This talk examines the creation in 1926 of the Lumbinī Chorus (Runbinī Gasshōdan) as an offshoot of the Young Women’s Buddhist Association. The group was co-led by Kujō Takeko, one of the most important female Buddhist leaders and writers in early-20th century Japan, and Hirota Ryūtarō, one of the most acclaimed pianists and composers of the same period. The group, initially made up of female singers, strongly influenced subsequent Buddhist musical traditions that developed in modern Japan. The choir was also actively promoted by the Buddhist scholar and educator Takakusu Junjirō, whose writings demonstrate that he saw music and dance as important methods of integrating women into modern Japanese Buddhist society.

Matt Gillan received MMus and PhD degrees in musicology from SOAS University of London and is professor of musicology at International Christian University in Tokyo, where he has taught since 2007. He has published widely on issues relating to music in Japan, including the music of Okinawa, the shakuhachi, and minority communities in Japan. His recent research has focused on the role of music in post-Meiji Japanese Buddhist communities.

This lecture is part of the series „Religion“.
Dies ist eine Veranstaltung aus der Reihe Religion.

Zeit: 18.30-20.00 Uhr (Japan), 10.30-12.00 Uhr (MESZ)
Zoom-Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86997846244?pwd=54Vb0aR0mECfRelnFNZzii1iOIBgE0.1
Meeting ID: 869 9784 6244
Passcode: 059052