Webcast: «Un juego de llaves. Abriendo el cofre de la estética japonesa»

In this lecture, given by Professor Carlos Rubio, the keys to understanding and appreciating Japanese aesthetics from its more than a thousand years of cultural history are detailed. Useful tools are derived not only from Western notions, such as harmony, asymmetry, and tripartite structures, but also from the unique aesthetic perception of the Japanese, expressed in their own concepts, such as aware, yūgen, and others, which will be explained with examples taken from literature and the visual arts (ceramics, gardening, painting, decoration). Equipped with the keys to unlock it, we will embark on an underwater journey in search of a treasure chest of essences. This is an introductory lecture to the online course "Courtesans and Innovators: Women's Literature in Ancient Japan." Presented by: Carmen Díez, Director of the Casa Asia Center-Madrid Speaker: Carlos Rubio, PhD from the University of California, Berkeley (1979) and Professor at the University of Tokyo (1985-1991). He has translated, alone or in collaboration, more than thirty classic and modern works of Japanese literature, and is the author of books on the subject (Keys and Texts, The Myths of Japan, Murakami's Japan). In 2012, he received the Japanese Government's Medal of Culture, and in 2014, the Order of the Rising Sun from the Imperial House of Japan. He regularly collaborates with Casa Asia and the Japan Foundation, giving courses and lectures.