"Makers on the Margins? Artisans and Status in Premodern Japan," October 4 at Pitt.

via pcurtis.com

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Paula R. Curtis and her talk "Makers on the Margins? Artisans and Status in Premodern Japan" on October 4 as part of the Asia Now Fall Lecture Series.

Artisanal production is touted today as part of Japan’s immutable traditional culture, characterized as a rapidly disappearing form of manual labor and long-held customs that are in sharp contrast to the white collar work in office buildings or government organizations so prevalent today. Similarly, the lives of commoners in premodern Japan are often imagined as being removed from the aesthetics, poetics, and cultural heights of the aristocracy. But were these divisions of social group and status so rigidly defined? In this talk, I will explore the multivalent identities of artisans in medieval Japan (c. 12th to 16th cen). With a special focus on the representations and evidence of metal caster organizations, I address how different types of sources (poetic, visual, and material) help us to problematize historical perceptions of these skilled commoners while providing insights into the lived experiences of some of premodern Japan’s least visible figures.

Paula R. Curtis is a historian of medieval Japan. She is presently a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in History with the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. Her current book project focuses on metal caster organizations from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries and their relationships with elite institutions. She also works on the history of documentary forgery in premodern Japan.

The event runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm at 207 David Lawrence Hall (map), and is free and open to members of the Pitt community. Registration is required, and guests must abide by the university's safety protocol.

Global Horror Studies: Linking J-Horror to Asia, September 30 and October 1.

The University of Pittsburgh and the Horror Studies Workigng Group presents an online conference on "Global Horror Studies: Linking J-Horror to Asia," September 30 and October 1.

The University of Pittsburgh and the Horror Studies Working Group invite you to join us for a two day conference exploring ways to connect J-Horror to Asia. This gathering continues the conversations started at SCMS 2021 and Kyoto July 2021 about Global Horror Studies.

It runs online from 9 to 11 pm EST, September 30 and October 1; the late time in Pittsburgh is to accommodate people around the world in other timezones. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

2020 Japanese film Wife of a Spy (スパイの妻), October 9 at Pitt, part of SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival.

The 2020 Japanese film Wife of a Spy (スパイの妻) will play at the University of Pittsburgh on October 9 as part of the inaugural SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival running October 6 through 10. From an NPR review:

Wife of a Spy is a Hitchcockian thriller by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a top Japanese filmmaker whose work has never gotten the attention that it deserves in the U.S. His heroine is Satoko — superbly played by Yu Aoi — the innocent, big-hearted wife of Yusaku Fukuhara, a prosperous import-export merchant and amateur filmmaker in the city of Kobe.

In a 1940 Japan bursting with nationalistic fervor, the Fukuharas tempt fate by pointedly living in a Western-style house, wearing Western clothes, and sipping Western whiskey. Things get even stickier when Satoko's husband returns from Japanese-occupied Manchuria with a beautiful young woman and evidence of military atrocities.

Faced with this, Satoko doesn't know how to react. She and her husband launch into a marital dance of trust, suspicion and betrayal. Is Yusaku abandoning Satoko for a new woman? Will he sell out his country, and their shared life, by revealing the army's abuses? Will Satoko help him do so, or will she save herself by turning her husband in to the righteous military policeman who has fancied her since childhood? The answer will involve deceit, torture, murder, hidden manuscripts and midnight escapes.

It plays at the Schenley Plaza Tent at 8:30 pm. Tickets are required and can be purchased online.

Nakama, Ichiban Hibachi Steakhouse named among city's best Japanese restaurants, beating out Umami, Teppanyaki Kyoto, GetGo.

The Pittsburgh City-Paper announced the winners of this year's Best of Pittsburgh readers' poll, with Nakama again being named Best Japanese food in the city. The restaurant, with locations in the South Side and Wexford, is the perennial winner of this and other local readers' polls, at the expense of more authentic Japanese restaurants. Umami placed second and Ichiban Hibachi Steakhouse third. Other relevant categories for PennsylvAsia are Sesame Inn for Best Chinese / Taiwanese, Bae Bae's Kitchen for Best Korean, The Slippery Mermaid for Best Sushi, Nicky's Thai Kitchen for Best Thai, and Tram's Kitchen for Best Vietnamese.

Pitt still hiring Managing Editor of The Journal of Asian Studies.

The University of Pittsburgh has reposted the position for Managing Editor of The Journal of Asian Studies.

The Managing Editor is primarily responsible for coordinating the Journal’s workflow using Editorial Manager, CUP’s online platform, to communicate with authors, associate editors, book review editors, the production team at CUP and staff in the AAS secretariat, especially the digital media manager. Specific responsibilities will extend to supporting the editorial work of the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Seventy-five percent effort will be committed to The Journal of Asian Studies and twenty-five percent to the Asian Studies Center. Applicants must have relevant work experience, well-developed organizational skills, and expertise in communication. Serving as the predominant point of contact for an editor, the employee will need to tactfully utilize his/her technical skills, as well as diplomatic and interpersonal skills, to meet the operational and deadline-driven requirements of the journal with uncompromised high quality. As an administrator of the online review and notification system, the incumbent will assist in assuring that there is accurate and time-critical flow of assignments and correspondence regarding the operation of the journal. Attention to detail is an absolute necessity, as well as evident meticulous organizational skills. Must be able to use judgement to trouble-shoot and problem-solve. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with thorough knowledge of English grammar. Knowledge of Asia and Asian studies is highly recommended but not required. The Managing Editor will have an office with appropriate technology interface at the University of Pittsburgh. Under supervision of the Editor, the editorial team will include the managing editor, a graduate student assistant and undergraduate interns. The team will meet regularly, at least once every week, to review progress, assign work responsibilities and ensure efficient and effective workflow.

More information and application instructions available on the Pitt website.

2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション) in Pittsburgh, from October 29.

The 2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション) will play in Pittsburgh from October 29 through November 4. A synopsis, from the distributor.

When a sinister organization threatens to wipe out all superhuman powers, the fate of the world is on the line. With two hours until the collapse of civilization, Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki manage to work as a team, but there’s still one problem. Deku’s on the run for murder.

It is scheduled so far to play at the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville and Monaca, though more locations may be announced later. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Chinese film Back to the Wharf (风平浪静) at Pitt, October 7 and 9.

The Chinese film Back to the Wharf (风平浪静) will play at the University of Pittsburgh on October 7 and 9 as part of the SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival. From a January Variety review:

The son of a midlevel official in a coastal fishing town, Song Hao (Zhou Zhengjie) is a bright student who’s robbed of the automatic college place he has rightfully earned. His position has been given to close friend Li Tang (Gao Yuhang), the son of powerful local mayor Li Weiguo (Jin Hui). In a feeble attempt to dress up his unethical decision as some kind of long-term benefit for the school, Song Hao’s headmaster (Zhou Jianya) tells the boy, “I prioritize the collective over the individual.”

Things go from bad to catastrophic in the first of many scenes taking place in pelting rain and howling wind that serve as visual metaphors for the protagonist’s sorrows and struggles. Intending to visit Li Tang’s upmarket home, Song Hao accidentally enters the wrong house and is mistaken for a burglar. In the confusion, Song Hao stabs owner Wan Yuliang (Zhao Longhao), who later dies. With his father Song Jianhui (Wang Yanhui) also implicated in this crime, which could ruin his career and destroy the family’s reputation, Song Hao flees to faraway Guangzhou, where he takes a lowly job in a masonry factory. Unbeknownst to father and son, Li Tang is aware of their transgressions and has chosen to remain silent.

It plays at 6:30 pm on the 7th and 12:00 pm on the 9th, at the Frick Fine Arts Buliding (map) both days. Tickets may be purchased online.

Korean film An Old Lady (69세) at Pitt, October 9.

The 2019 Korean film An Old Lady (69세) will play at the University of Pittsburgh on October 9 as part of the SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival.

A 69-year-old woman has to find justice for herself when she faces doubt and disdain from authorities who can't imagine her as the victim of sexual assault.

The movie starts at 5:00 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts (map). Registration is required.

Taiwanese film As We Like It (揭大歡喜), October 7 at Pitt.

The 2021 Taiwanese film As We Like It (揭大歡喜) will play at the University of Pittsburgh on October 7 as part of the SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival. A synopsis, from Taiwan Cinema:

When Rosalind hears that her father had vanished into thin air after being kicked out of the family business, she came back to Taiwan with her cousin Celia to look for him. During the search, she met Orlando, a racing driver, and they fell in love with each other at first sight. Nevertheless, since Rosalind didn’t believe in true love, she disguised as a man and pretended to be her own cousin. After she transformed herself into a man, she started a role-playing game with Orlando, claiming it to be a test…. As We Like It is the sequel to CHEN Hung-i’s debut feature Candy Rain. Inspired by As You Like It by William Shakespeare, it’s set in Ximending in Taipei in 2021. The most unique feature of this production is its all-female cast. It tries to discuss gender politics, role-playing and human desire in the future.

The movie starts at 8:30 pm on the patio behind Posvar Hall (map). Registration is required and can be completed online.

The Parlor Dim Sum & Cantonese BBQ working on physical location in Pittsburgh.

Dim sum and Cantonese food gain a bigger presence in Pittsburgh, as The Parlor Dim Sum works on a brick-and-mortar location. The Parlor has been a pop-up project of chef Roger Li---Umami, Nanban, and formerly Ki Pollo and Ki Ramen---for the last few years. His websites and social media say to stay tuned for big updates and more information about a physical space.