The Sophian

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Features

From Friday, April 10, to Saturday, April 11, the Smith College Sazanami Club, or Japan enthusiasts' club, hosted JAXPO, an annual event that involved a series of lectures and demonstrations designed to promote a greater understanding of Japanese culture and society.

Each year, the lectures at JAXPO focus on a different sociopolitical theme of the Sazanami club's choice, with this year's theme being "Minorities in Japan." On Friday, Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology Peter Rose gave a lecture about how the history and concept of pluralism differ in Japan and the U.S., and how such differences are reflected in the stigma traditionally associated with the burakumin minority in Japan.

Unlike what most people in the United States would consider a minority, the burakumin "were people who were neither racially nor ethnically distinct, but they were treated like both," as Professor Emeritus Rose stated. Burakumin are the stigmatized descendants of people who participated in "unclean" occupations associated with death and impurity in the feudal era, such as executioners, undertakers and leatherworkers. Although discrimination toward burakumin today has largely subsided, they still encounter problems, particularly in rural and western Japan.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Sonia Ryang from the University of Iowa next gave a lecture on the issues historically faced by people of Korean descent living in Japan, dating from the time when Japan formally colonized Korea in 1910 to the present.

Professor Ryang, herself a person of Korean descent who grew up in Japan, finds meaning both in raising awareness of what it was like to be Korean in Japan and in sharing the history of Japan and Korea with students, especially with those of Asian descent who are currently residing in the United States. "Learning about Asia is beyond academic; it has a personal meaning for them [Asian Americans]," Professor Ryang stated as she answered questions after the lecture.

On Saturday, two different martial arts demonstrations were held in the Davis Ballroom, one for kyudo - Japanese archery - and one for naginata, a martial art typically practiced by women, using a long pole-like weapon with a blade at the end.

The Mount Holyoke Naginata Club held a workshop in which Smith students had the opportunity to learn basic naginata movements. They then watched Naginata Club members execute forms while sparring. Students also learned about the basic history of the sport, safety measures and how competitive naginata works. Club President Katie Roche '09 said, "It's important to promote a rare martial art. There are two women's colleges here, and I think that they would appreciate a woman's martial art."

At 2 p.m., Hampshire College students taking a kyudo class demonstrated the sport. Smith and Mount Holyoke College students watched as the Hampshire students practiced kyudo while their instructor, Marion Taylor, the Martial Arts Program Director at Hampshire College, explained the basics and history of kyudo practice. Taylor then explained specific kyudo techniques, the different forms of shooting, such as in warfare, and allowed students to practice handling kyudo equipment, before demonstrating formal kyudo technique himself.

Like the members of the Naginata Club, Taylor expressed a desire to spread awareness of what is a relatively little known martial art in the United States. Taylor also said, "In private practice, I enjoy the meditative aspect."

JAXPO, which Sazanami has held annually since 2005, was once again a great success. The goal of this year's event was to foster discussion about the lesser known aspects of Japanese society, both socially and recreationally, and in achieving that, the club succeeded superbly.

Five College students who are interested in joining the Naginata Club may contact Katie Roche via e-mail at roche20k@mtholyoke.edu. The club practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m.

For anybody who would like to learn kyudo, Hampshire College holds its beginners' kyudo class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. There is also an intermediate class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m.

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