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Organizers: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Seibu
Co-Organizer: Kyushu National Museum |
The Asia Pacific Maritime Symposium was held at APU on November 15. As well as the screening of documentary films on Asia, five panelists took part in discussions on Asia’s history of maritime exchange and explored valuable uncharted academic territory.
Many of the APU students and people who took part in the Symposium said,“It was a great opportunity to hear the different ideas and perspectives of specialists in this field.”Participants also commented that it was interesting to discover that being surrounded by sea actually helped Japan to facilitate, rather than inhibit cultural exchange.
A tour to the Kyushu National Museum was held on the second-day of the Symposium in which students learnt from several perspectives about how Asia has been united by the sea. The bus tour concluded a very enriching conference. |
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Documentary Films
on Asia
Two documentary films directed by Professor ICHIOKA Yasuko were shown during the morning session. The first film “Ukai no Furusato” traced the history of Asia and Japan from the perspective of shared rituals and cormorant fishing of the Chinese Bai People and Japan.
The second film, “Coming Face to Face with Kuroshio, God of the Sea” examined the hypothesis that cultures existing along the path of the Kuroshio ocean current all share mask-wearing deities as a common part of their mythology.
[Film Titles]
“Ukai no Furusato - Visiting Yunnan Province and Observing Local Fishing Traditions by the Bai People”(1981)
Director: Yasuko Ichioka
Producer: Jun-ichi Ushiyama
“Coming Face to Face with Kuroshio, God of the Sea”(1991)
Directors: Tadao Sugiyama and Yasuko Ichioka
Producer: Jun-ichi Ushiyama |
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Keynote Presentations
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Panel Discussion
The Symposium commenced with a number of professors on the panel giving presentations related to their specialized fields. Under the theme of "Expanding the notion of time and space in order to examine Asia," the panelists spoke drawing on their lives and rich experiences as researchers.
The talks prompted the participants to think about the history of maritime exchange in Asia from a number of different perspectives and led to some very stimulating discussions.
The speakers used various audio-visual aids including photographs and maps to explain in an easy to understand manner about their specialized fields of expertise.
For example, many photographs of statues of "Mazu," the Chinese Goddess of Safe Voyage, were shown to illustrate the importance of deities to people crossing the sea in ancient times. This provided an ideal preview to the Bus Tour to the Kyushu National Museum held on the second-day of the Symposium.
Afterwards, a panel discussion was held and the panelists expressed a wide range of views on the topic of free competition during the 16th century using the example of 'silver' and its ties to the money game in modern times.
Another one of the topics raised was in regards to whether to "open or close a nation." The example of the many influences brought by Europeans to Southeast Asia during the 16th century was mentioned as well as the importance of mutual understanding when interacting with different countries and regions. It was stressed that "without mutual understanding, order can not be maintained and that knowing about your own country and that of your counterparts is of utmost importance."
Opinions expressed at the forum ranged from those such as "The need to open up nations in the long term" and "avoiding international isolation" and were tied to discussions on "what is important in regards to opening-up nations." Discussion then followed on areas such as "the importance of realizing just how regional characteristics and identities may be jointly established" and "despite the fact that estranged cultures may regard interaction as frightening, it's important to fully comprehend the culture you wish to correspond with, no matter how ordinary the item in question."
Problems in relation to the modern phenomenon of globalization were also debated, with the opinion that "One cannot hope to enter Asia whilst clad in the trappings of European culture. In order to make an impact it is necessary to absorb the cultures of Asia, and any attempt not to do so is doomed to failure."
It is said that culture comes from the west and Beppu is connected on all fronts by the sea. The panelists expressed their hopes for APU students to study hard and to look to the sea for inspiration for the future. The curtains closed on a very constructive conference had by all.
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Panelists (From top left)
Hayao Fukui
(Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University)
Eiji Nitta
(Professor, Kagoshima University)
Takashi Hasuda
(Designated Researcher of the 21st Century COE Program Interface Humanities, Osaka University)
Takashi Kusui
(Senior Researcher, Kyushu National Museum)
Daisaku Kai
(Painter and Novelist) |
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Coordinator
Oji Itahashi
(Senior Writer, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Seibu) |
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| Bus Tour to the Kyushu National Museum |
Thirty-five students took part in the Bus Tour to the Kyushu National Museum held on the second-day of the Symposium.
Upon arriving at the museum, the participants listened to a talk by the Director of Cultural Assets, Mr. DAINOBU Yuji.
The Director explained that the Kyushu National Museum is the fourth National Museum to be built in Japan, and its location in Dazaifu City is significant as this was formerly an important political centre in Kyushu, where the Imperial Court 'Toh no Mikado' was located.
The students also learnt that "The Gods of the Sea" exhibit is being held in commemoration of the museum's first anniversary. After the talk, the students were given the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the exhibits.
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HAMRAKULOV Shohruhmirzo
(APS 3, Uzbekistan)
The Kyushu National Museum is impressive isn't it! It was a valuable experience to view the exhibits and imagine what life was like in the past. The many exhibits captured what was discussed during the Asia Pacific Symposium and traced the accumulation of culture and exchange over a long period of time.
By drawing on these experiences it will be possible to economically and culturally contribute to the development of Asia in the future. As Uzbekistan is part of Asia, I hope to make a rich contribution in that region and serve as a bridge between the East and the West. |
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KOREKUNI Yuho
(APS 2, Japan)
The Kyushu National Museum was even better than I expected. From listening to yesterday's talks and viewing the exhibits firsthand, I have learnt a great deal about how culture was exchanged via the sea and about "Mazu", the Chinese Goddess of Safe Voyage.
I came to realize that simply trying to cross the seas back in those days was a matter of life and death. I could see how this has led to the building of a multicultural society, and can really feel this present at APU. I hope that future generations are given the chance to learn about this topic for the betterment of society. |
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Asia Pacific Maritime Symposium -
"Asia United by Sea" |
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