Col·loquis del grup d’Antropologia del Cos
A càrrec de Yuri Nonami (Universitat d’Otemae, Japó)
Dijous 9 de novembre a les 16.00
Lloc: IMF-CSIC, c/ Egipcíaques 15, 08001 Barcelona
Entrada lliure
Abstract: This presentation examines how “suri-ashi”, a walking style shuffling over the ground, embraces Japanese cultural importance in relation to the body and mind. “Suri-ashi” has been commonly utilized as a basic physical expression in martial and traditional performing arts in Japan for centuries. In Japanese martial arts, for example, it is practiced in Judo, Kyudo, Kendo, Aikido, Sumo and Karate-do, and in traditional performing arts, Noh and Kabuki. “Suri-ashi” is also practiced in Sado the Japanese traditional tea ceremony. Why do these arts utilize “suri-ashi”? Regarding cultural meaning, some artistic and cultural critics, and practitioners of martial arts and performing arts, argue from the viewpoints of Japanese agricultural culture, religion and nature. There is also some research from the practices of walking. In the anthropology of sports, martial arts are examined in relation with body manipulation and Eastern thoughts. However, there is no cultural anthropological research on “suri-ashi”. My research on this topic helps to fill this gap. It starts with an examination of the historical background of Japanese martial arts and traditional performing arts. Then, fieldwork data of interviews of practitioners, participant observations and experiential practices conducted in 2017, are explored. Finally, I argue that “suri-ashi” has a significant role in which all the information in each moment from the sole of foot is perceptible and this phenomena is caused by the thought of Zen.