In brief: Linfield presents lecturer on Japanese martial arts

Professor Tetsuya Kono, professor in the College of Arts, Department of Education at Rikkyo University in Japan, will speak twice this week as part of the 50th Walter Powell – Linfield University Philosophy Lectures.

Both events are at 7 p.m., on May 9 and 10 in Jonasson Hall.

On May 9, Kono will speak on “Distancing – Ma’ai and Musicality in Kendo and Noh Theater, according to a Linfield press release.

“In this talk, I clarify the importance of the technique of distancing, Ma’ai, and of keeping the opponent out of rhythm in the martial art of Kendo,” stated Kono, a life-long practitioner of the Japanese martial art of kendo. Ma’ai is adequate spatial/temporal distance between oneself and the other. “In martial arts and Noh performance ma and ma’ai are important because they are necessary conditions for renewing the past and producing a return of the similar.”

On March 19, Kono will speak on “Zeami’s understanding of Gap (Senu-hima) and No-Mind (Mushin)”

In Japan, the teachings of Noh theater prodigy Zeami are seen as full of lessons not only for actors and artists but also for ordinary people, according to Kono, who seeks to delineate Zeami’s thoughts of the relationship “between performer and audience in the theater.”

Kono received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Keio University. His most recent book is “Ma’ai as Distancing: An Exploration of Ecological Phenomenology.” His research interests lie primarily in phenomenology, philosophy of mind and theoretical psychology.

The lectureship is made possible by a gift from Michael Powell in honor of his father, Walter Powell, founder of Powell’s Bookstore in Portland.

For more information, contact Jesús Ilundáin at jilunda@linfield.edu or 503-883-2362.