A Tale of Two Cities: Kyoto and Tokyo - four online talks by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

The Japanese Architect Tadao Ando once wrote, ‘In Japan a temple is made of wood. The divine spirit of the building is eternal, so the enclosure doesn’t have to be.’ In other words, Japanese culture finds beauty in impermanence – the celebration of the fleeting cherry blossom, the aesthetics of wabi sabi (imperfection) and mono no aware (wistfulness). Nothing in Japan lasts forever – the power of earthquakes, fires and tsunamis have seen to that – and yet Japan is steeped in a tradition that stretches back to its mythical origins. Cities fall and cities are rebuilt; the traditions do not perish.

In a series of four beautifully illustrated lectures Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones will explore the idea of impermanence/permanence in two pivotal periods in Japanese history, through two specific sites – Kyoto in the Heian era (794 to 1185) and Tokyo (or Edo as it was known) in the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868). The talks will examine the history, arts and daily life of Japan in these formative periods of great cultural significance, exposing the richness of one of the world’s great civilisations.

They take place every Tuesday from 6th–27th August at 4.30pm and, including Q&A, will probably last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (22nd October 2024).