On April 17, 2022, the East Asian Academy for New Liberal Arts, the University of Tokyo (EAA) ’s Ushioda Initiative of Arts (UIA) Kick-off Event was held at the Executive Management Program (EMP) Lounge of the Ito International Research Center.

From left: Yoichiro Ushioda (Honorary Fellow of EAA), Takahiro Nakajima (Dean of EAA)

Distinguished guests included Yoichiro Ushioda (Honorary Fellow of EAA), who provided tremendous support for the start of EAA Phase 2; Teruo Fujii (President of the University of Tokyo); Hiroaki Aihara (Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo); Atsushi Tsuda (Executive Officer and Vice President of the University of Tokyo); Masashi Haneda (Dean of Tokyo College); and Ushioda’s longtime friend Ikki Tsukuda (head of the Issa-an family, refer to his book Tea and the Japanese — Two Tea Cultures and the Form of This Country (Sekai Bunka Publishing, 2022)), along with his wife and son, Shio Tsukuda (heir of Issa-an). The attendees from EAA included Takahiro Nakajima (Dean of EAA), Tsuyoshi Ishii (Vice Dean of EAA), Yuki Tanaka, Mikiyasu Yanagi, Maromitsu Tsukamoto (Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia), Ching-yuen Cheung and Qin Wang (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), Hanako Takayama (EAA Project Assistant Professor), and Sana Sakihama (EAA Project Assistant Professor, reporter). In addition, three EAA Youth members participated.

Yoichiro Ushioda (Honorary Fellow of EAA)

The first part featured a ceremony commemorating Ushioda’s appointment as an Honorary Fellow of EAA. Following the speeches by Fujii and Nakajima, Nakajima presented the certificate of appointment to Ushioda, who then delivered an acceptance speech. The second segment featured a kick-off dialogue between Ushioda and Nakajima. Ikki Tsukuda also spoke, sparking a lively discussion with the audience.

Ushioda and Nakajima during the dialogue

During his acceptance speech as Honorary Fellow of EAA and his dialogue with Nakajima, Ushioda emphasized the importance of exchanging “feelings.” He used the tea ceremony as an example (Ushioda has a deep understanding of the tea ceremony; refer to his books The Essence of Suki (Sekai Bunka Publishing, 2021) and Tales of Suki (Kadokawa Gakugei Publishing, 2016)) and warned against falling into formalism. Nakajima noted that “li,” a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy, originally serves as a means to enrich “feelings” (refer to Takahiro Nakajima’s History of Chinese Philosophy (Chuokoron-Shinsha, 2022)). However, in situations where formality takes precedence, the purpose of exchanging “feelings” is disregarded. The hope is that EAA’s Ushioda Initiative of Arts (UIA) will thrive as a platform for exchanging “feelings” and altering ways of coexisting, described by Nakajima as “Human Co-becoming.” The inaugural event concluded successfully amidst a celebratory atmosphere.

※We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this event.

Reporter: Sana Sakihama (EAA Project Assistant Professor)

Photographers: Hanako Takayama (EAA Project Assistant Professor), Sana Sakihama (same)

Translator: Dan Yi (EAA Project Research Fellow)