This essay traces the development of the right-hand inscription (zuoyouming 座右銘) from its birth in the second century CE through its culmination as a complex literary subgenre in the tenth. Over the course of these eight centuries, right-hand inscriptions were used by some of the most prominent poets of their respective eras, including Cui Yuan…[Read more]

Syllabus for Japanese Mythology Spring 2021

Course Description
In this seminar we shall read and discuss a selection of recent important works on and around Buddhism and material culture (in English). In addition we shall survey trends in recent Buddhist Studies scholarship produced in other languages (Chinese, Japanese, French, German, etc.). Students will be required to write regular,…[Read more]

My contribution to the Immanent Frame project on “Pandemic, Religion, and Public Life.” It’s a story on disease, divine protection, and penance ritual. What can early Japanese Buddhism teach us about our present moment?

This is a story of the possibilities created by connection but also of the inherent fragility of movement within a network. It uses a case study of roads in ancient Japan (defined as late seventh through early ninth centuries) to show how networks not only amplify interaction but also isolation. This article explores the religious implications of…[Read more]

Syllabus for a graduate reading course on secondary scholarship on Japanese Buddhism

Syllabus for graduate seminar on premodern Japanese Buddhist texts from fall of 2019