East Asian Languages and Societies Commons^™

Mulan's Sisters On The Steppes Of Inner Asia, Zoe Hoff

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

An examination of powerful women from Inner Asia, covering the female regents Toregene, Sorqoqtani of the Mongol empire as well as Wenming of the Northern Wei. Also discussing the tale of Mulan and the influences on the Inner Asia originated tale.

Dōgen And The Feminine Presence: Taking A Fresh Look Into His Sermons And Other Writings, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

Dōgen’s gender-egalitarian stance on women to attain awakening in their zazen practice is well known. At the same time, a nagging suspicion lingers on among some scholars that he grew increasingly misogynistic in his old age. In this present study, which focuses on Dōgen’s sermons compiled in the Record of Eihei (Eihei kōroku), the Shōbōgenzō, and other writings related to women, we find that even after Dōgen moved to Eiheiji, his stance on women remained consistent. Not only did he readily respond to his female disciples’ requests to give special sermons in memory of their parents, but also positively saw …

Change In The Usage Of 老 In Chinese Vernacular Literature, Matthew Taylor Horn

Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Award

This paper looks at the change in usage of the Chinese character lao (老) in vernacular literature of the Tang, Ming, and Xiandai (modern) periods. It is mainly a quantitative study of the change in lexical meaning of lao due to its grammaticalization as well as its morphological change from a free to bound morpheme. These changes will be studied in relation to lao’s affixation.

Shunga: Erotic Art In The Tokugawa Era, Rachael Redjou

Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Award

This paper analyses the artistic elements of Shunga, or Japanese erotic art, produced throughout the Edo period. It also discusses the historical, economic, and social factors that culminated in Shunga's production and consumption as a popular urban commodity.

The Secret History Of The Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle Of The Thirteenth Century, Igor De Rachewiltz

A Collection of Open Access Books and Monographs

The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century is a shortened version of the three volumes of Igor de Rachewiltz’s similarly-titled work published by Brill in 2004 and 2013. It includes the full translation with a few notes, but omits the extensive introduction explaining the nature and origin of the text, the detailed commentary concerning linguistic and historical aspects of the text, and the exhaustive bibliography of the original. Included are the genealogical table and two maps from 2004, a shorter version of two indexes, and a very brief list of works cited.

In Response To The Howling Monkeys Along The Yangtze: An American Eco-Critic’S Translation Of Three Hundred And Eleven Tang Poems, Ning Yu

East Asian Studies Press

In Response to the Howling Monkeys along the Yangtze: An American Eco-Critic’s Translation of Three Hundred and Eleven Tang Poems by Ning Yu: If you have read Tang poetry, you have probably encountered its ubiquitous monkeys, especially along the narrow, rapid waterway of the Three Gorges. Sometimes, they cry sadly, sometimes they howl with excitement. Sometimes, hand in hand, they form a “monkey ladder,” taking turns descending to quench their thirst from the stream that rushes by a rocky cliff. Sometimes they approach a traveler, a poet, their one-time master, who, urged by his conscience the year before, broke the …

Review Of: Japanese And Continental Philosophy: Conversations With The Kyoto School, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

The aim of this anthology of seventeen essays, clearly set forth by the editors’ introduction, is “to promote dialogue between Western and Eastern philosophy, and more specifically between Continental philosophy and the Kyoto School” (p. 1). This venture is guided by the conviction that philosophy is ultimately “a quest for liberating wisdom” and not just an academic exercise (p. 15). This book comes as a timely response to today’s globalized environment, which is fast becoming one-dimensional, flat, and uniform, and in which human beings are unwittingly reduced to mere “numbers” for the profit of faceless corporations.

Revisiting The Thetic/Categorical Distinction In Japanese, Masanori Deguchi

Modern & Classical Languages

In this study, I propose a refinement of Kuroda's (1972, 1990) claim that the categorical and thetic judgments are realized syntactically in Japanese. Succinctly put, Kuroda argues that sentences with the topic marker wa represent categorical judgments whereas those with the nominative marker ga represent thetic judgments. In the present study, I demonstrate that wa-sentences do not uniformly represent categorical judgments and that ga-sentences do not represent thetic judgments across the board either. In particular, I argue that ga-sentences represent thetic judgments only on the so-called "neutral-description" reading (in the sense of Kuno 1973); on the "exhaustive-listing" reading, they instead …

Review Of: Overcoming Modernity And The Kyoto School: Modernity, Empire, And Universality, Edited By Sakai Naoki And Isomae Jun'ichi, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

This volume is an outcome of a workshop held at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) in Kyoto on 23-24 May 2009, which brought together scholars from Japan and abroad to "readdress the question of modernity." It includes ten essays, a substantial introduction, and a postscript.

Review Of: Asura's Harp: Engagement With Language As Buddhist Path, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

Asura's Harp: Engagement with Language as Buddhist Path by Dennis Hirota is a book that grew out of lectures given by the author at the Fürst Franz-Josef and Fürstin Gina Memorial Philosophy Lecture series in Liechtenstein (p. 153). Herein the author examines the significant role that language plays in the religious practice of the True Pure Land Sect of Japanese Buddhism (hereafter referred to as Shin Buddhism), founded by Shinran (1173-1263). Hirota's original audience being those present at his lectures, this book directly engages Western intellectuals, Christian and non-Christian.

Review Of: Aspect In Mandarin Chinese: A Corpus-Based Study, Edward J. Vajda

Modern & Classical Languages

The authors of this study pursue two goals. Citing examples from a large corpus of texts rather than relying primarily on native-speaker intuitions, they provide a fine-grained account of how aspect operates on both the lexical and sentential levels in contemporary Mandarin Chinese. Based on this description, they propose a number of refinements to currently existing general theories of aspect. The accompanying discussion revisits such important issues as the difference between aspect and Aktionsart, situation aspect vs. viewpoint aspect, contextual levels of analysis, and the notion of time vs. space in definitions of event boundedness.

Review Of: A Grammar Of Mangghuer: A Mongolic Language Of China's Qinghai-Gansu Sprachbund, Edward J. Vajda

Modern & Classical Languages

One of the least remarked aspects of the Mongol conquest is the dissemination of Mongolic languages to various corners of Eurasia. Like the far-flung remnants of a supernova, some of these are still spoken today. Keith Slater's book is a detailed synchronic description of one such language, called Mangghuer, which has received little attention from Western linguists before the appearance of this study.

Review Of: Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar, Edward J. Vajda

Modern & Classical Languages

This concise yet detailed treatment of Standard Mandarin Chinese focuses almost entirely upon diverse aspects of phrase and sentence construction. It is not a basic learner's grammar with a graduated presentation of material. Lacking any introduction to the phonology or writing, this book is intended for those already familiar with some form of Chinese orthography.

Mongolia At 800: The State And Nation Since Chinggis Khan, Henry G. Schwarz

Henry G. Schwarz

As we are commemorating the 800th anniversary of Temüjin’s ascent to power, we are being told that that event marked the birth of the Mongolian state, the Yeke Monggol Ulus. There can, of course, be no question that this event happened and that it marked, like the Otrar Incident a dozen years later, a major qualitative change in the history of Mongolia and indeed of most of northern Asia. What is of equal importance but has been neglected or entirely ignored was the birth of a Mongolian nation, or perhaps more precisely speaking, a new Mongolian nation. The relative neglect …

Mongolian Culture And Society In The Age Of Globalization, Henry G. Schwarz

East Asian Studies Press

Mongolian Culture and Society in the Age of Globalization, edited by Henry G. Schwarz: One of the most ubiquitous terms used over the past dozen years or more has been globalization, but there is no consensus as to its precise meaning. Instead we have been witnessing an ever growing number of definitions and descriptions offered by experts in such fields as economics, politics, anthropology and sociology. If they agree on anything at all, it seems that globalization has come about largely as the result of three factors: the end of the so-called cold war, the emergence of a new …

Review Of: Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, And Poetry Of Saigyō, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

A quarter of a century ago William LaFleur published his book on Saigyō, Mirror for the Moon, which the present work, Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyō, thoughtfully and masterfully supersedes. In the first part of the book, "The Life and Times of Saigyō," the author succinctly incorporates many of these findings and relates Saigyo's poems both to historical events and to his personal life experience (pp. 1-70). The second half of the book contains LaFleur's translation of over 150 poems by Saigyō, all of which appear to be taken from his earlier book.

Review Of: The Phonology Of Standard Chinese, Edward J. Vajda

Modern & Classical Languages

San Duanmu's eclectic, clearly written approach to the sound pattern of Standard Chinese (or putonghua, China's official lingua franca used by hundreds of millions) could easily serve as an undergraduate text, yet his presentation is rich in theoretical proposals. Explanations are based on a variety of perspectives, from traditional views of the phoneme to feature geometry and optimality theory (OT), each concisely introduced so that the discussion is easy to follow, even for the novice. The result is a flowing, integrated approach that addresses-and solves-some of the thorniest perennial problems in Chinese phonology.

A Study Of Japanese-English Translation, Anne Cisney

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This is an on-line version of an Honors Program project by Anne Cisney. This on-line version does not contain Cisney’s translation of N.P. by Banana Yoshimoto. It does contain two essays, “The Art of Translation” and “My Translation Experience”, plus an annotated bibliography.

A complete version, with translation, of Anne Cisney’s Honors Program project, "A Study of Japanese-English Translation", is located in Western Libraries.

https://onesearch.library.wwu.edu/permalink/f/1jlslm9/CP71146670620001451

Review Of: Women Living Zen, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

This is an anthropological study, carried out with love, care, and attention to detail, of the Japanese Sata nuns. Why would modern (Japanese) women want to give up the comforts of modern life, part with their beautiful hair-a powerful symbol of womanhood-and become monastics? What are their self-perceptions and their daily lives like? Arai ably answers these questions. She first takes the reader on a journey through the history of Japanese monastic Buddhist tradition, which began when three women were ordained sometime around the year 590. She then clarifies the modern academic arguments surrounding Dogen's view of women's capacity for …

Review Of: L'Lo E Il Tu, Michiko Yusa, Massimiliano Tomasi

Modern & Classical Languages

L'lo e II Tu is an Italian translation of Nishida KitarO's 1932 essay, "Watakushi to Nanji" (I and Thou), with an introduction by the translator, Renato Andolfato. The translation is followed by an essay by Giangiorgio Pasqualotto, the author of II Tao della Filosofia (1989), who teaches at the University of Padova. The present book grew out of Andolfato's graduation thesis of 1994 for the University of Venice. Since Nishida's "I and Thou" has never been translated until now, this is a welcome addition to the field of Nishida Studies. The book tells its readers something about the scholarly interest …

Through The Ocean Waves: The Autobiography Of Bazaryn Shirendev, B. (Bazaryn) ShirėNdėV

East Asian Studies Press

The translation of Shirendev’s Through the Ocean Waves is a significant event for the historical understanding of modem Mongolia. This is the first personal biography by a central figure in the communist government that dominated the entire central part of the twentieth century. Shirendev is a remarkable statesman. The peaks and troughs of his career, alluded to in his title, reveal the inner turbulence of the history of his country, which was largely hidden until recently. Since 1990 Mongolia has changed direction politically, turning towards democracy, market relations and openness in public life. The publication of Shirendev s book in …

Body Parts In Mongolian And Uyghur, Henry G. Schwarz

History Faculty and Staff Publications

Although much has been written about Standard Mongolian and Mongolian languages, relatively little attention has been given to their relationship to neighboring languages, particularly those belonging to the Turkic group. The following few lines are intended as a minor contribution to filling the void and to honor Professor Ozawa on his seventieth birthday.

Opuscula Altaica : Essays Presented In Honor Of Henry Schwarz, Edward H. Kaplan, Donald W. Whisenhunt

East Asian Studies Press

Opuscula Altaica : Essays Presented in Honor of Henry Schwarz, edited by Edward H. Kaplan and Donald W. Whisenhunt: We are pleased to present herewith a largely Mongol miscellany in honor of a most remarkable man, Henry Schwarz. I first met Henry Schwarz in the winter of 1967 at a meeting of the Inner Asia Colloquium of the then Far Eastern and Russian Institute at the University of Washington. Attending were the bright lights of Inner Asian Studies including, in addition to Henry himself, the late Nicholas Poppe, the late T.V. Wylie, Herbert Franke, Lao Yan-shuan, and a host …

Review Of: Emerging From Meditation, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

This volume contains an English translation of Okina no fumi (Writings of an Old Man) (1746) and Shutsujo-kogo (Emerging from Meditation) (1745), by Tominaga Nakamoto (1715-1746), preceded by the translator's Introduction and followed by a Note on the editions used, the Conventions adopted in translation, a Bibliography, and Indexes of writings and characters for titles of writings and other names. Pye's translation assertively brings onto the Western academic stage a free and critical thinker, Tominaga Nakamoto-an unexpected but by no means unusual product of Tokugawa Japan, as Pye makes clear in his Introduction-who has hitherto been given very little attention …

Review Of: The Complete Guide To Everyday Kanji: A Systematic Approach To Mastering The 1,945 Jōyō Kanji As Well As 1,257 Common Compounds And Reading Japanese Financial Newspapers: An Innovative And Integrated Approach To Enhancing Reading Competence In Business Japanese, Michiko Yusa

Modern & Classical Languages

These books, both assisted by grants from the Japan Foundation, are welcome additions to the library of fast-growing Japanese language materials. Both volumes show the enormous time and effort that the authors put into them. The Complete Guide to Everyday Kanji, a carefully arranged reference to the 1,945 joyo- kanji, presents every kanji with on- and kun-reading(s) as applicable, a concise etymology and English meaning(s), and one or two words, either by themselves or in compounds.

Reading Japanese Financial Newspapers is a textbook, suitable for the students of intermediate to advanced Japanese. This book cannot but be a fruit of …

Mongolia And The Mongols: Holdings At Western Washington University, Henry G. Schwarz, Western Washington University

East Asian Studies Press

Western Libraries at Western Washington University began collecting Mongolian materials in earnest in 1975, when the University's Center for East Asian Studies created a Mongolian Program unique in North America. Most of the books and journals have been acquired through the efforts of Professor Henry Schwarz, who made many of the purchases during his frequent trips to Mongolia. He was also instrumental in obtaining the important collection of Mongolian and related materials acquired by the noted scholar Nicholas Poppe.

The Bibliotheca Mongolica, published in 1978, and Mongolian Publications at Western Washington University, published in 1984, represent the Center’s first efforts …

An Uyghur-English Dictionary, Henry G. Schwarz

East Asian Studies Press

An Uyghur-English Dictionaryby Henry G. Schwarz: As the initial foundation of my dictionary I chose the Uyg̃urçä-xänzuçä lug̃ät which, in its manuscript form and after 1982 in published form, had been my steady companion in Xinjiang. If I ever considered doing nothing more than translating it into English, I rejected this option almost from the start. For one thing, I often found the dictionary to be inaccurate in many respects, both large and small. More importantly, a direct translation from Uyghur to English reduces the number and the degree of infelicities that smudge the interface …

Left And Right: Investigating A Scientific Claim, Henry G. Schwarz

History Faculty and Staff Publications

It has long been known in the field of neurophysiology that specific activities are controlled in specific parts of the brain. It has been furthermore widely believed that the brain's left hemisphere is the main, if not exclusive, language center, controlling such activities as speech and writing with the right hand, while the right hemisphere controls such activities as smell, spatial construction, and nonverbal ideation. However, this article concludes that the claim of a universal dichotomy of "right/wrong" in languages is false and that these allegedly universal connotations are not present in the languages of East and Central Asia.

Buddhist Art Of East Asia, Dietrich Seckel, Ulrich Mammitzsch

East Asian Studies Press

Buddhist Art of East Asia by Dietrich Seckel, translated by Ulrich Mammitzsch: The publication of an English translation of a work which was originally published thirty years ago requires some explanation. Professor Seckel’s work has not only stood the test of time remarkably well, it has also remained the only attempt to date to provide a systematic survey of East Asian Buddhist art. This emphasis on the basic principles of this art constitutes the value of this study and ensures at the same time its relevance for years to come. To be sure, many individual works of Buddhist art have …

Mongolian Publications At Western Washington University, Henry G. Schwarz

East Asian Studies Press

No abstract provided.