The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino hosts Dr. Morgan Pitelka, a Bernard L. Herman Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chair of the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, in a discussion on “Tea and Politics in Japan’s Age of Unification” on Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Japan’s elite culture of tea, known as “chanoyu,” played a key role in the transition of Japan’s divided politics and civil wars of the late 16th century into a unified government in 1603. The civil wars intensified when three warrior hegemons successively and successfully conquered rebellious provinces, forged alliances to strengthen their collective militaries, and strove to unify what had been a profoundly divided polity for almost a century. The end result was the establishment of what would be the last samurai government in Japanese history – the Tokugawa shogunate – which ruled from 1603 to 1868.
This lecture by Dr. Pitelka explores tea’s role during this period by illuminating the interplay between sociability, patronage, and the pleasures of the tea house.
Dr. Pitelka received his BA in East Asian Studies with honors from Oberlin College and his PhD in East Asian Studies from Princeton University.
Before joining the UNC faculty, he taught at Occidental College from 2002 to 2010. His scholarship focuses on the history of late medieval and early modern Japan, with a focus on material culture, environmental history, and urban history.
This event on Thursday is the Genshitsu Sen Annual Tea Lecture and is free with reservation.
To sign up, visit https://huntington.org/event/tea-and-politics-japans-age-unification.
For more information, call (626) 405-2100.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens are at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino.
