Lafcadio Hearn’s Japan: from Enchantment to Intercultural Understanding

A one day conference organised by the Centre for Asian Studies, Trinity College Dublin.

Please register for the event here.

Lafcadio Hearn enjoys great acclaim as a literary genius who brought the folklore of Japan to Westerners. Inspired by the author's book Kwaidan (1904), a collection of stories of the supernatural and translations of haiku poetry, a travelling exhibition entitled Kwaidan - Encounters with Lafcadio Hearn, featuring the fine art print works by 40 Irish and Japanese artists has been exhibited in Japan and Ireland during 2023 and 2024, to venues including the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museums in Matsue and Yaizu, as well as to Nagute and Kyoto. In Ireland it is exhibited in the Ballinglen Museum of Art, the Hyde Gallery in Sligo, the Coastguard Cultural Centre in Tramore, Co. Waterford, and the Hunt Museum in Limerick. From March until the end of August of 2025 it can be seen at Farmleigh Gallery in Dublin, and will also feature in the Irish Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo from April to October before taking up a permanent residence at Ireland House, the new Irish Embassy complex that is currently being constructed in Tokyo. 
In tandem with the exhibition's opening at Farmleigh Gallery, Trinity College Dublin’s Centre for Asian Studies is organising a one-day academic workshop honouring the life and works of Hearn, recognising him as a person dedicated to understanding across cultures, ambitious in his rejection of bigotry, and sensitive to Japanese life and ethics despite their contrast to the West. Speakers include prominent scholars, diplomats and politicians from Ireland, Japan, Britain and USA.

More information and the event programme can be found here.

Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: pengl@tcd.ie