The Japan Foundation Los Angeles (JFLA) presents lecture “Through the Fragrant Screen: Genji’s World in Scent and Space” by olfactory artist Maki Ueda from Okinawa at JFLA, 5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036 on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Participants are invited to experience the chapter through the sense of smell
Aroma and Live Reading: Sensory Experience of 11th Century Japan
In classical Japanese literature, the term oikaze (literally "tail wind") refers to the faint scent one encounters when passing by, or the fragrance wafting from a room.
It captures the phenomenon of an aroma being carried by the flow of air to one’s sense of smell. Though once common, this term has fallen into disuse in modern Japan.
Drawing inspiration from this term, this lecture focuses on Chapter 25, titled Fireflies from the Tale of Genji. This chapter takes place in the fifth month of the lunar calendar—roughly aligning with the timing of this event—which coincides with Tango no Sekku (the seasonal festival of boys), a time of year rich in fragrance.
In the Summer Quarter where the story unfolds, fragrant tachibana (citrus blossoms) bloom, shōbu (calamus) and yomogi (mugwort) are hung under the eaves, and kusudama (decorative herbal balls) are displayed to ward off evil.
Fireflies begin to appear in the humid air of the early summer rains (samidare). It is in this sensuous and visually poetic atmosphere that Prince Hotaru Hyōbu-kyō falls in love with Princess Tamakazura. In this lecture, participants are invited to experience this beautiful chapter in three dimensions—through the sense of smell.
A scented spatial artwork by the artist, embodying the concept of oikaze, will be exhibited at Ether: Aromatic Mythologies (May 30 — Sept 7, 2025) at Craft Contemporary. Visitors to this lecture may find their experience of the installation enriched.
This event is offered through a partnership with the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities.
