WMJ30101 Aesthetics and KANSEI-affective Philosophy

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Integrated Arts and Human Sciences Program

Lecture Code WMJ30101 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name 美的感性論

Subject Name
（Katakana）ビテキカンセイロン

Subject Name in
English Aesthetics and KANSEI-affective Philosophy

Instructor KUWAJIMA HIDEKI

Instructor
(Katakana) クワジマ　ヒデキ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  First Semester,  First Semester

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (1st) Thur9-10：IAS A704

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

★Semester（the first half of academic year）Open Class,  managed by Prof. KUWAJIMA: each 90 min. at 16:20-18:05 on Thursdays(from April to August).
★Basically Face-to-face Seminars in Japanese.
★In case of spread of the infectious diseases like covid-19 or of severe weather, we might change the way into Online(simultaneous interactive).

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 2 Language of Instruction J : Japanese

Course Level 5 : Graduate Basic

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 04 : Arts

Eligible Students All Grades

Keywords 【Key Words】：
Sensibility＝KANSEI; Beauty Art (Fine Arts / Technology); Narrative, or Storytelling; Film/Cinema; Animation; Environment; Design; History; Landscape; Windows; Passages/Corridors; Civilization vs. the Periphery / Margins / Borderlands; Fairies; Otherworld; Ireland; Museums (museums, art museums, literary museums), etc.

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students) ●Purpose for Aesthetic-Education, or KANSEI-Education
●Graduate-level foundational course on human sensibility and thinking
●Provides an intellectual, logical, and concrete explanation of sensibility
●Liberal arts course offering a 21st-century thinking model
●Explores the essence of human culture
●Interdisciplinary approach from the perspective of aesthetics, or philosophy of sensibility
●Critical re-examination of landscape reading and representation
●Analysis of the relationship between cities and museums through concrete case studies

Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)

Class Objectives
/Class Outline 【Course Objectives】:
１．This course examines distinctive Irish/Celtic forms of sensibility through the analysis of Irish cinema, including contemporary Irish animation.
２．The analysis is guided by the concepts of the ontology of interface and the aesthetics of metamorphosis, discussed by the instructor as central to Irish aesthetics.
３．Focusing on these concepts, the course explores motifs such as boundaries, transformation, encounters with other worlds, and metaphors of windows or passages in cinematic works.

Class Schedule 【Lecture Theme:  Exploring Interfaces and Metamorphosis in Irish Cinema (Including Animation)】
●Session 1: Introduction
Overview of the course structure and methodology, followed by an outline of the central theme, “What are the distinctive characteristics of Irish aesthetics?”
Selected works will be introduced, including a poem by Kaoru MARUYAMA and an essay by Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo KOIZUMI).

●Sessions 2–7: Film and Animation Analysis
Analytical discussions of films such as "The Secret of Roan Inish" and the animated feature "Song of the Sea".
These sessions draw on, among other references, Celtic Aesthetics of Life and Death by Hideki KUWAJIMA (Hosei University Press, 2016) , and The Anthropology of Spiral Art(Seidosha, 2025) by Mayumi TSURUOKA which traces spirals of death and rebirth from Celtic and Jōmon cultures to Contemporary Irish Animation.

●Sessions 8–13: Animation Analysis
Focused analysis of animated films such as "The Secret of Kells” and "Wolfwalkers".
Discussions continue with reference to the same core texts by KUWAJIMA and TSURYUOKA, examining deeper cultural strata and symbolic transformations in Irish and transnational visual narratives.

●Session 14: Synthesis/Conclusion
Concluding discussion: What is the relationship between Ireland’s distinctive “forms of sensibility” and the motifs of "windows/passages"?

●Session 15: Final Examination (or Final Report)
A final examination or submission of a final paper.
(※Note: the final examination may be conducted during the final class session.)

●Additional Notes:
１．Throughout the course, students may be asked to give short summary presentations on selected reference materials or to complete independent research assignments on specific themes or concepts relevant to the lectures.
２．Throughout the course, timely and topical works may be substituted as appropriate and will be analyzed and discussed.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Required Textbook by Hideki KUWAJIMA:
・"Celtic Aesthetics of Life and Death: Deep Cultural Strata of Europe as Read through Irish Cinema"(Japanese), Hideki Kuwajima, Hosei University Press, 2016.

Recommended / Reference Textbook:
・"The Art Anthropology of the Spiral: The Spiral of Death and Rebirth from Celtic and Jōmon Cultures to Contemporary Anime" (Japanese), Mayumi TSURUOKA, Seidosha, 2025.

Additional Reference (Professor’s Publications)
・"Ryōtarō Shiba: A Landscape Traveller"(Japanese), Hideki KUWAJIMA, Sekai Shisōsha, 2020.

・"The Possibility of a Theory of the European Composite State: A Dialogue between History and Intellectual History"(Japanese), Jun IWAI & Hiroyuki TAKEZAWA (eds.), Minerva Shobō, 2021.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. Text, Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Stream

(More Details) Powerpoint Slide, DVD and VHS video projector and Microsoft Teams etc.

Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions, Quizzes/ Quiz format, PBL (Problem-based Learning)/ TBL (Team-based Learning), Fieldwork / Survey, Project Learning, Flip Teaching, Post-class Report

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review To dictate my comments during listening my lecture, and watching the related photos and movies on TV screen etc.

Requirements

Grading Method Final Examination (or Final Report）:  about 30%
Positive Attitude toward the Class (Summary-submission, Oral Presentation and Discussion etc.) :  about 70%

Practical Experience Experienced

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it Making use of the insights from my career such as: Chief of Council of Higashihiroshima City Art Museum, and Former Chief of Cultural Advisory Panel of Higashihiroshima City.

Message

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Integrated Arts and Human Sciences Program
Lecture Code	WMJ30101	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	美的感性論
Subject Name （Katakana）	ビテキカンセイロン
Subject Name in English	Aesthetics and KANSEI-affective Philosophy
Instructor	KUWAJIMA HIDEKI
Instructor (Katakana)	クワジマ　ヒデキ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	1st-Year, First Semester, First Semester
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(1st) Thur9-10：IAS A704
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face
★Semester（the first half of academic year）Open Class, managed by Prof. KUWAJIMA: each 90 min. at 16:20-18:05 on Thursdays(from April to August). ★Basically Face-to-face Seminars in Japanese. ★In case of spread of the infectious diseases like covid-19 or of severe weather, we might change the way into Online(simultaneous interactive).
Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week	2	Language of Instruction	J : Japanese
Course Level	5 : Graduate Basic
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	04 : Arts
Eligible Students	All Grades
Keywords	【Key Words】： Sensibility＝KANSEI; Beauty Art (Fine Arts / Technology); Narrative, or Storytelling; Film/Cinema; Animation; Environment; Design; History; Landscape; Windows; Passages/Corridors; Civilization vs. the Periphery / Margins / Borderlands; Fairies; Otherworld; Ireland; Museums (museums, art museums, literary museums), etc.
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)	●Purpose for Aesthetic-Education, or KANSEI-Education ●Graduate-level foundational course on human sensibility and thinking ●Provides an intellectual, logical, and concrete explanation of sensibility ●Liberal arts course offering a 21st-century thinking model ●Explores the essence of human culture ●Interdisciplinary approach from the perspective of aesthetics, or philosophy of sensibility ●Critical re-examination of landscape reading and representation ●Analysis of the relationship between cities and museums through concrete case studies
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Class Objectives /Class Outline	【Course Objectives】: １．This course examines distinctive Irish/Celtic forms of sensibility through the analysis of Irish cinema, including contemporary Irish animation. ２．The analysis is guided by the concepts of the ontology of interface and the aesthetics of metamorphosis, discussed by the instructor as central to Irish aesthetics. ３．Focusing on these concepts, the course explores motifs such as boundaries, transformation, encounters with other worlds, and metaphors of windows or passages in cinematic works.
Class Schedule	【Lecture Theme: Exploring Interfaces and Metamorphosis in Irish Cinema (Including Animation)】 ●Session 1: Introduction Overview of the course structure and methodology, followed by an outline of the central theme, “What are the distinctive characteristics of Irish aesthetics?” Selected works will be introduced, including a poem by Kaoru MARUYAMA and an essay by Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo KOIZUMI). ●Sessions 2–7: Film and Animation Analysis Analytical discussions of films such as "The Secret of Roan Inish" and the animated feature "Song of the Sea". These sessions draw on, among other references, Celtic Aesthetics of Life and Death by Hideki KUWAJIMA (Hosei University Press, 2016) , and The Anthropology of Spiral Art(Seidosha, 2025) by Mayumi TSURUOKA which traces spirals of death and rebirth from Celtic and Jōmon cultures to Contemporary Irish Animation. ●Sessions 8–13: Animation Analysis Focused analysis of animated films such as "The Secret of Kells” and "Wolfwalkers". Discussions continue with reference to the same core texts by KUWAJIMA and TSURYUOKA, examining deeper cultural strata and symbolic transformations in Irish and transnational visual narratives. ●Session 14: Synthesis/Conclusion Concluding discussion: What is the relationship between Ireland’s distinctive “forms of sensibility” and the motifs of "windows/passages"? ●Session 15: Final Examination (or Final Report) A final examination or submission of a final paper. (※Note: the final examination may be conducted during the final class session.) ●Additional Notes: １．Throughout the course, students may be asked to give short summary presentations on selected reference materials or to complete independent research assignments on specific themes or concepts relevant to the lectures. ２．Throughout the course, timely and topical works may be substituted as appropriate and will be analyzed and discussed.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Required Textbook by Hideki KUWAJIMA: ・"Celtic Aesthetics of Life and Death: Deep Cultural Strata of Europe as Read through Irish Cinema"(Japanese), Hideki Kuwajima, Hosei University Press, 2016. Recommended / Reference Textbook: ・"The Art Anthropology of the Spiral: The Spiral of Death and Rebirth from Celtic and Jōmon Cultures to Contemporary Anime" (Japanese), Mayumi TSURUOKA, Seidosha, 2025. Additional Reference (Professor’s Publications) ・"Ryōtarō Shiba: A Landscape Traveller"(Japanese), Hideki KUWAJIMA, Sekai Shisōsha, 2020. ・"The Possibility of a Theory of the European Composite State: A Dialogue between History and Intellectual History"(Japanese), Jun IWAI & Hiroyuki TAKEZAWA (eds.), Minerva Shobō, 2021.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.	Text, Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Stream
(More Details)	Powerpoint Slide, DVD and VHS video projector and Microsoft Teams etc.
Learning techniques to be incorporated	Discussions, Quizzes/ Quiz format, PBL (Problem-based Learning)/ TBL (Team-based Learning), Fieldwork / Survey, Project Learning, Flip Teaching, Post-class Report
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	To dictate my comments during listening my lecture, and watching the related photos and movies on TV screen etc.
Requirements
Grading Method	Final Examination (or Final Report）: about 30% Positive Attitude toward the Class (Summary-submission, Oral Presentation and Discussion etc.) : about 70%
Practical Experience	Experienced
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it	Making use of the insights from my career such as: Chief of Council of Higashihiroshima City Art Museum, and Former Chief of Cultural Advisory Panel of Higashihiroshima City.
Message
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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