Seeking Inspiration: How the Japanese Mountain Witch Encourages Artistic Creativity

Sponsored by the Ei’ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professorship in Japanese Studies and UMSL Global at the University of Missouri-St. Louis

In this interview, renowned scholar Dr. Rebecca Copeland shares insights and thoughts on literary, artistic, and scholarly encounters with an elusive figure from Japanese folklore-the yamamba. The yamamba has been interpreted as a fearful ogre, a terrifying trickster, a kind granny who aids those in need, or simply a woman who seeks solitude beyond the boundaries of family. PhD. Student Katie Stephens will talk to Dr. Copeland about her forthcoming volume, Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch (co-edited with Linda C. Ehrlich, Stone Bridge Press, 2021).