Musical Practices as an Instrument
for Spiritual Ascension, Praying and Practicing Faith
The First Conference in Kyoto:
Between Praying and Playing: Exploring the Potentials of Musical
Performance in Religious Traditions
Date: 24-26 February, 2025
Venue (25-26 February): Meeting Room (AA447), 4th Floor, Research Building No. 2, Kyoto University
[Program]
24 February, 2025 (Study Tour for Japanese Culture of Religion and Art)
9:00 Start from Kyoto University
10:00-16:00 Experience of Shinto culture at Fushimi Inari Shrine, Experience of Buddism culture at Mampukuji Temple and Byodoin Temple, and discussion about the comparison of religion and art between Japan and Islamic world.
17:00 Arrival at Kyoto University
25 February, 2025 (Day One of the Conference: Meeting of East and West)
10:15-10:45 Opening Session (Opening remarks: Tonaga Yasushi & Tuba IŞIK, congratulatory speeches: Cemalnur SARGUT Chair: Suzuki Manami)
10:45-12:15 Session 1 (Chair: TONAGA Yasushi)
Tuba IŞIK: Singing as a Sufi Performance and its Impact on Character Cultivation
Michael Conway: Shinran’s Japanese Language Hymns in Contemporary Shin Buddhist Ritual
Arzu Eylül YALÇINKAYA: Sufi Literature, Ritual, and Music/The Dynamics of Spiritual Awareness: Exploring Buddhist and Sufi Pathways through Text, Practice, and Sound
12:15-13:45 Lunch
13:45-15:15 Session 2 (Chair: Hatice Dilek GÜLDÜTUNA)
KOIZUMI Yurina: Reception of Christianity in Japan and its Influence on Various Arts
Vasfi Emre ÖMÜRLÜ: Flow of a Least Known Zikir Example of Istanbul Tekke: Rifâî Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
FUJITA Takanori: Sound patterns for invocation to the supernatural in kagura, the Shinto ritual and Noh drama of Japan
15:15-15:45 Tea Break
15:45-17:45 Performance Workshop
Vasfi Emre ÖMÜRLÜ : Experiencing the Least Known Sûfî Practice of Rifâî Kıyam Kelîme-i Tevhîd Zikir
FUJITA Takanori: Yuri (“to Sway”) , the Sound Symbol Used to Revive the Solar Deity in Noh Drama
18:30- Dinner
26 Febuary, 2025 (Day Two of the Conference: Artificial Expressions in between Practice and Meaning)
09:30-10:30 Sesssion 3 (Chair: AKAHORI Masayuki)
SUZUKI Manami: Melody and Lyrics in Cem Rituals of Alevi-Bektaşi: Music as a Form of Islam that Accompanies People
Birhan GENCER, M.A.: Rifai Qiyâm Dhikr in the Tradition of Ümmü Kenan Lodge
10:30-10:45 Tea Break
10:45-11:45 Session 4 (Chair: İlknur BAHADIR)
YAMAGUCHI Takumi: Corporeality of Otherness: A Typology of Bodily Reactions at Sufi Ritual of Spirit Possession in Morocco
Hatice Dilek GÜLDÜTUNA: Mânâ of Sema Mukâbele and Mevlevî Âyin Example Through Various Composed Pieces
11:45-12:15 General Discussion (Chair: Akahori Masayuki)
12:15-12:30 Closing Session (Closing greetings: Elif ERHAN, Chair: Suzuki Manami)
