Haunted Archipelago: Snakes, Serpents, and Dragons in the Eco-Social Imaginary of Japan (Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies)

2026 October 16 (Fri) 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm | (In-Person) | Kang Room (S050), Concourse Level, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge St. 

Haunted Archipelago: Snakes, Serpents, and Dragons in the Eco-Social Imaginary of Japan

Speaker: HARUO SHIRANE, Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture, Columbia University

Moderator: DAVID C. ATHERTON, Thorley D. Briggs 1953 Associate Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University

The rat snake (aodaishō, Elaphe climacophora) by far Japan’s most ubiquitous snake, is frequently found inside farm houses and roofs and is widely considered to be a guardian deity of rice. Mountain landslides are referred to as ja-nuke (serpent breakouts). In medieval legends, women transform into terrifying snake-serpents. What is the relationship among these different snakes and serpents? What is their connection to the water and mountains? This talk examines both the “natural”—snakes, foxes, mountains, rivers, tall trees—and the “supernatural”—serpents, demons, ghosts, and tengu—as key parts of the “eco-social imaginary,” a way of living and seeing that binds the community with its physical environment. The “social” here is not just humans but the larger community of animals, reptiles, birds, trees, and the surrounding mountains, often treated as earth beings. The presentation provides a sweep of Japanese history, over which these relationships and practices emerged and changed, highlighting major shifts with a focus on the issue of “broken reciprocity.”

Reischauer Institute Japan Forum