The Warrior’s Heir
Succession struggles are dramatic gold, from classic theater to modern TV. But they're also enlightening, revealing our assumptions about what makes a family--what makes a marriage, or a parent? What can be inherited or earned by personal effort? How much say do the beloved dead get after they are gone, and how do we the living prove what they wanted?
Eight hundred years ago, on the archipelago of Japan across the world, a warrior widow became a nun. In the wake of her husband's death, she cut her hair, took the religious name Hō-Amidabutsu, and told everyone she intended never to remarry. She inherited her husband's property and took up his duties, serving as a guard in the capital and managing his estate.
But soon after, the dead man's daughter sued, claiming that Hō-Amidabutsu had indeed remarried and was no longer entitled to anything. Instead she, as trueborn daughter, should inherit the man's estate. In response, the dead man's adopted son went to court on Hō-Amidabutsu's behalf (and his own), arguing that the daughter had long since been disinherited. An exasperated government resorted to making the household's warriors give sworn testimony: was Hō-Amidabutsu was *acting* like she was re-married? Finally, after years of arguing, the highest judicial authority in the land came to a decision.
The team will decide, together, how best to take centuries-old legal documents and bring to life the world they depict with a visual novel, courtroom drama, puzzle solver, or another interactive story. Our goal is to help teachers of world history put medieval Japan onto their syllabi and guide interested players through the complexities of premodern Japan's legal principles to our shared humanity.
Apply by November 30, 2023, using this short survey.
The application process is competitive. Successful applicants will be asked to interview the week of December 4th.
No prior experience is required, but an ideal team will include students with a combination of:
Traditional art and/or digital art skills
Computer Science / coding experience
Japanese literature, culture, history, and/or language skills
Experience in background music and/or sound design
Strong creative and/or analytical writing skills
Students with any of the above are encouraged to apply.
Digital Humanities Intern Responsibilities
1. Familiarize yourself with the court case (six pages in translation) and the historical context of 13th century Japan (the Kamakura era).
2. Dramatize the case in a way that helps a player understand the culture behind it.
3. Take the lead on your portion of the game, and assist on others:
a. Find historical artwork, develop original artwork, or a combination thereof.
b. Write dialogue and integrate it into the game.
c. Design and code the game using the Ren’py Visual Novel Engine or another if preferred.
d. Create an engaging user interface.
4. Participate in testing and refining the game created by the group.
5. Attend weekly meetings on TBD.
Digital Humanities Intern Learning Outcomes
1. Interdisciplinary research experience focused on classical Japanese art, history, and law
2. Gain familiarity working with and interpreting textual and visual sources for a public audience
3. Experience working as part of a team to complete a real, useable project
4. Experience working in Ren’py, a popular visual novel engine.
Parameters
Successful applicants will enroll in a COLA internship—or the equivalent for their own college—in digital humanities via registration for LA 320wb (3 hours of credit).
Interns will work 10 hours a week, including group meetings. Interns must be available to meet during one of the following times:
Image Credits
Boston Museum of Fine Art: Illustrated Handscroll of the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice (Shuhan ron emaki) and Story of Chujohime (Chūjōhime monogatari)
Princeton University Library: Oath on Talisman Paper (Kishōmon 2)
Keio University Museum Commons: Excerpt from The Tale of Heike (Heike monogatari emaki dankan)