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Seminar Details
September 22, 2025
4:00 PM
Tradition in Transition: Samurai, Tea, and Culture in Edo Japan

Tradition in Transition: Samurai, Tea, and Culture in Edo Japan

Tradition in Transition: Samurai, Tea, and Culture in Edo Japan

Tradition in Transition: Samurai, Tea, and Culture in Edo Japan
(September 22, 2025 | 4:00–6:00 PM PT)

Join us for a special 2-hour online seminar with Professor Morgan Pitelka as he examines how Japan’s cultural traditions developed and transformed during the Edo period. Through the lenses of tea culture, the samurai, and garden design, Professor Pitelka will explore how these practices preserved heritage while also adapting to the rise of popular culture—driven by merchants, townspeople, and new art forms—in early modern Japan.

This program offers rich historical and cultural insights for K–12 educators in history, art, literature, and cultural studies, providing globally relevant content and classroom-ready ideas.

🗓️ Date: Monday, September 22, 2025
⏰ Time: 4:00–6:00 PM (PT)
💻 Format: Zoom Webinar (Lecture + Q&A)
🎓 Open to all K–12 educators
📚 Includes teaching resources, images, and discussion guides


Featured Topics:

  • Tea Culture in Transition — The evolving role of the tea ceremony in Edo society and its intersections with emerging cultural trends.

  • The Samurai in Edo Japan — Shifts in status, role, and identity as samurai culture interacted with merchants, townspeople, and the growth of popular culture.

  • Garden Design & Cultural Identity — How Japanese gardens reflected tradition while adapting within the aesthetics of early modern Japan.

💬 Interactive Format:
The seminar includes a Q&A segment, allowing participants to explore historical interpretations and practical teaching strategies.

📌 Don’t miss this opportunity to gain deeper insights into Japan’s cultural heritage and how it adapted during a time of profound transformation.

 

Register Here!

 

Instructor:

Morgan Pitelka received his B.A. in East Asian Studies with honors from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in East Asian Studies from Princeton University. His scholarship focuses on the history of late medieval and early modern Japan, with a focus on material culture, environmental history, and urban history.