Long-term research stay of GCBS researcher Laurent Van Cutsem in Japan, April – September 2025

GCBS postdoctoral fellow Dr. Laurent Van Cutsem shares a report on his recent research stay in Japan:

From April to September 2025, I had the privilege of spending six months as a Visiting Researcher at the 東京大学東洋文化研究所 Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at The University of Tokyo / UTokyo. My host (and kalyāṇamitra) was Prof. Yanagi Mikiyasu 柳幹康, the leading specialist on Yongming Yanshou 永明延壽 (904–976), who also secured a KAKENHI project devoted to advancing research on Chan/Zen lamp records. Needless to say, our discussions of Chan texts were both stimulating and immensely rewarding. More than anything, this stay reaffirmed my conviction in the value of careful philology, reading slowly, and understanding where the texts we study actually come from.

From a research perspective, these six months were highly productive. I had the opportunity to make extensive use of the outstanding Tōbunken library and Prof. Yanagi’s remarkable personal collection on Chan Buddhism, while also acquiring a few essential resources for my project on Tang–Song Chan historiography. During this period, I worked hard to improve my article on the evolving bio-hagiographic portrayals of Chan master Huairang 懷讓 (d. 744), tracing his representation from the Baolin zhuan 寶林傳 (ca. 801) to the Tiansheng guangdeng lu 天聖廣燈錄 (preface dated 1036). The article was eventually published in T’oung Pao in December 2025, spanning just under eighty pages. (I’m sorry, and I promise I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.) Thanks to the invitations of Ven. Jeongdeok and Han Jae-hee, I also had the pleasure of traveling twice to Dongguk University 東國大學校 in Seoul to present my research on the textual history of the Zutang ji 祖堂集 and the development of Chan historiography through the figure of Huairang. Finally, a short trip to Kyoto gave me the opportunity to pay my respects to Kinugawa Kenji 衣川賢次, whose work on the Zutang ji has been fundamental to my own research, as well as to Christian Wittern, who kindly supported me throughout my Ph.D. several years ago.

One of the highlights of my stay was participating in Prof. Yanagi’s monthly reading group on Literary Chinese Buddhist texts. Alongside him, scholars including Professors Ogawa Takashi 小川隆, Tsuchiya Taisuke 土屋太祐, Zhang Chao 張超, and Didier Davin regularly contributed to the discussions. Watching these sessions unfold was inspiring and very humbling. They offered a glimpse into the remarkable rigor with which Chinese Buddhist textual culture is studied in Japan. Some participants even traveled from as far away as Niigata to spend a Saturday afternoon discussing difficult texts—a testament to their dedication. (Naturally, these sessions invariably concluded with a good meal at a nearby Chinese restaurant, which certainly did not diminish their appeal!)

Thanks once again to Prof. Yanagi’s generous invitation, I had the opportunity to return to the University of Tokyo in early 2026 to deliver two presentations: a special lecture before a distinguished audience that included scholars such as Ishii Shūdō 石井修道 and Albert Welter, and a paper at the international symposium on Chan studies, Zhongguo Chan yanjiu zhi qianyan 中國禪研究之前沿. Chinese served as the lingua franca throughout both the presentations and the discussions, something I found particularly refreshing. As an added bonus, I was able to see the University of Tokyo’s campus transformed by a fresh blanket of snow.

Not everything during this period was positive, however. My research stay and the months that followed were also marked by several health issues, forcing me to rethink my lifestyle and priorities. It’s very common for early-career academics to push themselves relentlessly nowadays, convinced that working harder is the only path toward securing the next position. In my experience, this simply isn’t true. Yet the cost of believing in this myth can be substantial, and recovering from years of neglect is often far more difficult than we imagine. If you happen to find yourself in a similar situation, whatever your profession: be kind to yourself, take care of your loved ones, keep active, and eat healthy.

What helped me through those difficult months were friendship and slow, curious walks through my neighborhood. Living in Mejirodai 目白台 meant having places such as the Eisei Bunko 永青文庫, Higo Hosokawa Garden 肥後細川庭園, and Gokoku-ji 護国寺 almost on my doorstep. I was also fortunate to reconnect with old friends while making many new ones. In one delightfully “karmic” coincidence, the husband of a Japanese friend with whom I had studied Chinese in Taipei turned out to be a close friend of fellow Chan specialist Huang Ting-shuo 黃庭碩—a friendship that unexpectedly led to another. A special thank you to everyone who made my time in Tokyo richer and more memorable: Henry Albery and Marie, Tony Scott, Misato Mori and Kuan-Chen Chen, Huang Ting-shuo, Arai Mika 荒井明佳, and Yang Zongjie 楊宗傑.

Looking back, my time in Japan was both intellectually enriching and personally transformative. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Yanagi Mikiyasu, whose generosity and enthusiasm for my work made this experience possible. I am also deeply grateful to Song Donggyu, who first introduced me to Prof. Yanagi through his reading group—an introduction that eventually made this research stay possible. My sincere thanks also go to my colleagues at Ghent University for their support and understanding throughout my stay. I can only hope that, in my own small way, I represented Ghent University well during my time in East Asia.