Noel J Pinnington

Interests

Research

Japanese aesthetic theories, Japanese theatre history (esp. Nō and Kyōgen), aspects of Tokugawa mathematics.

Teaching

Japanese literature (700-1900), Japanese Aesthetic Thought, Japanese Theatre, Japanese languages modern and historical, Early modern palaeography,

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Pinnington, N. J. (2016). A New History of Medieval Japanese Theatre - Nō and Kyōgen from 1300 - 1600. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2019). A New History of Medieval Japanese Theatre - Nō and Kyōgen from 1300 - 1600. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2006). Traces in the Way: Michi in the Writings of Komparu Zenchiku. Cornell East Asia Program.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2005). 中世能楽論における「道」の概念：能役者が歩むべき「道」. Nichibunken, Kyoto, Japan.
• Pinnington, N. J., & Bowring, R. (2001). Teaching about Japan in Japan: a Handbook. Kyushu University Press.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998). Essays in Idleness, by Yoshida Kenkō, trans. by George Sansom. Wordsworth Classics.

Chapters

• Pinnington, N. J. (2020). Locating Zeami in the History of Noh. In A Companion to World Literature (Wiley and Blackwell).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2016). Noh Drama. In Cambridge History of Japanese Literature. Cambridge University Press.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2001). Teaching Nō Plays. In Teaching about Japan in Japan: a Handbook. Kyushu University Press.

Journals/Publications

• Pinnington, N. (2018).

  China Reinterpreted: Staging the Other in Muromachi Noh Theater

  . Comparative Literature Studies, 55(2), 452-454. doi:10.5325/complitstudies.55.2.0452
• Pinnington, N. J. (2014). The Early History of the Noh Play: Literacy, Authorship, and Scriptedness. Monumenta Nipponica, 68.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2013). Buddhist Structures and Secular Themes in Zeami’s Narrative Style.. Journal of Religion in Japan, 2.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2006). Models of the Way in the Theory of Noh. Japan Review.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2006). Preliminary thoughts on the treatment of death in early Japanese literature. Journal of Kyushu University Asia Center, 1.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2005). Literary Pretexts for Issues of Trust and Security. Nichibunken Newsletter 58, 3-5 (in Japanese and English), 58(3-5).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2005). The internet as scholarly common room. Nichibunken, 33.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998). Invented origins: Muromachi interpretations of okina sarugaku. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1997). Crossed paths: Zeami’s transmission to Zenchiku. Monumenta Nipponica, 52(2).

Presentations

• Pinnington, N. J. (2017, March). Buddhism and Kyōgen: Shifts in the Representation of Priests Entering the Tokugawa Era. Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference Toronto. Toronto: Association for Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2016, April). Crossing Over: Sacred and Secular Performance in Premodern Japan (Discussant Presentation). AAS Annual Conference. Seattle: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2015, 3/18). "Locating Zeami in the History of Noh". Japan Research Centre Seminar. London, UK: School of Oriental and African Studies, London University.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2015, 3/28). “Women in Love: Who is responsible for Erotic Desire in a Noh Play?”. Association of Asian Studies annual conference. Chicago: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2015, 5.21). “The Crystallization of Kyōgen, Japan’s Classical Comedy: Refinement or Loss of Vigor”. Public talk series, SISJAC at Norwich Cathedral. Norwich, UK: Sainsbury's Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Culture.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2015, 8/22). ““Hi-niku-kotsu : Appropriating a Body-metaphor in Noh Theory”. Waka Workshop IX: Poetic Theory. Edmonton University, Canada.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2014, March). Michi and the Medieval Arts. Waka Workshop VIII: Poetic Teachings in Premodern Japan: Aesthetics and Practice from the Eighth to Eighteenth Centuries. Stanford University.: Stanford University..
• Pinnington, N. J. (2014, November). Historiographical aspects of the development of Noh theatre. Invited research presentation. Leuven University, Belgium: Leuven University, Belgium.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2014, November). Noh and Japanese Culture. Public Lecture. Catholic University of Leuven: Catholic University of Leuven.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2012, October). The role of the tastes of the shogun in the development of Noh. WCAAS Conference. Brigham Young University Idaho campus.: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2011, October). Conflict in the Noh: resistant voices in a Buddhist polyvocality. Columbia University Religion Conference: “Buddhism and the Performing Arts”. Columbia University, New York: Columbia University, New York.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2010, October). Literacy among Noh Actors (organizer, chair of panel and presenter). Annual WCAAS conference. California State University, Northridge: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2009, July). Origins and History of the Itsukushima Shrine and the History of Japanese Zen. Public Lecture. International Hall, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.: Kyushu University.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2009, October). Yamato Takeru – Tragic Failure or Geography?. Annual WCAAS conference. University of Arizona: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2007, June). Cross-fertilization among the arts in the development of Noh performance theory. Asian Studies Conference Japan. Tokyo, Japan: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2005, April). 中世能楽論における「道」の概念：能楽者が歩む べき 「道」”(The idea of the path: the path the actor must tread).. Public Lecture. Campus Plaza Kyoto, Japan: Nichibunken, Kyoto.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2005, May). 中世能楽論における「道」の概念 (The idea of the path in medieval discussions of Noh). Annual Meeting of Literary Research Society of Aichi Prefectural University. Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya: Aichi Prefectural University.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2004, December). Differences in academic writing at British and American universities” (given in Japanese) at the Mokuyô Seminâ Series, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto. Thursday Seminar Series. International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto: International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2004, November). The use of legendary material in medieval Noh secret works. Nichibunken Evening Seminar Series. International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan: International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2001, March). Komparu Zenchiku, Meishukushu and the Invention of Tradition. Annual Meeting of Association of Asian Studies. Sheraton Hotel Chicago: Association of Asian Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1999, June). Kojiki poetics. Japan in Today’s World (Japanese Ministry of Education Workshop. Kyushu University, Japan: Japanese Ministry of Education.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998, April). Narratological Aspects of Mugen Noh Plays. British Association of Japanese Studies annual conference. Cardiff University, Wales, UK: British Association of Japanese Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998, November). Japanese traditional poetry and translation. Workshop on teaching about Japan in Japan, Kyushu University. Kyushu University, Japan: Ministry of Education, Japan.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1996, May). The Buddhist Character of Noh Plays. SOAS seminar series. SOAS, London University, UK: London University, UK.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1994, February). Three models for Zeami’s transmission to Zenchiku. Cambridge Seminar Series. University of Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge.
• Pinnington, N. J. (1994, May). Sarugaku as Popular Culture. Edinburgh-Stirling East Asian Conference. Stirling University, Scotland, UK: Stirling University, Scotland..

Reviews

• Pinnington, N. J. (2017. Review of China Reinterpreted: Staging the Other in Muromachi Noh Theatre, by Leo Shingchi Yip(p. 5). Comparative Literary Studies.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2014. Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature, and the Arts, by Haruo Shirane. Journal of the American Oriental Society.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2009. Sacred Mathematics: Japanese Temple Geometry, by Fukagawa Hidetoshi and Tony Rothman. Monumenta Nipponica 64:1 (2009).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2009. Visioning Eternity: Aesthetics, Politics, and History in the Early Modern Noh Theater, by Thomas D. Looser. Monumenta Nipponica 64:2 (2009).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2008. Developing Zeami: The Noh Actor's Attunement in Practice. By Shelley Fenno Quinn. Japan Forum.
• Pinnington, N. J. (2007. Revealed Identity: The Noh Plays of Komparu Zenchiku. By Paul Atkins. Monumenta Nipponica (59:1).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2004. Theatricalities of Power: The Cultural Politics of Noh, by Steven T. Brown. Monumenta Nipponica (59:1).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2003. A Descriptive Grammar of Early Old Japanese Prose, by John R. Bentley. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (13:2).
• Pinnington, N. J. (2001. An Anthology of Premodern Japanese Senryu: Light Verse from the Floating World, by Ueda Makoto, in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (11:3) 417-9.. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (11:3) 417-9..
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998. Breeze through Bamboo: Kanshi of Ema Saiko, by Hiroaki Sato. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 63-4..
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998. The pursuit of loneliness: Chinese and Japanese nature poetry in medieval Japan, ca. 1050-1150, by Smits, I. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (1998:3) 596-597..
• Pinnington, N. J. (1998. Traces of Dreams. Landscape, cultural memory and the poetry of Basho, by Haruo Shirane. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 69-70..
• Pinnington, N. J. (1996. Genji and Heike: Selections from the Tale of Genji and the Tale of Heike, by Helen Craig McCullough trans.. Japan Forum (8:1) 137-8..

Creative Productions

• Pinnington, N. J. (2017. "Wind well" a film adaptation of the Medieval Noh play "Kinuta"Confluence Center.
  More info

  This was a project led by James Cook of the Art department, I researched the original Japanese play its history and sources, and translated several sources, James Cook wrote the screen play (with some assistance from me) found the actors and made the film. I participated in the filming / editing to some degree.As it was a collaborative project thought up and planned both by myself and Jim Cook, it is not possible to completely isolate my contribution, however I can list certain elements. At the beginning of the project, I contributed my close knowledge of the play and of nō in general in discussions with Jim Cook about the adaptation of the script. Subsequently I did historical research into the original play, and produced annotated translations of the several Chinese poems at its core, and an analysis of the Japanese 13th century commentaries that influenced the author of the original play. I also investigated the production history of the play and its reception up to the twentieth century.It was completed in 2017. I have put R3 as the activity code as there is no appropriate code.I suggest 5 EAS points. Please see the attached file below showing Albert's recent email and Jim Cook's response.