Japanese grandma gets doctorate for study of demons picture

Nov 30, 2020 | News On Japan

Nov 30, 2020 (Kyodo) - A 73-year-old woman has received a doctoral degree for her research into representations of the folklore theme of a night parade of demons, saying her embrace of lifelong learning has brought joy to her life.

Misako Nagura, who first entered Aichi Prefectural University when she was 54 to start an undergraduate degree in literature, earned her doctorate in September for research focusing on a picture scroll depicting the "Night Parade of A Hundred Demons."

The parade of a horde of supernatural creatures known as "oni" and "yokai" is a major theme in Japanese folklore, but the origin and meaning of the parade is still a subject of scholarly debate.

Nagura first looked into the question in her undergraduate thesis and after graduating in 2006, she entered graduate school in 2009 to continue her research.

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