The Nagoya University Lecturer Plaque was recently award to Michel Zink, Vice-Administrateur and professor at Collège de France. Last October, Professor Zink delivered the first Nagoya University Lecture, entitled “Une source de la poésie occidentale: les chansons des troubadours et leurs commentaires”.
The plaque was designed by master artist Daiki Nishi, using the Kirin (Chinese unicorn) as subject matter The Kirin is an imaginary sacred beast from ancient times. It symbolizes wisdom and has long been used as a sign of outstanding human achievement. Mr. Nishi based his work on light-brushwork drawings of Kirin and Ho-o (Chinese phoenixes) held in the Central Depository at Japan's Shosoin. The drawings, which have been painstakingly preserved for 1200 years, stand as a testament to the exchange between East and West. The Kirin has long been said to be a harbinger of peace whose advent marks the coming of a great sage and a world where scholarship will be respected. This design was created in hopes that a Kirin might appear today, bringing with it peace and knowledge to our troubled times.
