Giō is a female dancer loved and abandoned by the powerful and ruthless military leader Taira no Kiyomori. Her story appears for the first time in the Tale of the Heike, a 14th century narrative, but is soon appropriated by numerous literary and artistic genres such as Noh theater and illustrated hand scrolls and albums. Although Giō might have never existed, at least four tombs in Japan carry her name, and a Buddhist temple near Kyoto dedicated to her is visited every year by thousands of pilgrims and tourists. Prof. Strippoli’s talk will explore the transformations of the legend of Giō, a legend that contributes to our understanding of Japanese women’s history, literature, visual and performing arts, and cultural heritage. Biographical Statement: Roberta Strippoli is a scholar of medieval Japanese literature and theater. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University, an M.A. from Gakushūin University (Tokyo) and a Laurea from the University of Rome "La Sapienza." Professor Strippoli has worked extensively on medieval Japanese narrative, in particular otogizōshi, stories that circulated between the 15th and 17th centuries as illustrated hand scrolls and printed booklets. These stories were extremely popular in medieval and early modern Japan, but were not included in the modern literary canon because of their supposed childlike qualities. Along with fantastic characters, otogizōshi feature protagonists from all walks of life, an exception in traditional Japanese literature, which often focuses on the life of nobles, warriors, and monks. Professor Strippoli published a book on otogizōshi titled La monaca tuttofare, la donna serpente, il demone beone. Racconti dal medioevo giapponese (The Errand Nun, the Snake Woman, the Drunken Demon: Tales from Medieval Japan – Venezia: Marsilio, 2001). Professor Strippoli’s current research focuses on the legend of the dancer Lady Giō, a character from the 13th-14th century Japanese narrative The Tale of the Heike and is the subject of her talk at KSU.