On December 9, 2010, Professor Kawamoto Koji from Otemae University, Japan, a comparatist on Japanese culture, delivered a talk "Kukai's Imagination: The Symbolism of Mandala" in the Chinese Department. After introducing the origin and growth of esoteric Buddhism and the life of Kukai, who established the Shingon sect in Japan, he discussed Kukai’s contributions to the spread of esoteric Buddhism and Chinese culture of the Tang dynasty.