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Howl’s Moving Castle: Exploring Themes of War in Japanese Animation
In his review of the 2016 animation In this Corner of the World, Mark Kermode reflected on the power of anime to ‘talk about very big, adult issues…
Reflections on Calligraphy in Japan: Part, Present & Future
Out of all the forms of art to come from Japan one of the most influential – if not the most influential – has got to be calligraphy.…
Dissertation Planning: Analysing Depictions of Disabled Characters in Contemporary Manga
When discussing how contemporary manga both reflects and contributes towards a growing awareness of disability in Japan, you are forced to carefully select what works you refer to…
Third Thursday Lectures – Spontaneous and Playful: Kawanabe Kyōsai as a Performer
On a sunny spring evening we congregated virtually for another Third Thursday Lecture, this month hosted by Professor Sadamura Koto. A fellow of the Sainsbury Institute for the…
‘From the Collection of a Private Man’ – A Look at the Work of Edmund de Waal
The nature of collections is a very personal thing. What we choose to collect, how, and why can say a lot about us as individuals. And when we…
Podcast Announcement
Happy April everybody! After a short absence I just wanted to take the opportunity to announce an upcoming podcast that I have had a hand in creating on…
Explorations of 3/11 Through Artwork: Yasusuke Ôta’s ‘Deserted Town’
Natural disasters have been a recurring element of Japanese life for centuries. Located on a highly active tectonic zone, earthquakes and tsunamis pose a constant risk to the…
CJS Webinars – Museums of Themselves: Disaster, Heritage, and the Future of North-eastern Japan
Fittingly held on the 11th anniversary of Japan’s 3/11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, this month’s CJS lecture invited Leiden Universities’ Dr Andrew Littlejohn to discuss local efforts at…
‘Making Japan’ & ‘The Japanese House’ – A Review of Virtual Exhibitions
For this weeks assignment we were asked to visit and review an exhibition related to Japanese art or textiles. However, due to money and time limitations I was…
Ainu Culture in Japanese Colonial Photography
Colonialist photography has a complicated and chequered history in Japan. With the surface intention of demonstrating Japan’s anthropological prowess to the rest of the world, it also served…
Third Thursday Lecture – When Sylvester Morse (1838 – 1925) Met Matsuki Bunkyo (1867 – 1940)
This month for their Third Thursday Lecture series, the Sainsbury Institute for Japanese Arts and Culture (SISJAC) welcomed Professor Nicole Rousmaniere, SISJAC’s own founding director and current …
Ogata Gekko’s Bijin Meisho Awase: Understanding Meiji Japan Through Art
When we analyse art, understanding the historical context of a work may be just as important as analysing the scene it depicts or the techniques used to create…
Explorations of Disability Through Manga: Rie Aruga’s Perfect World
The portrayal of people with disabilities in popular media is a complex and often controversial subject. While a historic lack of representation has led to an intense desire…
Third Thursday Lectures – Hokusai’s Illustrations for The Great Picture Book of Everything
For the Sainsbury Institute’s final Third Thursday Lecture of 2021 assorted students, academics and members of the public gathered online to listen to a talk by Dr Alfred…
CJS Webinars – Missing the Point: The Art of Translating with Mishima Yukio
This Thursday we were invited to join another CJS online seminar, this week with professor of Japanese literature and professional translator Stephen Dodd. While he has produced much…
Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything – The Master Arrives at the British Museum
This week I was lucky enough to start off on an exciting note with a guided tour of the British Museum’s new exhibition, Hokusai: The Great Picture Book…
Leiko Ikemura’s ‘Memento Mori’ – Analysing Modern Art
For todays post I would like to do something a little different and touch upon the topic of modern art. Art, I have to admit, is not my…
Sainsbury Institute Lectures – The Presence of Absence with Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy of Arts
This week I was lucky enough to sit in on a rather special lecture hosted by the Sainsbury Institute as part of their Third Thursday Lecture series. This…
CJS Lectures – Beauvoir in Japan: Lost (and Found) in Translation
After a short break I am back once again to give my third in a series of reviews of academic lectures relating to interdisciplinary Japanese studies. This week’s…
‘Japan Season’ Lectures – Living in the Present Moment: The World of the Japanese Tea Ceremony
This will be my second blog post reflecting on an online lecture I have watched relating to Japanese culture. However, unlike my previous post this lecture was not…
Sainsbury Institute Lectures – The Bridge to Heaven: Comparing UK-Japan Heritage
This week we were invited to watch one of the free monthly lectures held by The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts & Cultures at Norwich…
‘Centre and Periphery in Japanese Historical Studies’: The Problems With Biased Historical Perspectives
When tracing the path of a nation’s history, it is often useful to establish a focal point from which we can track political, social and cultural changes over…