March 2023 Message from the Acting Director

At 64 The Close, the Daphnes are now in full bloom, while in Japan, this month sees the celebration of hinamatsuri on 3rd March. We have our own set of hinamatsuri dolls on display at the institute, once gifted to Lady Lisa Sainsbury in 2004 by Dr Handa as her birthday fell on hinamatsuri. This […]

Report on the talk ‘Crafting community: Cooperative relationships behind the sustenance of the Tamba pottery industry’

On 16 February 2023, the Sainsbury Institute hosted a talk by Dr Shilla Lee, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow, on the lives of those involved in the pottery industry in Tamba Sasayama in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. Dr Lee is an anthropologist with extensive fieldwork experience in the area, and conducted her doctoral research […]

Crosscurrents of Courtly Exchange: A Report

An international conference Japan: Crosscurrents of Courtly Exchange was held by Royal Collection Trust in collaboration with the Sainsbury Institute as part of the Learning programme for the exhibition Japan: Courts and Culture on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2023. The conference focussed on further exploring the themes of diplomatic and courtly exchange addressed […]

Report on a visit to the Phillips Library as part of the Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures Project

In November 2022, Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, Dr Matsuba Ryoko and Yuhan Ji visited the Phillips Library in Rowley, Massachusetts as part of the Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures Project. Home of the Edward Sylvester Morse Archive, the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is a rare book and special collections library. Its expansive holding is made up of the […]