Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
May is a particularly lovely season in Japan. After the cherry blossoms, peonies and wisteria come into their own. Our friends at Hasedera temple (known as the peony 牡丹 temple) have been posting about how wonderful it is there at the moment. Introduced from China during the 8th century (shortly after Hasedera was founded), peonies […]
Dr. Meri Arichi’s lecture offered a compelling and richly contextualised exploration of the cultural and religious landscape of 8th-century Japan, focusing in particular on the Shōsō-in, the Imperial Repository, in Nara and the treasures it houses. The lecture served as a historical account of an important artistic and religious legacy and as a reflection on […]
Bringing a hanami party to Norwich In Japan, the onset of Spring sees hanami (花見blossom-viewing) parties being held under cherry trees where families and friends gather to watch and celebrate the blossoms. The trees are an important symbol of impermanence and renewal in Japan, and since 2019 have been donated to locations across the UK […]