Issue 04 August 2013

Dear Friends and supporters of the Sainsbury Institute,  We are delighted to deliver the fourth edition of our e-magazine from Norwich. In this issue we feature several articles that show the relevance of our archaeology and heritage research strand. Simon Kaner, Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage, spoke with Professor Kobayashi Tatsuo, leading […]

Fellows at the Sainsbury Institute

Karen Fraser Assistant Professor at Santa Clara University in California; Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow (2007-08) I vividly remember the cool, overcast afternoon that greeted me when I landed at Heathrow in August 2007. It was a welcome change from the sultry heat of New York City, where I had just spent several weeks en […]

Custom and Culture: Japanese National Holidays

July, August and September In the last issue we looked at ‘Golden Week’, a period from late April to early May of concentrated national holidays and non-working days. This issue sees the final instalment of our national holiday series, when we will have described all 15 holidays laid down in the Public Holiday Law. As […]

Institute and the Community

The Eternal Idol: Contemporary Photography Exhibition of Kuwashima Tsunaki The Institute worked on a large AHRC funded project in 2009 to 2011 examining dogū, or clay figurines, from the prehistoric Neolithic culture of Japan. From this project, new links were developed including that with the award-winning photographer Kuwashima Tsunaki whose works were displayed at Gallery 18/21 in […]

The Sainsbury Institute Abroad

Japanese and European Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Workshop in Tübingen From the window of the Lord’s Chamber (Fürstenzimmer), up in the castle tower overlooking the ancient university town of Tübingen, there is a wonderful view out over the Swabian Jura, cradle of European art. Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen is home to a thriving department […]

Museums in Japan

Idemitsu Museum of Art The Idemitsu Museum of Art is one of the most highly regarded private museums in Japan. Located in the heart of Tokyo’s prestigious Marunouchi business district, the serene gallery space showcases some of the rarest and most representative collections of East Asian antiques and provides a splendid view of the Imperial Palace […]

Treasures of the Library

The map introduced in this issue, the Iaponiae Insvlae Descriptio map, is the earliest European rendition of Japan that depicts the state with a fair level of exactitude. It is by Luís Teisera, a celebrated Portuguese cartographer who was backed by the Spanish court. In 1595 the Dutchman Abraham Ortelius published a map based on […]

Interview with Founders and Staff

Professor Kobayashi Tatsuo Professor Kobayashi Tatsuo is Senior Advisor on archaeology to the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. He began his career with the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkacho) before returning to his alma mater, Kokugakuin University in Tokyo, where he is now Emeritus Professor in Tokyo. Closely involved with […]