Matsuda Akira
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2009 – 2010
Lecturer, University of Tokyo
PhD, University College London (2009)
Dr MATSUDA Akira is an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo. He obtained a PhD from University College London and previously served as a consultant at UNESCO’s Division of Cultural Heritage. His investigates the meaning, representation and use of the past in the contemporary world. His publications include: Reconsidering Cultural Heritage in East Asia (co-edited with Luisa Mengoni), Ubiquity Press, 2016 and New Perspectives in Global Public Archaeology (co-edited with Katsuyuki Okamura),” Springer, 2011.
Masaaki Morishita
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2005 – 2006
Project Coordinator, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
PhD, Open University, 2003
Dr Morishita used his fellowship period to complete his manuscript on The Empty Museums: Western Cultures and the Artistic Field in Modern Japan, which was based on his Ph.D. thesis and subsequently published by Ashgate in 2010. In addition, he taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) an MA module on ‘Material Culture of Japan’ while he also lectured graduate students at Birkbeck College, the British Museum and Kings College. His research interests include the cultural history of museums, the sociology of art, cultural policy, and modern and contemporary art. He is currently developing a new research project on the increasing popularity of Asian contemporary art in the various fields of global art. Among his recent publications are: The Iemoto System and the Avant-gardes in the Japanese Artistic Field (The Sociological Review, 54:2, 2006) and Struggles between Curators and Artists (Museum and Society, 2007).
Sachiko Idemitsu
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2004 – 2006
Curator, Idemitsu Museum of Arts
PhD, Keio University, 2007
As part of her fellowship research theme, Dr Idemitsu investigated further her Ph.D. thesis on the influence of Ikeno Taiga’s (1723-1776) ‘True view’ paintings (shinkei-zu) on 18th century art world and the effect his patrons had to his success. Her research on Japanese literati paintings have revealed that the the philosophy behind Taiga’s shinkei-zu had a very different meaning from the prevailing conventional interpretation. She actively presented her research findings and engaged with UK-based scholars during her fellowship period, including working with colleagues at the British Museum to help select fine examples of 18th century literati paintings to display in their permanent exhibition space of the Japan Gallery. Dr Idemitsu travelled to conduct further surveys on other examples of Taiga’s work by comparing Chinese paintings and woodblock prints housed in the National Palace Museum.
Ken Tadashi Oshima
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2003 – 2004
PhD, Columbia University, 2003
Associate Professor of Architecture at University of Washington in Seattle
After receiving his Ph.D. in architectural history and theory from Columbia University, Dr Oshima examined international architecture and city planning in the UK and Europe from the early 20th century. His project during the fellowship was on architecture and city planning in Japan between the two world wars. Dr Oshima’s publications include Arata Isozaki (Phaidon, 2009) and Constructing Kokusai Kenchiku: International Architecture in Interwar Japan (U.W. Press, forthcoming 2009). He is a contributing author of Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Home Delivery (2008), curator of the exhibition SANAA: Beyond Borders (Henry Art Gallery 2007-8), and co-curator of Crafting a Modern World: The Architecture and Design of Antonin and Noémi Raymond.
Akiko Yano
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2002 – 2003
Research Associate, Japan Research Centre
PhD, Keio University
Dr Yano surveyed and researched medieval and pre-modern Japanese painting collections of the British Museum including in-depth scholarly study of over thirty works that have not been fully investigated in recent years during her fellowship period. She furthermore surveyed works by famous ukiyo-e artists in UK and European collections and presented her findings at scholarly events. Her Ph.D. thesis submitted to Keio University upon completion of her fellowship includes much of her research done during her fellowship. The fellowship also allowed her to take part in an ukiyo-e project as Assistant Curator, a project that culminated into a travelling exhibition entitled Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka Stage 1780–1830, first held at the British Museum in 2005, then at the Osaka Museum of History and Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum. Dr Yano has since written on the subject of actor prints and ukiyo-e in various publications.
Yukiko Shirahara
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2001
Chief Curator, Nezu Museum
PhD, Keio University, 2001
As her main research theme during her fellowship, Dr Shirahara examined and firmly established the relationships between Japanese and Chinese artists during the medieval period, an area of study previously overlooked. In pursuing her research, she applied her background in Medieval Japanese art history and specialism in religious paintings. Her research on the artistic dialogue between Japan and Korea particularly within the artistic genres of tumulus murals, Buddhist murals and paintings, portraits and ink paintings has received much acclaim. Upon completion of her fellowship, she was appointed to the post of Asian Arts Curator at the Seattle Art Museum where during her tenure organized a series of exhibitions and events. Her success as both scholar and curator has earned her an international reputation vouched by SAM Director Mimi Gates recommending her as ‘a scholar-curator who maintains high standard and totally dedicated to advancing knowledge about Japanese and Korean art.’ She is currently Chief Curator at the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts in Tokyo, Japan.
Junko Muto
Handa Art Historian Fellow 2001 – 2002
Lecturer in Japanese Literature at Gakushuin University and Tamagawa University
PhD, Gakushuin University, 2002
Dr Muto examined during her fellowship a large number of important ukiyo-e woodblock prints, especially actor prints held in major European collections. With her background in pre-modern literature and culture, she meticulously surveyed prints housed in key institutions including the British Museum, the British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Zurich Design Museum, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde in Leiden and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Her research culminated in the publication of Shoki ukiyo-e to kabuki (Early ukiyo-e and kabuki)(Sakuma Shoin, 2005), which has subsequently won the prestigious 17th Annual Kokka Prize (Asahi Shimbun, Kokka-sha) and 4th Annual Tokugawa Prize (Tokugawa Kinenzaidan). Other publications she has contributed to include Kabuki 101 Tales (kabuki 101 monogatari) (Shinshokan) and Collection of Japanese Ghosts (nihon no yûrei meigashû)(Jinrui bunka sha).