November 2022

October has been a busy month for the Sainsbury Institute, with a host of events, projects and initiatives now underway. During a few turbulent weeks for the UK and international politics, it has been reassuring to see so many new and ambitious programmes being developed with Japanese Studies remaining such an active and growing field. Japan’s entry requirements have also now been relaxed to almost pre-Covid levels, which will certainly stimulate the field.  The first activities associated with our new Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures project, which will explore new digital horizons of Japanese art history and material culture, began last month and will continue throughout this year. My own part […]

On the 1st of November, Dr Ryoko Matsuba led a workshop on digitising 2D artefacts at the Sainsbury Institute. Attended by MA students on the Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies course at UEA, the workshop comprised a lecture on theoretical knowledge of Japanese prints and rare books, followed by a digitisation practice and handling session.  During the lecture, Dr Matsuba introduced the print sizes and formats commonly seen for ukiyo-e and printed books, essential knowledge for historical research on Japanese print culture. This was followed by an overview of the binding techniques, the identification of which is important not only as a form of connoisseurship knowledge, but also for historical research through […]

On Thursday 20 October, the Sainsbury Institute hosted a Third Thursday Lecture delivered by Despina Zernioti CMG, Director of the Corfu Museum of Asian Art, titled “Repositioning Gregorios Manos (1851-1928), founder of the Corfu Museum of Asian Art, in the context of Japonisme.” Opening remarks were made by the Research Director of the Sainsbury Institute, Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, who welcomed Despina, pointing at her incredible job as Director of the Corfu Museum of Asian Art. The speaker was further introduced by Dr Matsuba Ryoko, Lecturer in Japanese Digital Arts and Humanities at the Sainsbury Institute, who highlighted that Despina curated numerous exhibitions concerning Asian Art in Corfu and abroad, […]