お知らせ

Posted on: 15 12月, 2025

A conference in memory of Professor Toshio Watanabe London, 15-16 May 2026 This two-day conference will address the future of the study of art, craft and design in a transnational perspective. Our intention is to honour the memory of Toshio Watanabe (1945-2025), late Emeritus Professor of Japanese Arts and Heritage at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Founding Director of the Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) at University of the Arts London, and former President of the Japan Art History Forum. Contributions are invited in a number of different formats to complement several keynote lectures: brief talks (possibly in Professor Watanabe’s […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2026-27

Posted on: 26 11月, 2025

We are now inviting applications for the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2026-27. The Fellowships provide recipients with an opportunity to work in a scholarly environment conducive to completing a publication project. The positions are available to academics who have received a PhD in any area of Japanese culture. Preference will be given to Early Career Researchers working in the fields of visual studies, including but not limited to history of art, cultural heritage, archaeology, architecture, and digital humanities. During their appointment Fellows are encouraged to contribute to our Third Thursday Lecture Series and to organise a symposium in Norwich. Fellowships are one year (preferred option, value of £30,000, start […]

Art of Manga: Sainsbury Institute Research Director Curates Landmark Exhibition in San Francisco

Manga お知らせ

Posted on: 25 9月, 2025

The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures is proud to announce that its Research Director, Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, is the curator of a major new exhibition, Art of Manga, opening at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on 27 September 2025. This will be the first large-scale exhibition in the Americas to explore manga as an art form. Featuring over 600 original drawings by some of Japan’s most influential manga artists—including Akatsuka Fujio, Araki Hirohiko, Chiba Tetsuya, Oda Eiichiro, Tagame Gengoroh, Takahashi Rumiko, Tanaami Keiichi, Taniguchi Jiro, Yamashita Kazumi, Yamazaki Mari, and Yoshinaga Fumi—Art of Manga offers a rare opportunity to experience the creative power and global impact of manga. Professor Rousmaniere brings her […]

Professor Tatsuo Kobayashi (2 November 1937 – 22 August 2025)

お知らせ Updates

Posted on: 3 9月, 2025

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Professor Tatsuo Kobayashi, Senior Advisor on Archaeology at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo, and Honorary Director of the Niigata Prefectural Museum of History, of which he was Director from its opening in 2000 to 2007. Professor Kobayashi would have been 88 in November this year. Professor Kobayashi had a profound impact on his field of specialisation, the archaeology of the Jōmon period. He applied the newly-developing approach of settlement archaeology to the prehistoric landscapes being discovered in advance of the development of the […]

Selected Fellows – Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships

フェローシップ Updates

Posted on: 26 8月, 2025

We are pleased to announce that we have chosen from a large number of applications six fellows for the Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships in Japanese Arts 2025-2026 following a rigorous selection process. The names of the candidates, their institutions, and the projects they are pursuing as part of the programme are as follows:

Emeritus Professor Toshio Watanabe (1945-2025)

Posted on: 4 8月, 2025

It is with deep regret that we pass on the news that Toshio Watanabe, our Professor Emeritus of Japanese Arts and Cultural Heritage passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on 27 July while on holiday with his family in Hokkaido. We take this opportunity to revisit the post we prepared about him when he retired and became Professor Emeritus (available here). And we invite colleagues, students and friends to leave a message online here which we will pass on to his family. We will be reflecting further on Toshio’s exceptional contribution to the field of Japanese art studies in due course. In the meantime, suffice it to say that we have lost a […]

Watch the Japan Foundation Awards 2024 Commemorative Lecture – How Japanese arts and cultures make us happier

Posted on: 12 6月, 2025

Last October, to commemorate the news that the Sainsbury Institute had received the Japan Foundation Award 2024, Professor Simon Kaner was invited to deliver a lecture at the Japan Foundation titled How Japanese arts and cultures make us happier. We are pleased to announce that a recording of this lecture is now available to watch via YouTube. A version of this lecture was delivered again in January 2025 as part of our Third Thursday Lecture series. About the talk Artistic and cultural activity is intrinsic to being human. Engaging with such activity, whether visiting a museum, gallery or heritage site, attending or taking part in a performance, or creating one’s […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: The Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowship Programme in Japanese Arts 2025-26

フェローシップ

Posted on: 31 3月, 2025

Please note that submissions for this programme are now closed. Further information on the programme can be found below. Project Summary: Starting in 2025, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures is establishing a programme of Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships in Japanese Arts, offered to exceptional candidates from anywhere in the world and generously supported by the Ishibashi Foundation. In 2025–26, six Network Leader Fellows will be selected. The project will provide an innovative new model to transform how new generations of researchers engage with Japanese art, mentored by the Sainsbury Institute and drawing on our global networks. Eligibility and Selection Criteria: What We Offer: […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies Conference, 3-7 March, Norwich

教育

Posted on: 9 1月, 2025

Thanks to the generous support of the Toshiba International Foundation, the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia is delighted to announce a week-long in-person residential conference aimed at advanced undergraduate and masters level students and those considering postgraduate studies in Japan-related fields, from 3-7 March 2025. The conference will take place in at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Full bursaries are available for travel, accommodation, subsistence and all conference-related costs. Please note that successful participants will need to cover their travel costs in the first instance to then be reimbursed. Applications comprising a CV (1 page – including name, contact details, educational background and […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2025-26

Posted on: 4 12月, 2024

We are now inviting applications for the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2025-26. The Fellowships provide recipients with an opportunity to work in a scholarly environment conducive to completing a publication project. The positions are available to academics who have received a PhD in any area of Japanese culture. Preference will be given to Early Career Researchers working in the fields of visual studies, including but not limited to history of art, cultural heritage, archaeology, architecture, film studies, and digital humanities. During their appointment Fellows are encouraged to contribute to our Third Thursday Lecture Series and to organise a symposium in Norwich. Fellowships are one year (preferred option, value of […]

Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll DBE, 1938-2024

Posted on: 18 9月, 2024

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll on 16 September at the age of 85. She died peacefully at home in Norfolk. Dame Elizabeth was instrumental in the creation of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, and was a close friend of our founding benefactors Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury. She was responsible for finding our headquarters in Norwich Cathedral Close and oversaw the development of the Lisa Sainsbury Library which continues to be the major asset of the Sainsbury Institute. As a former Vice Chancellor of the University of East Anglia, she was hugely supportive […]

Research Assistantship for Digitisation of UK Japanese Collections, funded by Ishibashi Foundation – 2024

Jobs お知らせ

Posted on: 4 9月, 2024

Since June 2022, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures has launched the innovative ‘Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures’ initiative. This initiative, generously supported by the Ishibashi Foundation, aims to establish pioneering digital platforms that forge connections between students, early career researchers, curators, and established specialists, granting them access to Japanese art collections across Europe, the US, and Japan. One of our key areas of focus within this initiative is the digitisation of Japanese arts in UK collections. This project aims to bring unparalleled experience in the digital recording of Japanese art collections in museums in the UK. Work to date has mainly focused on two-dimensional art […]

Sainsbury Institute honoured by Japanese government

Posted on: 9 8月, 2024

The Sainsbury Institute and its Executive Director, Professor Simon Kaner, have received the Foreign Minister’s Commendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in recognition of their work within the field of Japanese arts and cultures. Closely following the recent news of being selected to receive the Japan Foundation Award in 2024, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures is delighted to announce that it has also been awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for the year 2024. Such commendations are awarded to individuals and institutions for ‘outstanding achievements in international fields’ relating to Japan. To be awarded […]

Sainsbury Institute receives the Japan Foundation Award (2024)

Posted on: 23 7月, 2024

The Sainsbury Institute is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Japan Foundation Award for 2024, coinciding with our 25th anniversary year. Now in its 51st year, the Foundation has presented the Japan Foundation Awards to individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to promoting international mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and other countries through academic, artistic, and other cultural pursuits. Three recipients were selected as the winners of this year’s award from a total of 60 candidates nominated by experts and the public. Alongside artist Shiota Chiharu and the Association of Japanese Language Teachers of Mongolia, the Institute was recognised for its significant international contribution […]

[CLOSED] Job Vacancy: Office Assistant at Sainsbury Institute

Posted on: 2 1月, 2024

Applications are invited for the above post, which will be based in the Sainsbury Institute’s offices in the Cathedral Close, Norwich. You will work side-by-side with the Office Coordinator, ensuring smooth and efficient day-to-day running of the Sainsbury Institute office including the provision of clerical and secretarial support for the Institute’s senior management. Other key responsibilities include dealing with enquiries and customers, organising meetings, travel plans and hotel bookings for staff and visitors, assisting with routine administrative arrangements for events at the Institute and providing a reception service. Due to the nature of the job requirements, you will be expected to work in the office on a daily basis. This […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2024-25

Posted on: 11 12月, 2023

We are now inviting applications for the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2024-25. The Fellowships provide recipients with an opportunity to work in a scholarly environment conducive to completing a publication project. The positions are available to academics who have received a PhD in any area of Japanese culture. Preference will be given to Early Career Researchers working in the fields of visual studies, including but not limited to history of art, cultural heritage, archaeology, architecture, film studies, and digital humanities. During their appointment Fellows are encouraged to contribute to our Third Thursday Lecture Series and to organise a symposium in Norwich. They may also contribute to teaching. Fellowships are […]

Tobunken Lecture

Posted on: 27 10月, 2023

We are pleased to announce the event in our new partnership with Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (Tobunken). On Thursday 16th November, a lecture titled: The activities of Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and its research on rakanzu (Arhat painting) will be held at The Sainsbury Centre, UEA. You can find further details of the event and register to attend here. Event background Since 2013, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures has been working closely with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (Tobunken). We made our partnership official by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This agreement has helped […]

Research Assistantship for Digitisation of UK Japanese Collections, funded by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture

Jobs お知らせ

Posted on: 13 10月, 2023

The project titled ‘Re-thinking Japonisme: Digitisation of the V&A’s collection of Japanese illustrated books and researching its formation in the late 19th century’, funded by the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC), is offering two positions at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Each position is for a duration of one week, with the first from 20th to 24th November 2023 and the second from 27th November to 1st December 2023. The working hours for these roles will be from 10:00 to 17:00. This research project is a collaborative effort between the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts […]

Research Assistantship for Digitisation of UK Japanese Collections, funded by Ishibashi Foundation

Jobs お知らせ

Posted on: 5 6月, 2023

The Agony of Okinawa: Mao Ishikawa’s “The Great Photographic Scroll of the Ryūkyū” – Q&A with Dr Ayelet Zohar

お知らせ Updates

Posted on: 4 5月, 2023

The Sainsbury Institute was delighted to welcome Dr Ayelet Zohar, President of the Japan Art History Foundation (JAHF), current visiting scholar at the Sainsbury Institute, and Senior Lecturer at the Art History Department, Tel Aviv University, to give our 250th Third Thursday Lecture. Focussing on the work of Okinawan photographer Mao Ishikawa, the talk explored Ishikawa’s practice through both her documentary and staged photography, with a particular focus on her latest project The Great Photographic Scroll of the Ryūkyū. Following a lively Q&A session where we ran out of time to answer all the questions submitted, Dr Zohar kindly returned to the unanswered questions for which you can read the […]

Jews in Japan during the Asia Pacific War (1941)

Posted on: 27 1月, 2023

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, we are publishing a special article written by Dr Ayelet Zohar, Senior Lecturer, Art History Dept., Tel Aviv University, who is currently an Academic Visitor at the Sainsbury Institute. The special story of Sugihara Chiune (杉原千畝) and his dedication to Jewish refugees, allowing them to travel to Japan on transit visas to a final destination (mostly the Dutch colony of Curacao on the Caribbean Islands), is well known and has been thoroughly covered over the past decades in numerous publications. What is less known, is what actually happened to the people who carried these visas, and how they proceeded after leaving Kovno (Kaunas) in […]

Online Jomon Matsuri: Winter Solstice 2022

Online Jomon Matsuri

Posted on: 21 12月, 2022

Professor Simon Kaner will be spending the Winter Solstice (morning of 22 December) at Stonehenge, checking in on our exhibition at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. We will be posting live from the stone circle. We are currently finalising plans for associated activities in the New Year. Watch this space! To mark the Solstice, we invite you to take a look at this short film created by our research partner Dr Corey Noxon of the Department of Archaeology at Ritsumeikan University using drone footage taken during study visits to Akita and Hokkaido in the spring and summer of 2022. Our colleagues at the German Archaeological Institute created an excellent introduction to […]

[Closed] Call for Applications: Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2023-24

Posted on: 1 12月, 2022

We are now inviting applications for the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2023-24. The Fellowships provide recipients with an opportunity to work in a scholarly environment conducive to completing a publication project. The positions are available to academics who have received a PhD in any area of Japanese culture. Preference will be given to Early Career Researchers working in the fields of visual studies, including but not limited to history of art, cultural heritage, archaeology, architecture, film studies, and digital humanities. During their appointment Fellows are encouraged to contribute to our Third Thursday Lecture Series and to organise a symposium in Norwich. They may also contribute to teaching. Fellowships are […]

U.K. Anime and Manga Fanzines 1985-2000: Q&A with Helen McCarthy

Manga Updates

Posted on: 21 9月, 2022

Following her fascinating talk for our September Third Thursday Lecture, Helen McCarthy, independent scholar and author, answered some questions sent in by attendees. ANSWERED LIVE Q: Did UK fan zines have any contact with fan zines in other countries, sharing their zines & maybe anime tapes? A: That’s a great question. In fact, we had contacts not only with the USA, but with France and Belgium and a little later with the Netherlands and Germany. There were many fanzine and pro-zine publishers who got in touch with us through Anime UK Magazine and through that to other fanzines, and so there was a certain amount of tape trading, definitely with […]

[Closed] Call for Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures Scholars: Archives of Postwar Japanese Art in Europe

Posted on: 11 8月, 2022

The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures together with the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia launches a new initiative in digital Japanese arts. Building on the successes of our previous Ishibashi Foundation Summer Fellowships and Online Summer Programmes in Japanese Arts and Cultures, this initiative will engage students and early career researchers with curators and established specialists in their respective fields through the development of new digital platforms, connecting them with Japanese art collections across Europe, the United States and Japan. In 2022-23, we will undertake a series of pilot projects through which participants will gain unprecedented experience researching Japanese arts […]

[Closed] Job Vacancy: Ishibashi Foundation Digital Project Officer at Sainsbury Institute

Posted on: 2 8月, 2022

Applications are invited for the above post, which will be based in the Sainsbury Institute’s offices in the Cathedral Close, Norwich. You will undertake a variety of digital tasks across a range of Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) projects and initiatives contributing to the Institute’s Digital Japan strand of activity, with a particular focus on the Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures initiative. The Ishibashi Foundation Digital Futures initiative comprises a series of interlinked digital projects exploring how digital technologies can enhance the study and appreciation of, and engagement with, Japanese visual cultures, including both tangible and intangible heritage. The initiative is funded by the Ishibashi […]

[Closed] Job Vacancy: Office Assistant at Sainsbury Institute

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Call for Papers – Internationalisation Revisited: The global role of Japan and China following the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Posted on: 24 6月, 2022

In preparation for Internationalisation Revisited: The global role of Japan and China following the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, an online workshop on 5 and 6 September, we invite presenters to send abstracts of no more than 250 words that consider the role of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 in relation to topics including (but not limited to): Domestic and International Media Coverage The Covid-19 Pandemic and its effects on the Games Comparisons between Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Marketing Transnationalism Cultural Diplomacy Race, gender and sexuality Disability and ableism Local/national responses to the Olympics Television, news, and social media Celebrities and Tokyo 2020/Beijing 2022 […]

The Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project – Excavations at Arminghall Henge September 2022: Call for Volunteers

Posted on:

The Later Prehistoric Norfolk Project will be exploring a range of prehistoric monuments, from the Early Neolithic through to the end of the Iron Age, to better resolve the dating of the county’s monument sequence. Some of these monuments are threatened directly by climate change and others remain in the plough zone. This year’s work will focus on Arminghall Henge (NHER 6100; SAM 1003985) and its immediate monumental landscape. Field work will be carried out in August and September and will include geophysical survey followed by targeted investigations through excavation and sampling. At Arminghall itself we will be re-excavating JG Clarke’s trenches dug in 1935. The priority will be a […]

“Dunhuang Forgeries and Recent Silk Roads Research” – Kyoto National Museum International Symposium now online　

Videos

Posted on: 27 4月, 2022

On 19 March 2022, the Kyoto National Museum’s International Symposium “Dunhuang Forgeries and Recent Silk Roads Research,” was held, co-organized by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. In case you were unable to participate in person, the symposium recordings are now available on YouTube below. Fast forward to 1:07:00 to view Professor Susan Whitfield’s keynote speech “Genuine or Forged? Refocusing on Dunhuang Manuscripts” and to 5:40:00 for Professor Simon Kaner’s closing remarks: Japanese https://youtu.be/kdepZGxaSF8 Chinese https://youtu.be/SEOw40gpTIg Original https://youtu.be/K8NvEaMA5vo The symposium programme (Japanese and English, with speaker profiles and presentation titles) and informational fliers (Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese) are available from the Kyoto National […]

Sainsbury Institute Studentship in Japanese Art History

教育

Posted on: 11 2月, 2022

We are pleased to announce the inaugural Sainsbury Institute Studentship in Japanese Art History, to be awarded to an outstanding student in the MA course in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia, specializing in Japanese art history. The Studentship carries a value of full domestic fees for the course. The MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies was launched in 2020, and is a collaboration between the Sainsbury Institute and the University of East Anglia, https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/postgraduate/ma-interdisciplinary-japanese-studies. This innovative one-year course covers a range of disciplinary approaches in Japanese Studies, with Japanese visual culture and art history shaping the core of its curriculum. The course also benefits from close collaborations with […]

[Closed] Job Vacancy: SOAS Sainsbury Lecturer in Arts of Japan

Posted on: 8 2月, 2022

School of Oriental and African Studies seeks to appoint a Lecturer (equiv. assistant professor) or Senior Lecturer (equiv. associate professor) in the Arts of Japan, starting in September 2022. Supported by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, the appointment will lead to further collaboration between SOAS and the Sainsbury Institute in research and teaching and the development of this strategic partnership. This role will sit within the Department of the History of Art & Archaeology within the School of Arts. The appointee will carry out research and provide teaching and supervision in an area or areas of the art and archaeology of Japan, complementing the […]

BAJS/Japan Foundation Postgraduate Workshop 2022

教育

Posted on: 1 2月, 2022

Date: Friday 25th February 2022 Where: Norwich, UK Booking required. Please apply via this link. Next year, the Sainsbury Institute and University of East Anglia will be hosting the annual BAJS/Japan Foundation Postgraduate Workshop 2022. This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japan specialists in the UK. It is a great opportunity for students to receive practical advice on their research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow postgraduate students in the Japanese Studies community. All students pursuing a Japanese Studies postgraduate degree can apply, but preference will be given to students who are studying in the UK and are also BAJS members. […]

Mari Yamazaki × Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Posted on: 25 8月, 2021

The latest issue of the online New York Times Style Magazine: Japan features a conversation between Reserach Director Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere and Japanese manga artist Mari Yamazaki. They had met through Nicole’s curatorial work at The Citi Exhibition Manga at the British Museum in 2019 where Mari’s work Olympia Kyklos formed a part of the exhibition. The conversation centred around the theme of the Olympics, and they aslo talked openly about the Covid-19 pandemic and manga among other topics. Read the article here.

Talk on Manga, Art and Archives

Manga Videos

Posted on: 28 2月, 2021

A discussion between Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere (Curator of The Citi exhibition Manga at British Museum, Research Director at SISJAC, University of East Anglia), Takashi Oishi (Director of Yokote Masuda Manda Museum) and Masashi Okamoto (Director of Shueisha Manga – Art Heritage) on Vimeo ニコル・クーリッジ・ルーマニエール（セインズベリー藝術研究所研究担当所長およびイースト・アングリア大学日本美術文化教授）、大石卓（横手市増田まんが美術館館長）、岡本正史（集英社マンガアートヘリテージ責任者）による座談会 SHUEISHA MANGA-ART HERITAGE Sorry, in Japanese only for the moment

(Closed) Call for Applications: Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2021-22