Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
We are delighted to announce that Professor Eugenia Bogdanova-Kummer (Deputy Director and Professor of Japanese Arts at the Sainsbury Institute) has been awarded the Kenneth B. Pyle Prize for Best Article in The Journal of Japanese Studies (JJS) 2025. The prize recognises Professor Bogdanova-Kummer’s outstanding essay: “Zen Violence: The Legacy of Nantenbō Tōjū’s Calligraphy in […]
Project Summary: Since 2025, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures has established the Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships in Japanese Arts, a programme offered to exceptional candidates from around the world and generously supported by the Ishibashi Foundation. In 2025–26, five Network Leader Fellows were selected, and their research projects […]
The Sainsbury Institute, Universidade Lusófona and the University of Ljubljana invite you to an International Seminar Architecture: Design and Research. The online sessions, comprising talks about ongoing research followed by questions and discussion, are open access. The seminars aim to encourage academic exchange between researchers and postgraduate students working in cognate areas in a global context. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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:
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
The Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships, established in 2000 through generous funding from Lord Sainsbury of Turville, are designed to strengthen academic ties with Japanese studies programmes in Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America. The Fellowships provide recipients with an opportunity to work in a scholarly environment conducive to completing a publication project. The Institute […]
The debut episode of CJS podcast BeyondJapan is now live! Join Oliver Moxham in conversation with Professor Simon Kaner on the significance of Japanese archaeology for the global history of humanity: Welcome to the debut episode of our new podcast series ‘Beyond Japan’, where we explore the interdisciplinary nature of Japanese Studies through academics from […]