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:
The Kenneth B. Pyle Prize is awarded annually to the best article published in The Journal of Japanese Studies, one of the leading journals in the field.
The selection committee noted:
“The committee was impressed with the author’s skillful analysis of the Zen of the Japanese Empire that engendered the artist as masculine hero on the artistic and more broadly cultural battlefields of the Cold War. Elegantly interweaving religion and art, at times of war and peace, Bogdanova-Kummer deftly engages a broad range of scholarship in her pursuit of creative, novel, and ambitious interpretations.”
Professor Bogdanova-Kummer’s article explores the legacy of Zen priest Nantenbō Tōjū’s calligraphy and its influence on Japan’s postwar avant-garde movements. The article sheds light on how Nantenbō’s calligraphy, shaped by the priest’s imperialist views, influenced postwar avant-garde artists in politically charged ways.
The award is a significant achievement and reflects the international impact of Professor Bogdanova-Kummer’s research in Japanese art history and visual culture.
We warmly congratulate Eugenia on this well-deserved recognition.
Image: Nakahara Nantenbō, Katsu, 1914. Ink on paper, 248.00 × 208.00 cm. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Museum für Asiatische Kunst