Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

[IFNet blog - Archipelagic thinking and the question of region: Japan within Asia]
Edisabel Marrero Tejeda (PhD student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico) explains how she uses “archipelagic thinking” in her project. Curious? Find out more: dig.sainsbury-instit...

[Third Thursday Lecture - Beyond Doom and Gloom: How Disasters, Survival, and Recovery Have Shaped Japanese Culture]📍 Online via Zoom 📅 Thursday 19 March 2026 🕕 6:00–7:00pm GMT (50-min lecture + Q&A)
us06web.zoom.us/webi...

Read the new IFNet blog from Joanes Rocha on the relationship between tea and the space where it's consumed. dig.sainsbury-instit... All images by Joanes Rocha.

NARA TO NORWICH✏️ BLOG POST: Bury St Edmunds and King Edmund’s Relics
Professor Katy Cubitt explores the development of Bury St Edmunds, as part of our pilgrimage of Japan and the UK project naratonorwich.org/bu...

A Message from Udaipur This week, we’re delighted to share a message from our President, Dr Norbert Peabody, who is currently travelling through Rajasthan, India. One of the highlights of his trip has been his visit to the ...

New blog post about our President's trip in Udaipur, India, and an upcoming pilgrimage walk organised by
@sainsbury-institute.org:

royalasiaticsociety.org/a-message-fr...

This is happening tomorrow at 6pm GMT! You can still sign up online or email us to come in person!

We’re pleased to have joined Bluesky! Follow us for news, updates, events info, education resources, and more 🇯🇵🤝🇬🇧
To find out about the history of The Japan Society and the work we do to cultivate UK-Japan relations, visit our website: www.japansociety.org.uk

New on the IFNet blog: Academic Noir – A Personal Perspective
Read the engaging insight into academic detective work posted by Luis Lopez Matus, IFNet Fellow, PhD student at Autonomous University of Mexico. dig.sainsbury-instit...

Talk- Evolving Traditions in Japan’s Contemporary Crafts: Shifts in Design, Gender, and Target Group, w/ Dr Clara Momoko Geber-Mérida, Robert & Lisa Sainsbury Fellow 2025-26.
Mon 16 Feb, 5-6:30pm, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge Uni. www.ames.cam.ac.uk/events/east-...

Unlocking the Václav Fiala Archive - a blog post from Olga Isaeve (Uni of Bonn), Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellow 2025-26, documents her academic journey and thinking behind her research project. dig.sainsbury-institute.org/ifnet/2026/0...

Check out the new blog entry from Prof Susan Whitfield on our Nara to Norwich website: Ise Honkaido and Pilgrimage in Japan.
She is the speaker of our Third Thursday Lecture on 19 Feb which you are welcome to join in-person or online. naratonorwich.org/ise-honkaido...

Join us for our Third Thursday Lecture on 19 Feb 6pm!
✨Pilgrimage from Nara to Norwich: Commonalities Across Cultures and Religions
📣Prof Susan Whitfield
📍Norwich Cathedral Hostry or online
🕰️6pm -7pm, followed by a drinks reception
🎫Free, registration essential
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Samurai, Castles, and the Making of Modern Japan - A Conversation with Professor Oleg Benesch YouTube video by The East Angle

If you want to hear more from our January Third Thursday Lecture speaker Professor @olegb.bsky.social, he's a guest on the latest episode of The East Angle podcast, run by Dr Ra Mason and Dr Sherzod Muminov from @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social @politicsuea.bsky.social! youtu.be/29YY-7mQvls?...

Thank you Oleg for giving a wonderful talk!

Third Thursday Lecture - Samurai, Knights, and Nationalisms: The Middle Ages in Modern Japan YouTube video by Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

I was very fortunate to have the chance to speak at @sainsbury-institute.org in Norwich last week, and the recording is now online. I really appreciate the invitation, and all of the great questions and comments following the talk.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDGo...

This lecture is happenbing tomorrow. In-person at Norwich Cathedral Hostry and online. There is still time to book your places!

ユーラシア大陸を挟んだ日本と英国、未盗掘古墳に意外な共通性　橿考研で英の研究者解説 ユーラシア大陸をはさんだ東西両端の島国、日本と英国の王族の古墳をテーマにした講演会が10日、奈良県橿原市の県立橿原考古学研究所（橿考研）で開かれた。日本の古代…

ユーラシア大陸を挟んだ日本と英国、未盗掘古墳に意外な共通性　橿考研で英の研究者解説 (Japan and UK share surprising parallels in unlooted ancient tombs, British scholar explains in talk at Kashihara Archaeological Institute) www.sankei.com/article/2026...

NARA TO NORWICH✏️: Preparing for the Walsingham Way

For this week's blog, Susan Whitfield brings the first in a series of posts about the Walsingham Way in the lead up to our planned walk of the route 09-12 June 2026.
Read more here: naratonorwich.org/pr...

Really looking forward to this, and to being back in Norwich!

Third Thursday Lecture - Samurai, Knights, and Nationalisms: The Middle Ages in Modern Japan
Thu 15 Jan 2026 with @olegb.bsky.social (@york.ac.uk)
6:00pm GMT, In-person in Norwich (venue TBC) & online via Zoom
🎟 Free and open to all – booking essential us06web.zoom.us/webi...

📣 Call for Contributions
Proposals invited for a 2-day international conference on transnational futures of art, craft & design, held in memory of Toshio Watanabe (1945–2025). Deadline: 15 Jan 2026. Information:

Season's Greetings from all at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures!

NARA TO NORWICH ✏️ BLOG POST: Sacred Paths, Protected Lands: Pilgrimage, Ecology and Conservation in the Anthropocene explores the symbiotic relationship between pilgrimage sites and protected natural environments. naratonorwich.org/sa...

Thank you to everyone who joined our final Third Thursday Lecture of 2025 in-person at UEA and online. Illuminating talks on Building Eternity were followed by a lively Q&A and a festive drinks reception.

Our last Third Thursday Lecture of 2025 is coming up tomorrow! Who's joining us?

📣 Call for Contributions
Proposals invited for a 2-day international conference on transnational futures of art, craft & design, held in memory of Toshio Watanabe (1945–2025). Deadline: 15 Jan 2026. Information:

NARA TO NORWICH✏️ BLOG POST: An update on the World in the Viking Age (WIVA) project
We report on the trip by the World in the Viking Age (WIVA) team to the UK and their latest project updates. naratonorwich.org/an...

This month's bumper edition e-bulletin is out now! Sign up to our mailing list to her from us directly to your inbox! Photo: The Cortazzis visiting the Sainsbury Institute sainsbury-institute....

FAMSF Join us for a special international symposium exploring manga as an art form, held in conjunction with the Art of Manga exhibition. This dynamic gathering brings together leading artists, editors, and scholars from Japan and beyond to delve into the cultural, artistic, and narrative power of manga. Through conversations and presentations, the symposium will highlight manga’s evolution as a global visual language and its recognition as a serious art form. Also, join us in our third Cosplay Day celebrating manga! Come dressed as your favorite character, enjoy themed activities, snap photos, and connect with fellow fans. Learn more.

Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere joins the Manga as Art symposium on Sat 6 Dec at the de Young Museum.
Explore how manga became a global visual art.
Livestream starts 11am PST / 19:00 GMT in two parts on YouTube.
Details: [www.famsf.org/events...](www.famsf.org/events...)

[Call for applications – Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellowships 2026-27]
For PhD holders/Early Career Researchers of Japanese visual and material cultures. Starting Sep 2026. Based in Norwich UK. Further information -> www.sainsbury-instit...