This lecture by Dr Benedetta Lomi will explore how Buddhist institutions of the Heian and Kamakura periods negotiated the challenges of maintaining, repairing, and reusing their icons. In the Japanese Buddhist tradition, statues, scriptures, and other devotional items are not regarded as inert representations but as powerful entities that embody the presence of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Whether carved out of sacred wood, activated through ritual manipulations, or enlivened by special words and utterances, Buddhist material culture is thus eminently difficult to dispose of.

On August5, 2025, Dr. Simon Kaner, Head of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), and Dr. Eugenia Bogdanova, a researcher at SISJAC, visited the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN), and we held a consultation on our joint project, “Shaping the Fundamentals of Research on Japanese Art.” This project began in 2013. As part of the project, SISJAC staff provide information on literature produced and exhibitions held that are related to Japanese art and culture outside Japan, primarily in the UK, to TOBUNKEN for inclusion in the archives database (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/archives/). Also, researchers of the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems have been visiting the UK annually to conduct lectures, workshops, and research on such works.

This forum invites participants to reconsider the entanglements of materiality and life through the lens of animism as a mode of thought for the future.

令和7（2025）年8月5日、イギリス・セインズベリー日本藝術研究所（SISJAC）の所長サイモン・ケイナー氏と研究員であるユージニア・ヴォグダノワ氏が東京文化財研究所を来訪し、共同研究「日本芸術研究の基盤形成事業」に関する協議を行いました。平成25（2013）年から開始した本事業では、SISJACの職員からイギリスを中心とした日本国外における日本美術研究に関する文献や展覧会情報を、総合検索（https://www.tobunken.go.jp/archives/）に提供してもらっているほか、文化財情報資料部の研究員が毎年イギリスを訪れて講演会やワークショップ、作品調査を行っています。 　今回の研究協議ではデータベース事業の報告のほか、12月に予定されている研究員の訪英について話し合いました。協議の後半では、データベース事業を担当しているSISJAC職員のマシュー・ジェームズ氏がイギリスからオンラインで参加し、日本国外における情報収集の方法や基準、またデータの入力方法について具体的に検討することができました。移動が制限されたコロナ禍の3年間は渡英や訪日が叶わず、研究協議は主にオンラインで行なっていました。現在は職員同士の対面での研究交流を再開することができましたが、特に海外の連携機関とはオンラインを併用して協議を行うなど、今後も利便性を図りつつ交流を続けてまいります。

The Art Angle · Episode

Speaker: Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere (Research Director, Sainsbury Institute) About the Talk International enthusiasm for manga and anime is at an all-time high. Manga has finally established itself as part of the mainstream culture in the United States, with sales of print manga titles in the U.S. increasing 27 times faster than those in the conventional book industry in the USA. In Europe, manga has long been recognised as a powerful form of visual graphic expression. Britain, however, has traditionally been a bit slower in its embrace of manga. Bucking this trend in 2019, the British Museum held one of the most ambitious exhibitions on manga, focusing on its history, range, and impact. Featuring over 50 artists from past to present, the Citi Manga exhibition attempted to contextualise and as well as capture the power of manga. Happily, the exhibition was a confirmed success with record visitor numbers, attracting new diverse audiences to the museum. Six years later, the de Young Museum, part of the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco in the United States is currently hosting a very different manga exhibition featuring the art of manga drawings (genga) highlighting 10 manga artists (mangaka). With a total of 689 individual works on display, this exhibition is one of the most ambitious one to showcase this important art form. Working with the artists, multiple Japanese publishers, and various stakeholders to create this exhibition was instructive. This lecture will introduce the Art of Manga and explore the lessons learned and possibilities for the future. PLEASE NOTE: We kindly request that no screenshots or recordings are taken during this webinar. By registering for this lecture, you also confirm that you will not use third party AI transcription or recording software for this event.