Events by year: 2019

6 June 2019

Private View: Everything Comes in Waves by Kentaro Yamada

The Private View was a chance to have a first look at Kentaro Yamada’s exhibition ‘Everything Comes in Waves’. Yamada creates poetic installations and structures that allow viewers to experience encounters of human life and material history. In this exhibition, Yamada presents a combination of new and old works, which will include light installations, dyeline prints and a series of sculptural objects as a poetic installation, creating a space to experience encounters of human creativity and materials, and the two coming together as one, as part of a larger Life in cosmic space and time. This exhibition is curated by Francesca von Zedtwitz-Arnim.

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29 May 2019

Reiwa – a new era in Japan

On the 1st May, a day after Emperor Akihito abdicates, Japan entered the Reiwa era. Since the Gengo system began in the 7th century, the country has adopted almost 250 eras. This one, however, will be marked by Japan’s first imperial abdication in over 200 years. In this seminar, Matthew Butson, of Getty Images, showed rarely seen images of Japanese Emperors throughout the various eras; Dr Daniel Schley spoke about abdication in early Japan and the Insei system; and Dr Angus Lockyer discussed the current Japanese imperial system.

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23 May 2019

Japan’s economic stagnation and Abenomics

The Japanese economy has been continuously struggling over the past 30 years. Since the bursting of the 1980s economic bubble, the country seems to have been caught in economic and financial stagnation. In response, Abe’s administration has implemented a bold monetary and financial policy as part of its so called ‘Abenomics’ strategy. Yet economic growth remains limited. This seminar looked at the reasons behind Japan’s long-term stagnation, the limitations of Abenomics policies, and the challenges faced by Japanese productivity.

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16 May 2019

Hikikomori in Japan and the UK

Hikikomori, social withdrawal, is a major social problem in modern Japanese society. It appeared in the latter half of the 1980s, becoming a serious social problem since the 2000s. The phenomenon is also found in Asia and Europe. In this seminar, the artist Atsushi Watanabe shared his experience of suffering from Hikikomori and his recovery story, and explain how he is using his art to raise awareness of this social issue. Dr Tadaaki Furuhashi analysed the factors leading to Hikikomori in Japan and Professor Hamish McLeod discussed similar issues in the context of the UK.

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10 May 2019

Artist Talk: Haruo Mitsuta in conversation with Giuseppe Piva and Manuela Moscatiello

In this event, Haruo Mitsuta was joined in conversation by Giuseppe Piva, Director of the Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art Gallery in Milan. Mitsuta is the only living artist who makes contemporary Jizai Okimono (“articulated animals”) – flexible animal figures made from metal pieces, which can replicate the movements of the original animals. Mitsuta discussed his practice, the works on show and the beauty behind Jizai Okimono. The talk was chaired by Manuela Moscatiello, Japanese Collection Curator of the Cernuschi Museum in Paris.

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9 May 2019

Japanese crafts and the challenge of translation

Japanese crafts are highly regarded and valued. However, translating specific craft-related terms is challenging and many of these terms are poorly translated and lack standardization. In this talk, two specialists explored the fascinating world of Japanese crafts. They looked at what makes Japanese crafts so special, discussed how they are viewed in an international context and debate translation issues. The audience then had the chance to judge actual translations, based on a case study, and determined if they were accurate explanations or required improvement.

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1 May 2019

Tokyo 2020 and Japan’s Soft Power

Amidst the flux of the liberal international order, Japan’s public diplomacy, which relies solely on its cultural uniqueness, is inadequate. Professor Yasushi Watanabe of Keio University proposes new principles for an age where the diplomatic sphere is expanding from negotiation tactics to agenda setting and norm setting. In this presentation, Professor Watanabe reviewed the trajectory of Japan’s public diplomacy, its challenges and possibilities, with particular attention to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

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30 April 2019

Populism in Japan

Japan seems to be a relatively stable democracy at a time of rising populism around the world. Japan has successfully advanced free trade initiatives in the Asia Pacific region and with Europe and Shinzo Abe is soon to be the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history. Yet, it by no means follows that Japan is immune to populistic impulsions. This event explored how populism plays out in public discourses across society, politics and foreign relations in Japan today and how the case of Japan can be situated in a global context.

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25 April 2019

Shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics

The Shinkansen, or bullet train, is an icon of Japan. The first Shinkansen line, which opened in 1964, coincided with the previous Tokyo Olympics and marked the welcoming back of Japan into the international community after the war. As the Olympics returns to Tokyo, whilst Japan is facing new challenges, the country is still willing to adopt a long-term approach and invest in new infrastructure. This seminar discussed the development of the Shinkansen between the 1964 and 2020 Olympics, looking at the history of transport in Japan and the technological developments of the railways.

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17 April 2019

The Ghost of Namamugi

In 1862 a British merchant was killed by samurai, in uncertain circumstances, at Namamugi – a quiet village near Yokohama. One year later, a British fleet bombarded the port of Kagoshima in response, reducing much of the city to ash. In this book launch, Robert Fletcher re-examined this turbulent moment in the history of relations between Britain and Japan. He explored how the death of a young merchant led to the bombardment of a Japanese city, and how different accounts of precisely what happened at Namamugi have circulated ever since.

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16 April 2019

Private View: JIZAI by Haruo Mitsuta

The Private View was an opportunity to have a first look at the works of the acclaimed Japanese artist Haruo Mitsuta. Mitsuta is the only living artist who makes contemporary Jizai Okimono (“articulated animals”) – flexible animal figures made from metal pieces, which can replicate the movements of the original animals. Mitsuta will be showcasing some of his most impressive and startlingly realistic pieces in this exhibition. During the evening Dr Clare Pollard, University of Oxford, gave an introduction to Jizai Okimono.

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