20 May 2014
Based on the subject of physicality and topicality within the delirious metropolis, Toru Ishii’s first solo exhibition in the UK aims to achieve a hybrid of expression in elements such as the past and present and the digital and analogue. He challenges how traditional art can exist in this modern age, and attempts to find a new paradigm of art by employing long-established techniques.
More info15 May 2014
A Thousand Cranes theatre company was founded in 2006 by performer Kumiko Mendl and director Vicky Ireland MBE. Combining Vicky’s lifelong passion for children’s theatre and interest in Japan with Kumiko’s childhood memories of living there, they decided to create a company dedicated to bringing the many fascinating stories, artists and culture of Japan to young audiences in the UK.
More info13 May 2014
This book examines the Japanese culture of the Muromachi epoch (14-16 centuries) with Ikkyū Sōjun (1394-1481), a celebrated monk and poet, as its focal point. Ikkyū’s contribution to the culture of his time was all-embracing and unique. He can be called the embodiment of his era, given that all the features typical for the Japanese culture of the High Middle Ages were concentrated in his personality. The book also discusses in great detail Ikkyū’s religious and ethical principles, as well as his attitude towards sex, and shows that his rebellious and iconoclastic ways were deeply embedded in the tradition.
More info6 May 2014
The town of Arita in Saga prefecture is one of the most famous centres for Japanese porcelain. Dating its production back to 1616, it will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2016. The first porcelain from Arita that was exported to Europe in the 17th century was welcomed with enormous enthusiasm. The porcelain, having travelled across the sea to Europe, became more highly treasured than gold, and was exported to various countries, having a major influence on European art and culture. Shuko Noda, a garden designer, talked about his concept and objectives in introducing this historical ceramic ware into garden designs as a member of Team SAGA, an entry in the Artisan Division of the 2014 Chelsea Flower Show.
More info29 April 2014
The third seminar in our 2014 series on “Power”. In the previous seminar, we discussed “soft power”, and the panel concluded that a combination of hard and soft power, namely ‘smart power’, is the most effective way to influence other states in the contemporary world. But what can a weaker state with limited hard power (military force) do to deter other states? Can the international community be effective in pressuring stronger powers like Russia to change course without resorting to hard power? How can the diplomatic efforts of the international community be made effective?
More info8 April 2014
We were delighted to host the London launch of the Japan Society’s latest publication, “The art lover’s guide to Japanese museums” by Sophie Richard. Japan is a ‘museum kingdom,’ operating some 5600 museums nationwide – a figure that eclipses the 1800 or so accredited museums in the UK. The museums of Japan feature rich collections and excellent exhibitions in world-class galleries. The art lover’s guide to Japanese Museums acts as a personal guide, introducing readers to some of the most distinctive and inspiring art museums in the country.
More info3 April 2014
One hundred years after the start of the First World War, this seminar presented two different points of view on a turning point in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Japan assisted Britain by defeating Germany in the Far East early on in the war, yet several factors tested the relationship between Britain and Japan. The event was chaired by Professor Ian H. Nish of the London School of Economics.
More info31 March 2014
Gozo Yoshimasu will talk about his latest solo exhibition at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. As Though Tattooing on My Mind is the first exhibition of the Japanese poet and artist Gozo Yoshimasu in the UK, and summarises fifty years of Yoshimasu’s career as one of the world’s most innovative and influential poets and artists. The exhibition presents pieces of his visual artwork together with various forms of his poetry, including double-exposure photography, copper-plate engravings, the sui generis gozoCiné video work and original manuscripts from his latest visual poetry series, Kaibutsu-kun (Dear Monster).
More info31 March 2014
Gozo Yoshimasu’s first exhibition in the UK will open on the 31 March at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. As Though Tattooing on My Mind summarises fifty years of Yoshimasu’s career as one of the world’s most innovative and influential poets and artists. The exhibition presents pieces of his visual artwork together with various forms of his poetry, including double-exposure photography, copper-plate engravings, the sui generis gozoCiné video work and original manuscripts from his latest visual poetry series, “Kaibutsu-kun” (Dear Monster).
More info25 March 2014
“Soft power” can be defined as a country’s ability to get what it wants by attracting rather than coercing others – by engaging hearts and minds through cultural and political values and foreign policies that other countries see as legitimate and conducive to their own interests. Is Japan’s use of its soft power a success at the moment? Is it possible for a state to use soft power and not make it look like propaganda?
More info17 March 2014
We will celebrate the opening of the Yasashii Hankachii exhibition with a private view on Monday 17 March. Yasashii Hankachi is an exhibition organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in association with JAGDA (the Japan Graphic Designers Association) in response to the devastation left by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tōhoku (north-east) area of Japan.
More info14 March 2014
Architecture is responsible for about 45% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, but how can this be changed? This event highlighted the new trends of “compact” and “adaptive” design in the UK and contrasts their novelty here with their history in Japan, where they are more firmly embedded into the culture and design thinking. The speakers discussed how living space can be “compact” but rich, inspired by the classic scale and order of a Japanese house, which is combined with advanced concepts and technologies.
More info
