CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022
What’s in thisissue
From theDirector
The Sasakawa
Japanese
Studies
Postgraduate
Studentship
Programme
MA inInterdisciplinary
Japanese
StudiesIn-person
events &exhibits
Beyond Japan
PodcastEditor: Oliver MoxhamCJS Director: Professor Simon Kaner
Header photo by editor: Teshio River, Nayoro, Hokkaidō

CJS Colleague
Updates
Online events
General Links
Contact Us

Welcome Message

CJS ニュースレターへようこそ！

Welcome to the Winter 2022 Centre for Japanese Studies e-Newsletter. While the Omicron variant of COVID19 has once again impacted on plans for travel and in-person events, there is a cautious return to in-person
events as infection rates begin to drop. In the meantime, we continue to provide a range of online offerings
for you to enjoy. Our CJS Research Seminar series continues in webinar format for the coming semester tobring you speakers from around the world. While our Faces of Faith display at the Sainsbury Centre has cometo an end, you can still enjoy our online display at JapanInNorwich.org. A number of our CJS members will
(hopefully) be heading to Honolulu in March for the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference where
they are preparing to present a panel alongside colleagues from the Sainsbury Institute for the Study ofJapanese Arts and Cultures, as well as presenting a number of further externally hosted events to lookforward to.
We always welcome feedback and are very happy to pass on Japan-related news of relevance to ourreadership – so do get in touch.

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022

Stay safe and well,
Simon and Oliver
Editor’s note: Japanese names, barring special exceptions, are given in the Japanese form of family name firsti.e. MATSUMOTO Mariko
Forthcoming dates for your diary
27 January
The Women of Ghibli: Female Labour and the Creation of Porco Rosso
with Dr Rayna Denison
24 February
Enduring Crisis: North Korea and the Transformation of the Postwar Japanese State
with Sebastian Maslow
6 MarchKobo A-B Workshop at the Sainsbury Institute: An Introduction to Borowith Kobo A-B
11 March
Museums of themselves: disaster, heritage, and the future of northeastern Japan
with Andrew Littlejohn
24-27 March
Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022
所長よりFrom the Director, CJSJanuary can often be a challenging month, and for those of us in Japanese studies‘Blue Monday’ was compounded by news from Japan confirming that it is likely tostill be some time before we can return to the country we study. The British
Association for Japanese Studies and the Association of Japanese Language Teachers
have written to the Japanese Ambassador to the UK setting out the concerns theongoing ban is causing to foreign students and researchers [add link to letter]. A
Japanese TV series currently streaming on Netflix, The Journalist （新聞記者）
provides a master class in speaking truth to power in Japanese, along with theopportunity (in this household at least) to shout at the screen in Japanese as analternative to English, and some welcome catharsis as we confront the state of theworld as we enter the Year of the Tiger.

There is, however, much to look forward to as vaccinations at last make a return to ‘in person’ a reality (even
if not quite yet in Japan) – including welcoming participants in the British Association for Japanese Studies –Japan Foundation Postgraduate Workshop and the Sasakawa Postgraduate Studentship Alumni to Norwich inlater February, and a series of panels involving researchers from UEA at the Association for Asian Studies
meeting in Hawai’i in later March – watch out for tweets, posts and reports on these events.
Finding our own paths to wellbeing continues to be of the greatest importance, and I am giving this extra
attention preparing for an online lecture for Kyushu University on 27th January. Staying connected is for me
one very effective method – and I hope the contents of this e-newsletter help you stay in touch with thebroader Japanese Studies community at UEA over the next few months. Stay well – 皆さんがお元気でありますように！
Simon Kaner
The Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme

ササカワ日本研究奨学金

The Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme, provided
by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, supports the development of JapaneseStudies in the UK. Launched and administered by the Great Britain Sasakawa
Foundation and fully funded by The Nippon Foundation, the Programme provides
up to 30 postgraduate studentships annually, each worth £10,000.
The programme builds on The Nippon Foundation funded Sasakawa Lectureship
Programme that was administered by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation between 2008 and 2013 andprovided for 13 full-time lectureships in Japanese studies at 12 UK universities.
The Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme, the Sasakawa Foundation’s second
initiative in support of Japanese studies, is making a real difference at a time when financial provision for the
study of Japan is scarce. It is providing crucial encouragement and support to our brightest and mostpromising postgraduates – our future Japan specialists.
To apply: please send a brief CV and a statement of interest (up to 500 words), specifiying the course you areinterested in and your future plans in Japan related research and activity, to Professor Simon Kaner(s.kaner@uea.ac.uk) by the 28 February. Final decisions will be made in April.

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22
MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies

January 25, 2022
学際日本学

In 2020, the University of East Anglia together with the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts andCultures launched the MA programme in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies. We have 7 enthusiastic students
currently on the programme who have been making fantastic progress and will be putting together theirdissertation proposals over the coming months. We invite any prospective students to join our blossoming
programme from September 2022. Feel free to get in touch with any questions you may have about thecourse and see our webpage for more information.
Administered through UEA’s Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities, home to the Centre for JapaneseStudies, this MA course is a collaboration of Japan specialists from both the University and the Sainsbury
Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Lecturers with academic focus on Japan from several
schools of study at UEA, as well as academic staff of the Sainsbury Institute together have developed an
innovative interdisciplinary curriculum for students who want to know about Japan, its place in the world,
and its transforming cultural identity. For a taste of the diversity amongst our lecturers, watch ourintroductory video on YouTube or check our Beyond Japan podcast episodes Series 1, episodes 1-7 for indepth discussion with the teaching team on their research areas.
In November, MA graduate Zoe Shipley discussed her dissertation research on the Beyond Japan podcast.
Have a listen for a taste of the kind of research you can pursue through the course:

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22
In-person events & exhibits

January 25, 2022
対面イベントと展示

NOTE: At the time of publishing, UEA guidelines restrict indoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. As
such, future plans for in-person events are pending on a relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. Please be aware
when booking that in-person events are subject to cancellation at short notice in the current climate.

BAJS – Japan Foundation Postgraduate Writing Workshop
Friday 25 February – booking required
This February, the Sainsbury Institute and University of East Anglia will be hosting the annual
BAJS/Japan Foundation Postgraduate Workshop 2022. This workshop aims to assist the developmentof the next generation of Japan specialists in the UK. It is a great opportunity for students to receive
practical advice on their research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow postgraduate
students in the Japanese Studies community.
All students pursuing a Japanese Studies postgraduate degree can apply, but preference will be given
to students who are studying in the UK and are also BAJS members. Priority will be given to PhD
students with later applications opening for Masters students. A bursary is available for travel andaccommodation expenses.

Discover Japan
Saturday 26 February | 10:00-15:00
The Forum, Norwich
NR2 1TF
Free to attend, no booking required
Are you interested in Japanese language and culture?
Perhaps you have thought about learning Japanese orvisiting Japan one day? If so, this is a fantastic event foryou, with Japanese language taster, origami, Japanesecalligraphy and more.
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January 25, 2022

Take part in various intercultural activities, including a Japanese language taster, origami, Japanesecalligraphy and many more.
The event is supported by the Japan Foundation and all welcome to join free.
Kobo A-B Workshop at the Sainsbury Institute: An Introduction to Boro
Sunday 6 March 2022 | 10:00-16:00
Sunday 3 April 2022 | 10:00-16:00
Available to attend in person at the Sainsbury Institute (64 The
Close, NR1 4DH)
Pending on COVID-19 restrictions£90 per ticket
Book via the Kobo A-B website
Boro – ぼ ろ or Ranru らんる are both terms in Japanese which translate as old and tattered. The
term is now commonly used about all Japanese textiles that are patched or repaired garments or
bedding which have been mended, using fragments or oddments of cloth. Boro textiles originate fromthe Edo period through to the beginning of the Showa period in Japanese history. These items were
often handed down from generation to generation, usually within a family, and have become prized
and treasured pieces of textile art for the beauty inherent within each piece.
An introduction to BORO, looking and creating textile work and pieces that emulate and are in
sympathy with the repair approaches found within the world and creation of Boro/Ranru pieces.

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22
Beyond Japan Podcast

January 25, 2022
ポッドキャスト再視聴

Beyond Japan is well into its second series with a full roster for upcoming
episodes. You can find Beyond Japan on Spotify, Apple, Google, Anchor
and many other servers. Alternatively, you can subscribe to our YouTube
channel or JapanInNorwich.org for notifications on the latest episodes.
Oliver recently wrote a report on Beyond Japan’s first year, noting its farreaching listeners from all ages and across the world. The report also
features glowing comments from former interviewees on how the podcast
makes their research more accessible and episodes feature on curricula atseveral prestigious universities. The full report will be published in 2022 on
JapanInNorwich.org.
New episodes come out every Thursday. More information is available here. In case you missed them, you
can catch up on the last four episodes of 2021 below:

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22
CJS Colleague Updates

January 25, 2022
CJS スタッフ近況

EventsTransition from Painted to Painter: The Female Body of Okinawa and its Women Artists
with Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay
18:30 – 20:00 CET
27 January 2022
Organised by the Department of East Asian Studies at
the University of Vienna
Free to attend – join via event pageor directly via this link
In pre-war Okinawa, while male painters were striving
to be recognized and acknowledged by central art
circles, with the exception of female students under
the tutelage of Okinawan male teachers, opportunities
for Okinawan women as artists were extremely
limited. The emergence of Okinawan female artists
had to wait until the post-war period. This paper
discusses the significance of depictions of Okinawan
women wearing Ryukyuan apparel - a favourite
subject of both Japanese painters and Okinawan malepainters during the war emergency period (1930s and1940s) - in order to elucidate the social complexities of
Okinawan women at that time when Okinawa wasunder the dominion of the Japanese Empire.
This paper examines three issues: first, how the representations of the Okinawan female body wereappropriated to express the relationship between subjugated Okinawa and mainland Japan, andjustify discrimination against the Okinawan people. Secondly, during the post-war period, how
Okinawan female artists establish their careers and identity under the periphery of the nation-statesof Japan and the patriarchy in Okinawa. Finally, I discuss contemporary Nihonga, which is also labelled
as contemporary Ryukyu painting, painted by female artists in Okinawa. This presentation will also
reconsider contemporary Okinawan painting by female painters in relation to both Japanese and East
Asian art histories in order to cast a new view of Okinawan painting as the living Traditional Painting,and also Modern Okinawan Painting as a descendant of Ryukyu.
Eriko Tomizawa-Kay is lecturer in Japanese Language and Culture, at School of Politics, Philosophy,
Language and Communication Studies, the University of East Anglia. She specializes in modern
Japanese art history, particularly nihonga (Japanese style painting).
She is the organizer of 2019 international conference, entitled "Okinawan Art in its Regional Context:
Historical Overview and Contemporary Practice". The conference report (Japanese/English) will beavailable on the website shortly as Sainsbury Institute Occasional Papers 2. Her publications include‘Reinventing Localism, Tradition, and Identity: The Role of Modern Okinawan Painting (1630s - 1960s)’
In East Asian Art History in a Transnational Context, edited by Tomizawa-Kay, E. & Watanabe, T.
Routledge, 2019.
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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022

Decentering "Japanese Art History": Rethinking
Periodization, Geography, and Historiography
Organised by Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay. Chaired by Prof
Simon Kaner.
27 March 2022
Panel for the Association for Asian Studies Annual
ConferenceThis panel challenges existing geographic and temporal paradigms in order to decenter Japanese Art
History. It brings together papers considering different moments from across the Japanesearchipelago to discuss how decentering of the field can address marginalized artworks, identities, andcultural issues in order to rethink the history of art and artists at local and nation-state levels.
Each of the papers in this panel asks what we mean by “Japan.” Is it the physical archipelago? The
nation-state as negotiated since the Meiji era? The people of the region? The panelists all consider
how we can relativize and decenter the framework of "Japan" as well as what the value of morediversified art historical research may be. When we envision a decentered field, what kinds of visualand material forms that have been produced and received in the archipelago most meaningfully
widen the field and illuminate both lesser-known and canonized cultural productions?
Papers engage in close studies of arts from Ainu or Okinawan cultures, bringing them into dialogue
with discourses from other parts of the archipelago. Panelists will present case studies that reframe
various objects in a transnational context, breaking out of conventional and often anachronistic
conceptual limits of modern nation-states. We discuss the use of "Indigenous" in Japanese art history,
drawing on decolonializing scholarship, especially from Indigenous scholars. Through these
explorations, we will shed light on the attempts to critically assess the classifications and evaluationsof hegemonic scholarly research that has created and maintained the institutions of nation-based art
histories.

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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22
Online Events

January 25, 2022
オンライン催し物

For our 2021-22 CJS Research Webinar Series we will be resuming our monthly online sessions on the secondor third Thursday of each month, 13:00-14:00 BST. Please subscribe to our website,
https://JapanInNorwich.org, for email updates as soon as booking goes live. Our roster for the Wintersemester is as follows:
27 January
The Women of Ghibli: Female Labour and the Creation of Porco Rosso
with Dr Rayna Denison, Professor in Film and Digital Arts at the University of Bristol

24 February
Enduring Crisis: North Korea and the Transformation of the Postwar Japanese State
with Sebastian Maslow

11 March
Museums of themselves: disaster, heritage, and the future of northeastern Japan
with Dr Andrew Littlejohn

Subscribe to JapanInNorwich.org for email updates
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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022
日本における新型コロナウィルスの情報

COVID News from Japan

Last month, the Japanese government caused uproar amongst the Japanese Studies community
by their choice to close the borders and even requesting that Japan-bound flights be suspended
until the end of February (this was later reversed due to public pressure). However, official
guidance indicates the borders will remain closed until at least late February to those without Japanesenationality or resident status, with speculation it could continue until the elections in May. As this move has
proved ineffective in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant in Japan, there is some hope that this may
be reversed, although Japan has been one of the last countries to lift such restrictions as COVID infection
rates ease.
For a running number of reported COVID19 infections, victims and recoveries in Japan, see the Asahi Shimbun
homepage [JP].
Total infections: 2,216,159

Total hospital Admissions: 325,103

Total deaths: 18,520

Total vaccinations: 188,427,409

Total recoveries: 1,814,747

For non-Japanese speakers, the numbers on the webpage indicate:
Infections: Yesterday

Hospital Admissions: Yesterday(total)感染者：＋前日（総数）

Recoveries: Yesterday

Deaths: Yesterday(total)(total)(total)

入院者:＋前日

退院者：＋前日

死者：＋前日

（総数）

（総数）

（総数）

Vaccinations: Yesterday(total)ワクチン接種：＋前日（総数）
For a Japanese government public service video on coronavirus (Japanese only):
3 つの密を避けよう！
For Japanese speakers, here are two articles in English from the Japan Times laying out vocabulary coming
out of the crisis:••

The Japanese words used to encourage self-restraint
Cancellations, postponements, suspensions — words that define the times

General Links

お役立ちリンク

Orientations Magazine
Embassy of Japan
Japan Foundation
JSPS
British Association for Japanese Studies
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
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CJS e-Newsletter Winter 2021-22

January 25, 2022

Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Japan Society
EU-Japan Centre
Canon Foundation
Applications for JET ProgrammeJapanese Language Proficiency ExamUEA Japan Society: ueajapansociety@gmail.com
Taiko Centre East
Career Forums
お問い合わせContact Us
If you have any contributions for the next e-newsletter,
please send them to us by 20 April 2022 to make the next issue.
Send us an email at cjs@uea.ac.uk.
To keep up with goings-on at CJS, follow us on social media:

Or visit our website: JapanInNorwich.org
If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please email cjs@uea.ac.uk

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