Dr Nicole Coolidge RousmaniereiResearch Director, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures Professor of Japanese Art and Culture, University of East Anglia

This talk considers Hijikata’s seminal dance work, Hijikata Tucked into the mountainside near Imari City, the Okawachi official kilns of Lord Nabeshima produced possibly the most beautiful ceramics during the Edo period (1615-1868). These elite wares created in small batches were destined as yearly gifts to the Shogun and other powerful lords and never available for purchase– that is until after the 1860s. Remarkably a set of 20 Nabeshima dishes was gifted to Queen Victoria by Tokugawa Iemochi in 1860, 10 of which are still in the Royal Collection Trust. This lecture examines the history of this important ware, presenting new archaeological information and placing it into the history of gift exchange and international trade.