Join Professor Yoshi Miki as he shares stories from his decade-long journey visiting regional Japanese art collections held in castles, historical houses and museums across the UK.

As part of an international project funded by the National Museum of Japanese History, Professor Miki travelled to Wales, Scotland and Northeast England to investigate Japanese collections that have been preserved by local residents for centuries. He worked to raise the profile of these collections locally by increasing the amount of information available about the objects on display, developing interpretational programmes and training museum staff. At each location he not only studied the objects in the collections but sought to understand their local significance by meeting with people connected to the objects and discovering the area’s history.

During the event Professor Miki shares what he learned from his journey and is joined in conversation with Karen George, a National Trust Property Curator at Powis Castle and Gardens in Wales.

Karen George has previously worked with Professor Miki on the Japanese collections of Wrexham’s Chirk Castle. These included a lacquered coffer (pictured) that has been at the Castle for 400 years and was featured in the exhibition Kizuna: Japan | Wales | Design at the National Museum Cardiff curated by Yoshi Miki.

Please note that filming and photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please email info@japanhouselondon.uk or contact a member of the team on site.

About the Speakers

Professor Yoshi Miki

Professor Yoshi Miki is Curatorial Consultant and Project Researcher at the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture. Having worked with museums in the US and Canada, he became Curatorial Lead at Kyushu National Museum when it opened to the public in 2006. From 2011 he turned his attention to the UK, where he has been raising the profile of Japanese artefacts and collections. His UK-based research has resulted in a series of exhibitions including KIZUNA: Japan | Wales | Design shown at the National Museum Cardiff in 2018, and Monogatari – The Art of Storytelling in Japanese Woodblock prints shown at Durham University’s Oriental Museum in 2022.

Karen George

Karen George has worked for the National Trust at a number of properties in various collections management-based roles since 2002. Now Property Curator for Powis Castle and Gardens, she has previously held the post of Collections & House Manager at Chirk Castle and Gardens from 2017 until December 2023.The focus of her current role is the conservation, care, research, curation, and presentation of the collections and interiors of the castle and managing a collections team and approximately 80 volunteers to deliver a high quality and informative visitor experience.

Booking Essential | Admission Free