How far back can we go to learn when UK started exhibiting Japanese art and culture? Even before the era of museum exhibitions, from the 17th century onwards, exported Japanese art was distributed and displayed in castles and historical houses across the country, and provided people with the opportunity to encounter Japanese culture. The Japanese objects have been preserved by the residents and collectors for centuries. Although these were more for personal prestige, the continued presence of Japanese art in different areas of the UK means that it has been loved by generations and cherished as part of their local history
Professor Yoshi Miki has been working with museums and the National Trust to research Japanese collections outside of London and has exhibited them locally since 2011. The Project "Research and Use of Overseas Japanese Artefacts and Documents" was funded by the National Museum of Japanese History. His study of collections led him to visit Wales, Scotland, and Northeast England. The focus of his project is to share what he learned with residents and to raise the profile of the Japanese collections locally. He has not only studied the collections but also met and engaged in dialogue with people connected to them. In this lecture, he will share what he has learned from his journey
Yoshi Miki is Curatorial Consultant and Project Researcher at the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura near Tokyo. He lives in San Francisco. 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. He was later appointed as a visiting professor at the National Museum in 2011. His UK-based research has resulted in a series of exhibitions including Kizuna, Japan Wales and Design shown at the National Museum Wales in 2018, and Monogatari - Storytelling of Japanese Woodblock prints shown at Durham University Oriental Museum in 2022.
If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.
Free- Booking essential