Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Culture

The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, established in 1999 through the vision of Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury, drives world-class research as a global centre advancing scholarly and public understanding of Japanese visual and material cultures from antiquity to contemporary practice. Core values of excellence, collaboration, accessibility, and cross-cultural engagement underpin its philosophy, fostering intercultural dialogues that bridge academia and wider audiences. It believes systemic impact arises from independent research, mentorship, partnership networks, and nurturing leadership to expand Japanese arts appreciation worldwide, prioritizing projects with rigorous academic focus, public benefit, and innovation in underrepresented scholarly communities.

Thematic priorities centre on Japanese art history, archaeology, material culture, postwar calligraphy, manga, and intersections with human cultural evolution and Silk Roads global exchanges, supporting research fellowships for PhD students, early-career researchers, and postdoctoral scholars exploring oral histories, digitisation, local artist narratives, and creative digital outputs. Activities encompass collaborative projects yielding physical and virtual exhibitions, academic publications, international workshops, symposia, and open-access databases like the Tobunken-Sainsbury Research Collections, alongside pop-up displays, curated UK exhibitions, and enhancements to library resources for European scholars. It funds interventions advancing primary source research, intercultural exchange through Nara-Norwich style initiatives, and capacity building for museums, universities, and arts organizations promoting Japanese contemporary practice, archaeology fieldwork, and material culture studies, with emphasis on training next-generation specialists from diverse global regions lacking established infrastructure.

Exclusions include core operational costs, unrestricted organizational funding, or projects lacking defined research questions, academic rigour, or public dissemination. Distinctives lie in its internationalism, cultural diplomacy bridging research and outreach, preference for inclusive fellowships targeting early-career talent beyond traditional centres, and integrated approach linking collections-based scholarship with exhibitions, digital innovation, and global partnerships, uniquely elevating Japanese arts within worldwide cultural discourses for scholars, institutions, and intercultural audiences.