Past Events

Kimigayo and the Meiji Musical Aesthetic

Daiwa alumnus Simon Cosgrove guided us through the fascinating story of Kimigayo, one of the world’s most enigmatic national anthems, an 11-bar composition written in an ancient Japanese mode with no final cadence. We discovered how a British military bandmaster was the catalyst for Japan’s first national anthem, and how the music of Kimigayo was shaped by the cultural and social changes of the Meiji Period. Kimigayo was be presented as a key to unlocking the Meiji musical aesthetic, and its influence on later national anthems around the world was examined.

Miyazaki Tōten and the Making of ‘Naniwabushi’ as a Mode of Popular Dissent in Early 20th Century Japan

In this talk, Joel uncovered how Miyazaki Tōten (1870–1922), a revolutionary and thinker who became a naniwabushi balladeer, was instrumental in the rise of naniwabushi as a popular art form during the Russo-Japanese transwar period (1902–1909) and used it to engage in a practice of nihilist democracy. He used a transwar frame to examine how Miyazaki Tōten created ‘new’ naniwabushi to deliberately link the techniques and rhetoric of the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement from the 1880s to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).

BBC が伝えてきたこと

英国最大の公共サービス放送BBCが視聴者にどのような番組を放送・配信し、社会の中でどのような位置づけになっているのかを国外から知るのは容易ではありません。どの国の放送局も制作したコンテンツは、原則国内でのみ視聴できるようになっているからです。BBCは時として「国営」と間違って紹介されることもありますが、視聴世帯から放送受信料を徴収して活動する「公共放送」であり、社会を構成する「みんなのもの」です。 本ウェビナーでは、小林恭子氏をお招きし、開局から約100年、BBCが伝えてきたことを辿りながら、公共放送やメディアの未来を考えました。

The Daguerreotype at the End of Our World

Photographer Arai Takashi was born in the late 1970s in the Japan of the Cold War. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, followed by the Fukushima nuclear accident, was the first moment when his worst fears seemed to come true after Japan retreated into the amnesia of the bubble and post-bubble economy. Since he started to make frequent visits to Fukushima, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and other nuclear sites in Japan and the US, he has been considering the complex disparities between the different levels of narrative told by individuals, communities, and nations. In this talk, moderated by Simon Baker (Director of MEP: Maison Européenne de la Photographie and former Senior Curator, International Art at Tate), Arai discussed his interdisciplinary approach to nuclear issues utilising the uncertainty of the daguerreotype, one of the earliest photographic techniques, and the instability and fragility of his body and mind as an individual artist.

[Last Chance] Gallery Tour: Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa

Last chance to join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff. The tour focused on a series of works titled, Drawings on Newspapers, and the concepts behind them, along with a new piece derived from these installations. Kanazawa uses a black 10B pencil to obliterate printed words and images in newspapers, except for those that appeal to her, either for a reason or intuitively. The remaining content is thus excised from its context to weave new stories. For Kanazawa, the erasure of context is a liberating experience, pointing up the discrepancy between an individual’s sense of time and that regulated by society. We explored Sumi’s artistic practice, ideas, and inspiration.

Nuclear Ghost: Atomic Livelihoods in Fukushima’s Gray Zone

Nuclear Ghost takes us deep into the liminal zone of once evacuated, post-fallout Minamisōma, a town severely impacted by the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. In this talk, moderated by Dr Steger, Dr Morimoto talked about the disaster’s impact on modern Japanese society based on his fieldwork conducted between 2013 and 2019 in coastal Fukushima. More specially, he explained how natural and technological disasters and the resulting techno-sensory politics—half-life politics—of nuclear “things” impacted residents’ lives in post-fallout coastal Fukushima.

Innovation in Space

A growing number of actors have become involved in space exploration in recent years. International cooperation is key, with the ISS showing a great example of what can be achieved when space agencies from different countries cooperate. But the present geopolitical context of growing frictions between global powers is rendering continued collaboration uncertain, and may lead to more intense competition for hegemony in space in the future. In this seminar moderated by Sara Russell, Naoko Yamazaki discussed the impact of changing relationships between the major national players on prospects for future international cooperation in space exploration, and the contribution of Japan’s innovative space programme.

From the Forge to the Kitchen: The Art & Precision of Japanese Knives

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Japanese Knife Company, this book, adorned with stunning photography, follows the journey from raw metal into beautifully made knives, crafted through centuries-old traditional Japanese techniques, and into the hands of great chefs and people who love good cooking. This commemorative book is based on the significance and reoccurrence of the number five, commonly considered a lucky number within Japanese culture. It visits five towns in Japan – Takefu (武生), Sakai (堺), Seki (関), Sanjō (三条), Tosa (土佐) – all historically famous for fine blade making by master blacksmiths who live and work there.

Japan's response to the Israel-Palestine conflict

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas represents a new shock for international geopolitical relations, coming less than two years after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s response have generated various reactions from governments around the world. Global geopolitical divisions could widen and accelerate further as a consequence of this conflict.

In this webinar moderated by Lawrence Freedman, Japan’s former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hitoshi Tanaka discussed Japan’s perspective on and response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. He analysed the potential impact on the international order and Japan’s position in it.  Additionally, he shared his opinions about Japan’s role as this year’s G7 host and innovative diplomatic approaches that could be taken towards recent global conflicts.

Global Conflicts and Japan's Energy Security

Recent global conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars have had major consequences for the present international order and the energy security of many countries, including Japan. The Israel-Hamas war and its potential for escalation may impact the Middle East region and its relations with counties like Japan, putting its energy supplies at risk. In this webinar, moderated by Dan Marks, Professor Koichiro Tanaka from Keio University discussed the impact of global conflicts amid possible concerns about Japan’s energy security.

Japan on a Glass Plate: The Adventure of Photography in Yokohama and Beyond

Between the twilight years of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1867) and the end of the Meiji Era (1868–1912) that followed it, photography offered a unique insight into the rapid transformation of Japan from an isolated, feudal society to a modern, industrialised state. In the four decades that followed the opening of the country in 1853, the camera evolved from an imported novelty into a familiar witness of daily life. Drawing from an extensive private collection assembled over many years, this book presents a unique selection of nineteenth-century photographs of Japan, many of which are published here for the first time.

Gallery Tour: Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa

Join us for a free lunchtime tour related to our exhibition, Erase and See by Sumi Kanazawa, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff. The tour will focus on a series of works titled, Drawings on Newspapers, and the concepts behind them, along with a new piece derived from these installations. Kanazawa uses a black 10B pencil to obliterate printed words and images in newspapers, except for those that appeal to her, either for a reason or intuitively. The remaining content is thus excised from its context to weave new stories. For Kanazawa, the erasure of context is a liberating experience, pointing up the discrepancy between an individual’s sense of time and that regulated by society. We will explore Sumi’s artistic practice, ideas, and inspiration. As the number of participants is limited, we urge you to sign up quickly.