VarietyMiike Takashi’s ‘Sham’ Among 26 Features in Japan Foundation’s 2026 U.K. Film Tour (EXCLUSIVE)
VarietyMiike Takashi’s ‘Sham’ Among 26 Features in Japan Foundation’s 2026 U.K. Film Tour (EXCLUSIVE)
#Variety #Asia #Global #News #JapanFoundation #MiikeTakashi #Sham
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/miike-takashi-sham-japan-foundation-2026-uk-film-tour-1236612513/
The Japan TimesThe Japan Foundation will begin distributing Japanese movies online for free in all 54 countries of the African continent on Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/13/japan/japan-foundation-movies-africa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japanfoundation #japanesefilm
Justice, Justification and Judgment Drive Japan Foundation’s Major U.K. Film Showcase (EXCLUSIVE)
#Variety #Asia #Global #News #GhostCatAnzu #JapanFoundation
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/japan-foundation-uk-film-tour-2025-1236255972/
Carrying on the legacy of greats like Yayoi Kusama, Yuko Mohri represents Japan at this year's Venice Biennale. In a first for the Japan Pavilion, its curator is non-Japanese. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/11/06/japan/japan-pavilion-venice-biennale-history/ #commentary #japan #japanfoundation #venicebiennale #venice #japaneseart #contemporaryart #exhibitions #gwangjubiennale
Japan Foundation UK Touring Lineup Explores Memories, Reflections (EXCLUSIVE)
#Variety #Asia #Festivals #Global #News #JapanFoundation #KinoshitaKeisuke #LonelyCastleintheMirror
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/japan-foundation-uk-memories-reflections-1235845919/
maijiThis weekend I saw the wonderful netsuke exhibit at the Japan Foundation in Toronto. It was a delight, and there were some lovely surprises for me too! I posted a bunch of photos and thoughts about it here: https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/3765398
#JapanFoundation #netsuke #exhibit #JapaneseCulture #Toronto
maiji: Delightful netsuke
[image set: 1) hand holding a small book that reads "Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke" with close-cropped shots of various netsuke, with both traditional and modern or more abstract designs. 2) Exhibit sign showing a wood netsuke carved into a boar attached by cords with an ojime (cord fastener bead - this one is a knotted letter design in copper) and a matching black four-case inro (traditional medicine container) with a golden boar. 3) Exhibit sign showing a closeup of a person in a black kimono demonstrating the use of netsuke. The sign reads: "Netsuke is a non-slip toggle used with sagemono, small personal items such as a money pouch, Inro (medicine container), or tobacco container. Since the Japanese kimono, unlike Western clothing, lacks pockets, men carried those items with them as sagemono, suspended on cords from the obi (a sash)" Netsuke, obi, ojime and sagemono are labelled on a closeup photo.]This weekend I checked out the Contemporary Wood-Carved NETSUKE exhibit at our local Japan Foundation! It's a delightful and totally free traveling exhibit. Here they had timed slots you could sign up for and requested masking for visitors which made it feel pretty safe, and they also gave visitors a lovely free little exhibit book with photos and details on all the pieces, as well as overview of netsuke history and netsuke-making techniques and even discussion on how the pieces were selected! (As if all this were not enough, if you’re in Toronto and a manga/Vinland Saga fan, Yukimura Makoto is also in town for the Toronto International Festival of Authors so there was also a mini-exhibit of Vinland Saga manga pages - replicas of the original manuscripts - a real treat!)Netsuke have some distinct considerations - due to the fact that they are functional, the design must accommodate the two holes for the cord (and shouldn't look weird, like the cords being placed in a way that the design looks upside down or something when in use) and also not catch or damage the kimono. Because you also see and handle them all the way around, they need to look finished at every angle. Something new I learned in this exhibit is that one of the reasons netsuke became so stunning is because during the Edo period the shogunate forbade common people to wear flashy clothing! So naturally they made the easy-to-hide accessories super fancy.This is probably going to be a little long, so more photos and commentary below the cut![READ-MORE]In 2012, I had the opportunity to see some pieces in the Prince Takamado Collection at the Tokyo National Museum, which the Japan Foundation exhibit references multiple times. (The signs there charmingly compared the appeal of netsuke to modern day phone charms.) Here are some photos from back then (wow what a difference in the portable consumer camera technology hahah). As you can see, all the beautiful netsuke were against a wall behind glass, and though there are a few that have mirrors placed behind them so you can see the back, in most cases you had a fairly limited view of the artisan’s work.[Two photos, one of the English translation of the sign at the Tokyo National Museum, 2012, white text on black hangin over ornate floral wallpaper; the other photo shows a 3/4 view of a various netsuke displaye displayed on individual shelves jutting from a wall display. The sign reads: Netsuke - The Prince Takamado Collection. Netsuke are toggles that were used to hold inro and tobacco pouches in place as they hung from the obi sash. With the advent of the Meiji era came an influx of western culture, and netsuke no longer served any practical purpose in Japan. However, they captured the hearts of art aficionados and collectors in the west, and netsuke continued to be made. In the 1970s, artists responded to suggestions from abroad that they should study the classical netsuke tradition but make netsuke reflecting the 20th century. These netsuke form the core of what is now called "contemporary netsuke", and it is of these that the Prince Takamado Collection is primarily comprised. However, His Highness was also fond of netsuke from the Edo Period and he recognised the importance of putting together a collection that would give an overview of the history of netsuke. His Highness used to say "each netsuke was a contemporary netsuke when it was created" and I know that he would be thrilled if future visitors to this room were to comment on the high quality of the "20th century netsuke" represented. And, for me, it would be a great happiness if they were to feel His Highness' personality in the warmth, gentleness and humour of the netsuke that he so loved. - [signed with "Hisako" in a handwritten style] H.I.H. Princess Takamado]The Japan Foundation exhibit has some netsuke in a display case against the wall, but also large photos of the netsuke as well so you can better appreciate the details, and mirrors under several of the pieces to be able to see the bottom too. The rest of the display cases are open all the way around so you can view the netsuke almost 360 degrees. [Three photos of netsuke in display cases where you can walk all the way around and see them from nearly every angle. Each netsuke sits on a small clear acrylic cylinder. 1) A case featuring twists on classic motifs (literally - most of them are animal-themed netsuke where the creature is curled or contorted into a circle); 2) A closeup of two octopus netsuke from this case: "Octopus Stuck in a Basket" by Tohei Nakagawa, boxwood, acrylic, gold; "I Am Sick of Hearing That" by Bokusen Takagi, boxwood, silver lipped shell; 3) A display case featuring plant-themed netsuke, with wood as the material. On the wall hang closeup photos of the netsuke.]There was even a small table where you can actually handle and touch three pieces, which really amazed me![Photo set of a small table with three netsuke attached to cords, sitting in small circular slots. A small sign reads "Feel Netsuke in your hand! Yes, you may touch and pick up these three pieces. Sense the size in your palm, Feel the texture with your fingertips." Left to right, they are 1) a small snake curled around an apple - "Forbidden Fruit" by Hitomi Nishiguchi in boxwood and ebony; 2) a dark owl with hooded yellow eyes - "Night Forest" by IKKEI in striped ebony; 3) a curled up smiling catfish - "Catfish" by INA in boxwood and lacquer.]There were so many wonderful pieces. Here are just a few of my favourites that I managed to get decent photos of. Nothing compares to seeing (and if you can, touching) them in person, of course, and these photos barely give you a sense of the range of pieces shown. The exhibit was broadly arranged into groupings for Legends and Folklore; Imaginary Creatures and Deities; Plants, with Wood as the Material; Animals; The Human Figure; and Special Twists on Classic Motifs. An intro area also had more modern and abstract pieces as well.[Collage of two photos. 1) A dragon head on a clear acrylic stand. A mirror underneath it reveals the bottom to show a woman with horns, enveloped by cascading waves of flowing hair. 2) A large print on the wall showing the details of the dragon and the woman.]DRAGON x QUEEN by Shinya Nagashima, boxwood, amber, mineral pigments.[Collage of four cropped photos. Left to right, top to bottom: 1) A rooster on a cat on a dog on a donkey. 2) A puppy with bright eyes and its tongue sticking out. (Note - it's actually hugging a stuffed animal that you can't see from this angle.) 3) A frog holding a tadpole on a large music note. 4) A mountain goat with lovely eyes and swirling fur, its body slightly twisted and its head cocked at a curious angle.]"Go for it! The Town Musicians of Bremen" by Mitsukuni Kagami, boxwood, black-persimmon wood."Forever With You" by Koma Hitomi, prunus salicina, stag antler, ebony."Lullaby" by Mansei Uehara, black-persimmon wood, yellow copper, red copper, 18K gold. (Note: musical notes are commonly called "tadpoles" in Japanese.)"On Top of the Mountain" by Bishu Saito, Siberian dwarf pine.[Collage of four cropped photos showing the same netsuke from different angles, and its title/info card. Sparrow Play by Tadatsuno Ito, boxwood. A monk or a boy protectively hugging a cage while a cat clambers on his shoulders/around his head, trying to get at the sparrow.]Apparently this one, the cage actually opens and the sparrow's head will pop out![Collage of four cropped photos. Left to right, top to bottom: 1) A tiny lady in court robes peeking over a fan sitting inside a bamboo shoot. 2) An ox with a gold nose ring curled tightly around its child. 3) A kirin with its head turned back towards its legs, scales and flaming elements boldly carved. 4) A sleeping white rat, its tail tucked between its legs and over its body.]"Bamboo Princess" by Asuka Kajiura, Asama boxwood."Ties" by Taisei Nakahata, boxwood, gold, black-persimmon wood."Auspicious Sign" by Motomasa Kurita, boxwood, gold, ebony."Mouse" by Yoshimasa Tsuchiya, cypress, crystal. The book notes that this artisan's work is "based on Buddhist sculptural techniques and is distinctive in its use of milky white pigment."There was also a ~30min documentary that covered making netsuke, highlighting several stunning pieces including ones from the Prince Takamado Collection, an interview with master artisan Bishu Saito, and to my surprise, a very cute interview with Bungiku Kokontei, a rakugoka and clearly a big fan of netsuke. He talks about their appeal and how they are his buddies when he’s getting ready for a performance. There’s also a demo in the video of him demonstrating wearing a netsuke and I was like “Oh!! This is such a great reference shot because it's from head to toe and he's wearing a pale solid-colour kimono so you can clearly see all the folds/creases/wrinkles of the fabric too!!" and took photos of the projection like the nerdy comic artist I am hahahah. Also, that backdrop/the room he is in is so beautiful, sigh. Sharing it for all you other nerdy people like me.[Two photos of a documentary projected on a screen. 1) Bungiku Kokontei dressed in a pale taupe kimono in a beautifully lit Japanese room surrounded on all sides by wood and glass panels through which you can see a garden with various bushes, trees and hints of other traditional Japanese architecture. He is sitting at a low table with several netsuke. He is in mid-speech and the subtitle reads "They're not actually alive, of course, but we can still communicate with them." 2) The rakugoka is standing and facing the garden view. You can see the netsuke and inro hanging from the obi at his back. The subtitle reads, "In time, people began to create more artistically sophisticated pieces."][/READ-MORE]
Paolo Dal Cengio 
#JFF+ INDEPENDENT CINEMA: dodici film in streaming gratuito, selezionati dai gestori delle piccole sale del #cinema #indipendente #giapponese. Programma organizzato dalla #JapanFoundation per il pubblico estero. Dallo scorso 15 Dicembre e fino al 15 Marzo saranno disponibili i primi sei titoli. In più articoli, approfondimenti e interviste con i registi.
https://jff.jpf.go.jp/watch/independent-cinema/
https://jff.jpf.go.jp/watch/independent-cinema/
seawaterwitch
Nando SigonaA year ago we launched the #comparativemigrationstudies special issue on #migration and #diversity in #Japan and the UK. All articles are #openaccess (and have lovely cover illustrations): https://www.nodeexchange.info/special-issue
#migrationresearch
We also collected a series of interviews with the authors in which they have 60'' to summarise the contents of their contribution.
The special issue is the result of a collaboration between @iris and #wasedauniversity supported by #UKRI #ESRC and #JapanFoundation
#migrationresearch
We also collected a series of interviews with the authors in which they have 60'' to summarise the contents of their contribution.
The special issue is the result of a collaboration between @iris and #wasedauniversity supported by #UKRI #ESRC and #JapanFoundation
Special Issue
The NODE network is led by the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) and Waseda University’s Institute for Asian Migrations (IAM) and brings social sciences, arts and humanities academics from the UK and Japan together to develop new knowledge and insight about migration-driven socio-demographic change resulting from old and new migrations. The network offers opportunities for new directions of scholarly work comparing migration in Japan and the UK.