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When the Meiji government came into power in 1868 it recognised the pressing need to produce a credible and reliable currency which would aid the modernisation of Japan. Thus, in 1871 it established the Japan Mint in Osaka where high-quality coins would be produced.   Japan developed its mint by combining traditional Japanese techniques with knowledge acquired through exchange of technology and human resources with the UK.  Upon its establishment, the Japan Mint purchased machinery from the Hong Kong Mint and hired a series of British experts including Thomas Kinder and William Gowland to oversee its operations.  In addition, four of the famous Chōshū Five, who studied at University College London, would at various times become Head of the Japan Mint during its early years.  This exchange with the UK played a central role in the initial development of Japan’s mint but the extent and importance of this exchange is perhaps not widely known.

The Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Royal Mint Museum, is delighted to present this special public seminar exploring the history of exchange between Japan and the UK in the area of mint.  Yoshiake Shinhara, President of the Japan Mint, will look at the UK's contribution to the establishment of the Japan Mint and the close ties that developed between Japan and the UK in the area of mint in the late 19^th century.  Shinhara will be joined by Graham Dyer OBE FSA from the Royal Mint Museum who will provide a British perspective on these ties, and Dr Helen Wang (Curator of East Asian Coins, British Museum) who will delve into the British Museum's vast collection to introduce some of the coins that were in circulation in Japan and the UK around the time of the Japan Mint's inception. 

Booking:

This event is free to attend but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please contact event@jpf.org.uk with your name, details and those of any guests.

Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) and the Japan Foundation invite applications to participate in ‘Japanese Studies Seminar – Postwar (Sen-go)’, which will take place at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France on 8 and 9 September, 2013. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE.

This seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and to further promote Japanese Studies in Europe. Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cosy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects in Japanese to fellow post-graduate students as well as a guest mentor from Japan.

The theme of this year’s seminar is “Postwar (Sen-go).” We are calling for applications from young Japanese Studies scholars in Europe specialising in the social sciences, language, or the arts.

The deadline for applications is June 18^th, 2013.

For further information on the seminar including application procedures, please download the document below.

Date:	8 September 2013 - 9 September 2013
Venue:	Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace, Kientzheim, France
Download Japanese Studies Seminar_Postwar (Sen-go)

SOAS, University of London, will hold an international symposium on Japanese Modern Art and its History on June 19-20, 2013. The aim is to give insights into the changing boundaries and concepts of Japanese and wider East Asian art in the 19th century. In particular, the symposium aims to review prevailing assumptions such as the caesura between Edo and Meiji, the birth of Modern Art and the Historiography of Japanese Art as a whole, and the fragmentation of Japanese from East Asian Art in the 19th century. Questions of what kind of methodology should be used to re-construct an Asian art history will also be addressed.

For further information including the full programme, please click here to visit the SOAS website.