The applications for the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures’ Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships in Japanese Arts 2026-27 are now open and are looking to select up to seven early career scholars. The programme supports fellows’ original and well-defined research projects in Japanese arts at their home locations while providing broader academic networking and research support.
Examples of possible projects to support include:
- Pop-up exhibitions
- Virtual exhibitions
- Processing of original primary sources from public or private collections
- Website or other digital outputs
- Academic publications
- Local histories of Japanese art and artists, including oral art histories
- Original creative projects with focus on Japanese art histories and original research
This is open to PhD candidates and early postdocs (up to two years post-PhD) specialising in Japanese arts and fields related to Japan’s visual culture, from anywhere in the world. In case of countries where PhD programmes in Japanese or Asian art are limited, applications from early career curators or art professionals working with Japanese arts, with up to five years of professional experience, will be considered. Priority will be given to scholars from regions without established centres for the study of Japanese arts (outside Western Europe, North America, and Japan).
Support
- Financial support of 7,500 GBP
- Online mentoring and training sessions
- Access to the extended professional networks
- A one-week trip to the UK in summer 2027, including an academic programme, museum visits, and research symposium, to be funded separately in addition to the research funding outlined above
