We are delighted to welcome Professor Junko Kobayashi, a leading scholar in the history of Okinawan arts and crafts at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts (OPUA), for a special lecture on Okinawan craft.

This is an online and in-person lecture at Duke Street Lecture Theatre, Norwich University of the Arts (NR3 3AS).
Free and open to all, booking essential.

This lecture is associated with the exhibition Okinawan Kōgei: Crafting Continuity and Change in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, the Centre for Japanese Studies, Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, and Norwich University of the Arts.

About the Talk:
This lecture introduces the history and distinctive features of Okinawan craft, tracing its development from the Ryūkyū Kingdom through to the contemporary era. Okinawan craft traditions—including lacquerware, textiles, dyeing, ceramics, and glass—reflect the islands’ position as a maritime hub connecting Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. From the court workshops of Shuri to the flourishing local industries of today, Okinawan crafts have embodied both continuity and adaptation in response to political, social, and cultural change. The lecture explores how these traditions were shaped by the Ryūkyū Kingdom’s diplomacy, the impact of Satsuma and later Japanese rule, the devastation of war, and the postwar recovery. It also highlights the vitality of contemporary Okinawan craft, where artists combine long-established techniques with new creative expression, negotiating questions of identity, heritage, and innovation.

About the Speaker:
Professor Junko Kobayashi is Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. After working as a curator at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, she joined Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1999. Her research focuses on modern Japanese art history and the history of Okinawan arts and crafts. She has published widely on topics including Ryūkyū painting, Okinawan ceramics, and postwar cultural heritage. Her works include The Modern and Contemporary History of Japanese Art (Tokyo Bijutsu, 2014), Understanding Okinawan Art (Tokyo Bijutsu, 2007), and numerous articles such as The Demise of Ryūkyū Painting (SISJAC Occasional Papers, 2022).