Background:
Kazuko Kameda-Madar completed her PhD in Japanese Art History at the University of British Columbia in 2011. She has taught at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaiʻi - West Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Pacific University for many years. Currently, she holds the position of Visiting Professor of Japanese Art History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel (HUJI). She is also a Visiting Researcher at the Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University. Her research interest is in Edo-period Japanese art and visual culture based on Chinese pictorial themes and episodes, especially visual representations of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering that took place in 4th century China.
Her publications include Imagery of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering (Leiden: Brill, 2022); "An Iconology of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering: Image, Text, and Communities in Tokugawa-Era Japan" in The Tokugawa World (London: Routledge, 2021); and "Copying and Theory in Edo Period Japan" in Theorizing Imitation in a Global Context (London: Association of Art Historians, 2014). She is a co-editor of an anthology Power of Utsushi: Matrix of Creation and Continuity (Kyoto: Shibunkaku Press, 2014), and Sino-Japan Code and the Representation of Nature: Art and Literature of Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries (Tokyo: Bensei Press, 2019).

Thank you very much for your time today. What sparked your interest in becoming a researcher in Japanese art history?

Kameda-Madar: Although I was always interested in art as a child in Japan, I took it more seriously when I began my formal education abroad - at the University of Hawaiʻi. Upon starting my studies, I realized how rich and wonderful Japanese art is, and I wanted to learn more about it. Prof. Mariko Inoue was my first mentor, greatly influencing my academic direction. I was fortunate to be surrounded by specialists in Chinese art. When I was seeking a topic for my MA thesis, Prof. James Cahill--who was in Hawaiʻi at that time--kindly introduced me to Prof. Hironobu Kohara in Kyoto. Under his guidance, I chose to study the theme of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering. This theme, which I believe embodies a strong, yet very subtle, implicit anti-war sentiment, captivated me, and I began to focus my research on the Sino-Japanese cultural relationship.

I continued to explore the Orchid Pavilion Gathering theme for my doctoral dissertation. While in the doctoral program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, I was fortunate to study with Prof. Joshua Mostow, who directed me to examine the relationship between literary and visual representations. In addition to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, I also began to pay scholarly attention to pictures of the Party at a Meandering Stream, which derived from those of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering. The Chinese theme was nativized through the waka Japanese poetry. Since numerous artists from diverse schools produced these pictorial themes, my study did not focus solely on individual artists or schools. I enjoyed covering all the different types of paintings and prints created by many artists and schools throughout the Edo period. To complete such a versatile project, I consulted with many mentors and colleagues who inspired me and continue to do so.

After earning my doctoral degree, I returned to Hawaiʻi and worked as a researcher for the Kaikodo Gallery of Chinese and Japanese Arts. For many years, I taught Japanese visual culture at the East Asian Languages and Literature Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Hawaiʻi - West Oʻahu, as well as Japanese art history at Hawaiʻi Pacific University.

Could you please tell us about your motivation to start this research project?

Kameda-Madar: I have been affiliated with the Israeli Association of Japanese Studies since 2013. In 2017, I was invited by Prof. Nissim Otmazgin, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, to assess a newly acquired collection of Japanese art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel (HUJI). It was a two-week project, so I could not investigate each item in depth. Since then, I have returned to HUJI almost every summer, where I have also engaged in other projects, such as the Green Tea for Peace workshop.

I moved from Hawaiʻi to Israel last year, just a couple of months before the current conflict started, and joined HUJI as a visiting professor and research affiliate. This situation naturally brought me back to the Japanese art collection that I had worked with in 2017.

Can you please tell us about the Japanese Art Collection at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, such as its significance and distinctiveness?

Kameda-Madar: The Japanese art collection is housed within the Department of Asian Studies at HUJI, which is the oldest of its kind in Israel and one of the largest departments in the Faculty of Humanities, with nearly 300 students specializing in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian & Indonesian Studies. Its mission is to provide students with advanced knowledge about the culture, history, language, society, politics, and various other aspects of East and South Asian countries. The department offers introductory and advanced seminars, guided reading classes, workshops, and other courses, as well as field trips to Asian destinations. Approximately 15 - 20% of students at HUJI are Palestinians.

The HUJI Collection, most of which has not yet been digitized, includes the Shagan Collection of Japanese Art, donated by Mr. Ofer Shagan, an art collector and long-term resident of Tokyo, in 2016. It was a special donation in memory of his sister, Ms. Oranit Shagan-Talmor. Most of the works date back to the Edo and the Meiji periods. Studying this collection deepens our understanding of Japan's changing sociopolitical and cultural atmosphere in the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection consists of various media, including wahon (woodblock-printed illustrated books), paintings, ukiyo-e prints, calligraphy, masks, and metal and wood sculptures.

It is not yet an extensive collection: about 200 paintings are divided into the Kano School, Literati, Yamato-e, Otsu-e, Zenga, and other Buddhist themes. The formats are also diverse, including hanging scrolls, handscrolls, Nara ehon, etc. For example, one notable painting from the early 17th century representing an iconography of "Kikujidō" (Chrysanthemum boy) has a signature "Dasoku," a name for Kano Sansetsu. While it requires more examination, there are some exciting discoveries to be made within this collection. Additionally, the collection contains over 200 prints, featuring works by artists like Utagawa Kunisada, Toyohara Kunichika, Toyohara Chikanobu, Morikawa Chikashige, and others.

How did you first connect with the Art Research Center (ARC)? / How did you hear about the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC)?

Kameda-Madar: I first connected with the ARC in 2007 by regularly participating in the 'Fuzokukaiga Kenkyukai' (Genre Paintings Research Group) led by Drs. Ikuyo Matsumoto, Sachiko Idemitsu, and Princess Akiko of Mikasa. During that time, Dr. Ryoko Matsuba introduced me to Prof. Ryo Akama, and we organized and participated in various academic activities, including the 'Kinsei Shikakubunka Kenkyukai' (Early Modern Visual Culture Research Group). Through these events, I learned about the International Joint Digital Archiving Center for Japanese Art and Culture (ARC-iJAC). I believe it would be valuable to connect the Japanese art collection in Israel with the ARC-iJAC, contributing academic resources to the international research community.

How would you like to utilize the ARC Research Space (including the database system, digital tools, such as the ARC Kuzushiji Transcription Support System, etc.) to facilitate research and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem?

Kameda-Madar: The resources available at the ARC Research Space are enormous. I would like to utilize them to conduct our research and enhance the database of the Japanese art collection in Israel. For the Spring Semester of 2025, I will be teaching a course for MA students in the Asian Studies program, entitled "Research Methods in Art of Edo Japan."

In this course, we will archive the transcriptions and bibliographical introductions of materials within the HUJI collection using the ARC database system's built-in functions. We aim to gather a significant amount of data and plan to create an online exhibition at the end of the semester.

What are your thoughts on the importance of digitizing university collections, and how does it align with the long-term goals of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem?

Kameda-Madar: The digitization of the HUJI collection represents a transformative step that will allow for efficient database searches and significantly enhance its utilization in our education and research activities. It provides a digital environment with facilities that cater to a diverse range of research needs. This initiative encourages humanities scholars of Japanese culture at HUJI to conduct their research using Digital Humanities approaches. The wealth of digitized and scientifically managed academic information in the digital archives will serve as a valuable resource, adding depth to and opening up new horizons for research in the humanities at HUJI and worldwide.

Is there anything else you would like to comment on or highlight?

Kameda-Madar: I am still learning how to utilize the advanced technology available at the ARC and hope to receive further instruction. As I work on this project, I plan to recruit some co-researchers, including colleagues and graduate students. Using this collection, I plan to organize a mini-exhibition at the gallery in front of the Central Library at HUJI. The exhibition catalog will feature captions and entries written by the graduate students under my guidance. I am genuinely looking forward to collaborating with the ARC-iJAC this semester, starting in November 2024.

Furthermore, I am assigned to teach a course of the history and philosophy of the Japanese tea ceremony at HUJI this semester. As I mentioned earlier, I have been organizing "Green Tea for Peace" workshops, in which my Israeli and Palestinian students participate together. I was inspired to establish this workshop--set to take place for the fourth time in January 2025--by Dr. Genshitsu Sen, the former Grand Tea Master of Urasenke, who advocated for "Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea." I hope to contribute to achieving peace through Japanese art, including the HUJI collection.

(This interview was conducted by Yinzi Emily Li)