Programs & Projects Study Groups

Art and Japanese Esoteric Buddhism Study Group examines the Shingon and Tendai schools of Buddhism and its relationship with Japanese artistic traditions. Topics of discussion include the role of temples and monasteries in developing Esoteric art traditions, relationship between pictorial representations and textual practices, role of sacred sites and pilgrimages in the emergence of Esoteric art traditions, popularization of Esoteric Buddhist temples in the early modern period, and comparisons between the Japanese and Chinese Esoteric traditions and practices.

Contemporary Japanese Politics Study Group was established in 1999 to better understand key trends in Japanese politics and its foreign policy, to focus a scholarly eye on key policy issues. The study group is co-sponsored by the Weatherhead Center Program on U.S.-Japan Relations.

cinEncounters was established in 2012 to create a forum for critical engagement with the lesser known masterpieces of Japanese cinema from the 1960s, 1970s and beyond. From the Japanese “New Wave” to Pink, from Anime to Documentary, film screenings will focus on a collective exploration with the unexpected, the uncharted and the unusual currents of Japanese film. Monthly showings will offer an opportunity to gather, discuss and enjoy new encounters with films, filmmakers and the histories and stories behind them. Moreover, screenings will invite critics, filmmakers, and others related to the films to join our discussions over Skype, when possible. All films will be shown with English subtitles and no prior knowledge of Japanese is required.

For more information on Reischauer Institute study groups contact rijs@fas.harvard.edu