the ishibashi foundation fellowship in japanese arts

Since 2025, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures has established the Ishibashi Foundation Network Leader Fellowships in Japanese Arts, a programme offered to exceptional candidates from around the world and generously supported by the Ishibashi Foundation. In 2025–26, five Network Leader Fellows were selected, and their research projects can be viewed online.

We are now opening the applications for the 2026-27 academic year 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. It aims to establish an innovative new model for transforming how new generations of researchers engage with Japanese art, mentored by the Sainsbury Institute and drawing on its global networks.