Shokkan: Exploring the Sense of Touch in Japanese Art

General: $25
Gardiner Friends: $21
Gardiner Friends at Enthusiast Level and Above: Free with RSVP
Students: Free
Gardiner Friends and Student must present ID upon arrival.

The Macdonald Lecture

Speaker: Akiko Takesue, Ph.D., Bishop White Committee Curator of Japanese Art & Culture, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Dr. Akiko Takesue will explore the significance of shokkan—the sense of touch—in many aspects of Japanese art, from the creation of objects to their appreciation and global circulation. Japanese ceramics are made for everyday use and frequent handling. Experiencing their textures—from the rough surface of a Shigaraki jar to the smooth glaze of a Nabeshima dish—is essential to their full understanding. Delving into the concept of shokkan offers a broader perspective on how we engage with art from many cultures, beyond that of Japan.

This talk builds on research developed for the exhibition Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art, on view from April 4 – September 7, 2026 at ROM.

About the Speaker

Akiko Takesue is the Bishop White Committee Curator of Japanese Art & Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum. She is responsible for researching and developing the museum’s Japanese collection of over 11,000 objects that covers most of the major areas of Japanese art and ranges from archaeology of the Jōmon period (10,000–300 BCE) to the present day. Her major research interests lie in the reception and representation of Japanese art outside Japan from the 19th-century to date, and how the historical discrepancies in the idea of “Japanese art” have been carried on until today. Most recently, she curated the original exhibition Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese, on view at ROM from April 4 – September 7, 2026, and edited the accompanying publication Sense of Touch: Shokkan and Sensory Exploration in Japanese Art (ROM, 2026).