Katharina Rode-Kaya

Katharina Rode-Kaya is an Assistant Professor for Japanese Art History at the Institute for East Asian Art History, Heidelberg University, where she has been since 2019. Her work spans Edo period paintings, Meiji era prints, cultural heritage studies, and transcultural art practices, focusing on the interplay between tradition and modernity in Japanese art.

• Education

  • Magistra Artium in East Asian Art History and Japanese Studies (2013), Heidelberg University
  • Exchange at Tokyo Gakugei University with JASSO scholarship (2009-2010)
  • Doctoral thesis submission (2021): 'Rejuvenating the Past—Kawabata Gyokushō (1842-1913) and the Multiplicity of Painting Practices'

Her research examines artist networks, creative adaptations, and the materiality of art, with a particular interest in Japanese ceramics and contemporary painting. She is affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence 'Asia and Europe' and Research Area D: Historicities & Heritage at Heidelberg University.

Recent publications include analyses of Kawabata Gyokushō’s negotiation of realism and artistic genealogy. Her teaching includes seminars on Artworks in Transition during the Meiji period and Fusing Past and Present in Japanese Contemporary Art, reflecting her commitment to pedagogical innovation through the Heidelberg University Didactics Certificate (2014-2018).

• Scientific Awards

  • Geschwister-Supp-Stiftung Scholarship (2018-2019)
  • MEXT Scholarship for field studies at Gakushūin University (2015-2016)
  • JASSO Full Scholarship for exchange (2009-2010)

Katharina collaborates on digitization projects like the Hachiman Digital Handscrolls Project and contributes to encyclopedic entries in 'Das Allgemeine Künstlerlexikon'. She is an active member of the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology and Japanese Art Society of America, emphasizing international scholarship.