Archaeological Institute of America lecturer and host Mikael Adolphson is Keidanren Professor and Chair of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge. A premodernist, he was inspired by the similarities between medieval Europe and Japan to focus his studies on pre-1600 Japan. Professor Adolphson’s current interests and projects center on cultural icons, historical narratives, and agency in societal changes. He is presently working on trade and the rise of the Heike family in the 12th century, and well as their poorly-known capital of Fukuhara (present-day Kobe). In addition to several essays in edited volumes and journals, Professor Adolphson has published The Gates of Power: Monks, Courtiers and Warriors in Premodern Japan (2000) and The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha: Monastic Warriors and Sōhei in Japanese History (2007). He lectured for the AIA on the Japan by Sea program in 2017 and 2018.
University of Cambridge
