Places
Why a Courtyard Changes the Way a House Is Read
Read a courtyard house through its routes, rooms and openings to see how the space shapes movement, daylight and…
The archive
All stories
Browse essays on Asian places, objects, ideas, languages and practices, each approached through a distinct question and its historical context.
Objects
Porcelain or Stoneware? Reading Two Different Ceramic Bodies
Porcelain or stoneware can be hard to tell apart at a glance. Learn which clues to check and why a vessel’s appearance…
Languages
The Many Lives of the Sanskrit Manuscript
See how Sanskrit manuscript materials and layout shaped copying, reading and transmission, and learn what physical…
Practices
The Samurai Was Never One Unchanging Type
Understand the samurai as a changing historical role: trace how service, status and later representations shifted…
Practices
A First Visit to a Japanese Tea Gathering: What to Notice
A Japanese tea gathering becomes easier to follow when you notice its sequence, utensils and gestures without treating…