Specialization: Premodern Japanese Buddhist Visual Culture, Women in Contemporary Japanese Religion, Japanese to English Translation

Hillary Pedersen completed a Ph.D. in Japanese Art History from the University in Kansas and currently holds affiliations with Doshisha University and the NCC Center for the Study of Japanese Religions. Her research focuses primarily on Buddhist visual culture of the eighth through thirteenth centuries, particularly images of Kokūzō Bosatsu and their ritual use. She has also published work on printed ofuda of the late Edo through Taisho periods, and is interested in the role of women in contemporary temple life. She teaches Japanese visual culture and art theory courses at Doshisha University and also translates materials related to Japanese art history, visual culture, and religion.