DOCSLIB.ORG

Newsletter of the Japan Research Centre

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Newsletter of the Japan Research Centre JRC news Newsletter of the Japan Research Centre October 2004 Centre Members Dr. Stephen Dodd Dr Dolores Martinez Lecturer in Japanese Lecturer in Anthropology Dr Timon Screech, Centre Chair Department of the Languages and Department of Anthropology and Reader in the History of Japanese Art Cultures of Japan and Korea Sociology [email protected] Department of Art and Archaeology [email protected] [email protected] Dr Lucia Dolce Dr Barbara Pizziconi Professor Timothy Barrett Lecturer in Japanese Religions Lecturer in Applied Japanese Professor of East Asian History Department of the Study of Religions Linguistics Department of the Study of Religions [email protected] Department of the Languages and [email protected] Cultures of Japan and Korea Professor Andrew Gerstle [email protected] Professor Brian Bocking Professor of Japanese Studies Department of the Languages and Professor of the Study of Religions Cultures of Japan and Korea Ms Sonja Ruehl Department of the Study of Religions Chair, AHRB Centre for [email protected] Deputy Director Asian and African Literatures Centre for Financial and Management [email protected] Studies (CeFiMS) Dr John Breen and Department of Economics Senior Lecturer in Japanese Dr David W. Hughes [email protected] Department of the Languages and Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology Cultures of Japan and Korea Department of Music [email protected] Dr Isolde Standish [email protected] Lecturer in Japanese Department of the Languages and Dr John Carpenter Dr Costas Lapavitsas Donald Keene lectureship in Japanese Cultures of Japan and Korea Senior Lecturer in Economics [email protected] Art Department of Economics Department of Art and Archaeology [email protected] [email protected] Professorial Research Associates Dr Angus Lockyer Mr Alan Cummings Lecturer in the History of Japan Professor Gina Barnes Lecturer in Japanese Literature Department of History Department of the Languages and [email protected] Cultures of Japan and Korea Research Associates [email protected] Dr Penelope Francks Dr Helen Macnaughtan Dr Christopher Jones Handa Fellow in Japanese Business and Dr P. Ellis Tinios Dr Philip Deans Management Lecturer in Chinese Politics Centre for Financial and Management Dr Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere Department of Political Studies Studies (CeFiMS) Dr Nicole Liscutin [email protected] [email protected] JRC News• October 2004 Japan Research Centre Seminars Wednesdays, 5pm 12, 15 and 18 November Room G51, SOAS Toshiba Lectures in Japanese Art (Organized by the Sainsbury Institute for Except where otherwise stated the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. Thursday 7 October, Room G3 See below for details) Jointly with CSJR Katja Triplett, SOAS 24 November Human Sacrifice in Japanese Legends Jointly with Taiwan Studies Programme Dr Phil Deans, SOAS 13 October Nationalism on Taiwan and the Dr Angus Lockyer, SOAS Issue of Japan Revolutionary State, Restorative Spectacle: Exhibitions and Early Meiji Japan 1 December Dr Mikiko Ashikari, Cambridge 20 October The Memory of the Women's White Faces: Japaneseness and the Ideal Image of Dr David Williams, Cardiff University Women Will give a talk on his book Defending Japan's Pacific War: The Kyoto School 8 December Philosophers and Post-White Power Dr Chris Aldous, University College Winchester 27 October Typhus in Occupied Japan, 1945-6: JRC PARTY An Epidemiological Study 10 November Sir Hugh Cortazzi (former British Ambassador to Japan) Britain and Japan: Did the Diplomats Make any Difference? 3 JRC Newsletter • October 2004 Inaugural Annual JRC Lecture Chelsea were on hand to offer commentary, and the 18 February 2003 proceedings were overseen by John Breen and Nicola Liscutin. The event was a great success; it generated a lively exchange of ideas, and enabled PhD students from different institutions working on different, and sometimes not so different, themes, to establish what hopefully will be enduring contacts with each other and with SOAS. It is intended to make this an annual event. The event was sponsored by the Japan Foundation, the JRC and Birkbeck. John Breen Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea Meiji Jingu and the JRC Back row left to right: Professor Rikki Kersten of Leiden University Dr Tim Screech, Prof Drew inaugurated the JRC’s new annual lecture series with Gerstle, Dr John Breen, a fascinating talk on ‘Revisionism and historical Rev Majima Youshihide consciousness in post-war Japan’. The audience in Front row left to right: the Brunei gallery, which numbered some 80, Ms Imaizumi Youshiko, comprised representatives of the major Japan study Dr Lucia Dolce, centres in the UK. Professor Kersten explored Mrs Toyama Mariko, revisionism in post war Japan through a fascinating Rev Nakajima Seitaso is analysis of the thought of the post-war Marxist behind the camera thinker, Umemoto Katsumi. She made enlightening On 17th July the Japan Research Centre played host comparisons with the 19th century German Marxist to a delegation from the Meiji jingu in Tokyo. The Eduard Bernstein to argue that revisionism is a trans- delegation comprised the Deputy Chief Priest, Rev national concept, a response to the crisis of Nakajima Seitaro, the Chair of the Meiji jingu research modernity that seeks to return the subject to centre, Rev. Majima Yoshihide, and Toyama Mariko, theoretical renderings of history and so restore wife of Chief Priest of the shrine, Rev. Toyama meaning to history. The 2005 Annual JCR Lecturre wil Katsushi. On behalf of the Chief Priest, Rev Nakajima be delivered by Professor James Ketelaar of the presented to the SOAS library a magnificent collection University of Chicago, in Term Two. of books, which included the 20-volume Meiji jingu sôsho and 10 volumes of catalogues from recent Research Student Forum: exhibitions at the shrine. Japanese Humanities The visit was organised by Imaizumi Yoshiko, a researcher at Meiji jingu currently in the 2nd year of 20 – 21 May 2004 her PhD at SOAS, and reciprocated a visit to the The JRC co-hosted a two-day research student forum shrine earlier in the year by John Breen. Members of with the Japanese Cultural Studies Programme of the JRC and the delegation discussed the possibility Birkbeck College in May. Nine students from of future collaboration including the involvement of Cambridge, Oxford Brookes, Leeds, Chelsea College JRC members in Meiji jingu research projects, and of Art and Design and SOAS spoke at the event. The financial support from the shrine for JRC members’ topics they covered were wide-ranging in the extreme: research activities. literature of the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries; John Breen history from the 16th and 20th centuries, 19th Department of the Languages century art, 21st century society and music and and Cultures of Japan and Korea modernism. Academics from SOAS, Birkbeck and 4 JRC News• October 2004 Visit by Professor Carol Gluck The keynote speech ‘The Tokugawa Shoguns and Onmyôdô’ was delivered by Hayashi Makoto, from the SOAS was fortunate to have a visit from Professor Aichi Gakuin University, who is one of the few Carol Gluck of Columbia University, who gave a public Japanese scholars specializing in the study of lecture on ‘Past Obsessions: War and Memory in the Onmyôdô in the Edo period. He pointed out the Twentieth Century’ on 12 March 2004 to an importance of astronomy in calendar making, and enthusiastic crowd at the Brunei Lecture Theatre. The lecture was from her forthcoming book of the same gave an informative overview of the way the Bakufu title. Professor Gluck’s topic was comparative and government employed onmyôji (Yin-yang practitioners) argued that there were various paradigms common in to deal with natural phenomena such as solar and the experiences of Japan, Germany and other nations lunar eclipse, and unusual movement of stars. He in how they deal with and remember war both at a observed a shift in scholarship from the past studies popular and at an official level. in Onmyodo within the aristocratic society of the Heian period to the more recent studies focused on Professor Gluck also attended and gave a the political dimension of the relationship between presentation at the AHRB Centre for Asian and the government and Onmyôdô in the Kamakura, African Literatures Muromachi, and Edo periods. PhD Student Colloquium on 13 The rest of the symposium was divided into three March. Her talk was sessions: The first session in the afternoon of the on ‘After the 16th was Worship of Stars Through History, with Mark Shipwreck: New Teeuwen from Oslo University presenting an intriguing Horizons for History- paper entitled ‘Classical and Early Medieval Ise: A writing’, and Star Cult?’ and John Breen (SOAS) examining the challenged the PhD place of calendar-determined stellar-oriented religious students to be bold in practice in Tokugawa Japan in his presentation ‘Inside their attempts to find Tokugawa Religion: Stars, Planets and the Calendar new ways of approaching their subjects. Professor as Method’. The second session in the morning of Gluck then, commented on all the student papers the 17th, Personification of Stars focused on the during a full-day of presentations. Her engagement development of iconography. Lilla Russell-Smith’s with each of the student papers was inspiring for all paper ‘Stars and Planets in Chinese and Central who attended. The JRC and the AHRB Centre for Asian Buddhist Art in the Ninth to Fifteenth Centuries’ Asian and African Literatures wish to thank her for traced the sources of images, while Tsuda Tetsuei her inspiration and enthusiasm. (National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo) presented a beautifully illustrated, detailed The CSJR Symposium 16 -17 September 2004 The Worship of Stars in Japanese Religious Practice The CSJR (Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions) Symposium in 2004 The Worship of Stars in Japanese Religious Practice took place at SOAS on 16 and 17 September.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei
    Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei By ©2016 Alison Miller Submitted to the graduate degree program in the History of Art and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Maki Kaneko ________________________________ Dr. Sherry Fowler ________________________________ Dr. David Cateforis ________________________________ Dr. John Pultz ________________________________ Dr. Akiko Takeyama Date Defended: April 15, 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Alison Miller certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Maki Kaneko Date approved: April 15, 2016 ii Abstract This dissertation examines the political significance of the image of the Japanese Empress Teimei (1884-1951) with a focus on issues of gender and class. During the first three decades of the twentieth century, Japanese society underwent significant changes in a short amount of time. After the intense modernizations of the late nineteenth century, the start of the twentieth century witnessed an increase in overseas militarism, turbulent domestic politics, an evolving middle class, and the expansion of roles for women to play outside the home. As such, the early decades of the twentieth century in Japan were a crucial period for the formation of modern ideas about femininity and womanhood. Before, during, and after the rule of her husband Emperor Taishō (1879-1926; r. 1912-1926), Empress Teimei held a highly public role, and was frequently seen in a variety of visual media.
    [Show full text]
  • Donald Keene Reflects on 70-Year Japan Experience 2015 Marks 70 Years Since Japan’S Defeat in World War II
    The Japan Times Thursday, January 1, 2015 17 new year special donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience 2015 marks 70 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II. Renowned writer and prominent U.S.-born Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene, 92, looks back on Japan’s postwar period, which he saw firsthand. Donald Keene to study at Kyoto University, but in fact, I Special to the Japan timeS did not spend much time there because the professor so seldom appeared. As it My first visit to Japan was very short, grew colder in the unheated classroom, I only a week or so in december 1945. felt less and less ready to wait in vain for Three months earlier, while on the is- the professor, and was glad to spend my land of Guam, I had heard the broadcast time in Kyoto sightseeing instead of shiv- by the Emperor announcing the end of ering in a classroom. the war. soon afterward, I was sent from I enjoyed wandering at random in Guam to China to serve as an interpret- the city, fascinated by the names of plac- er between the americans and the Japa- es I knew from works of Japanese litera- nese military and ture and history. civilians. The streets were after four surprisingly quiet, months, I received probably because orders to return to at the time there my original com- were no privately mand. I was aware owned cars in that the original Kyoto, only compa- command was in ny vehicles. I was hawaii, but when delighted one day the plane from when I saw two el- shanghai landed at derly ladies hap- atsugi I felt a strong pening to meet desire to visit while crossing in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Yukio Mishima's 'Absence in Presence'
    UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title A Gaze into the Temple of Dawn: Yukio Mishima's 'Absence in Presence' Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4ch9z7rs Journal Discourse, 14(3) Author Schwab, GM Publication Date 1992 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California A Gaze into the Temple of Dawn: Yukio Mishima's "Absence in Presence" Gabriele Schwab " [A] s long as self-consciousness (the self) existed and perceived, the world was nothing more than a phenomenal shadow, a reflec- tion of the ego's perceptions; the world was nothing and there- fore nonexistent" (125). These reflections in Yukio Mishima's The Temple of Dawn pertain to its main character, Honda, the "Western Japanese" lawyer who, looking back at his life, comes to "realize that what had permitted him to live the way he had was the strength of Western thought, imported from the outside" (25). The Temple of Dawn, the third novel in Mishima's tetralogy The Sea of Fertility, is a novel about the cultural contact between East and West in this century which Mishima traces from a Tokyo in 1912, with its decline of the ancient aristocracy and the emer- gence of a new elite of rich provincial families, to the late sixties, the last years of his own life. Mediated through Honda's relation- ships with Kiyoaki Matsugae and later with Isao, the young patriot for the Emperor's Japan who until his premature death through seppuku uncompromisingly clings to the purity of traditional Jap- anese culture, the text also probes the "question of an unadul- terated Japan" (25).
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Studies Review
    JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW Volume Seven 2003 Interdisciplinary Studies of Modern Japan Steven Heine Editor John A. Tucker Book Review Editor Editorial Board Yumiko Hulvey, University of Florida John Maraldo, University of North Florida Mark Ravina, Emory University Ann Weymeyer, University of Florida Brian Woodall, Georgia Institute of Technology Copy and Production Shoshanah Del Greco Jessica Reyes JAPAN STUDIES REVIEW VOLUME SEVEN 2003 A Publication of the Southern Japan Seminar and Florida International University CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction i Re: Subscriptions, Submissions and Comments iii ARTICLES The Fifty-Year War: Rashomon, After Life, and Japanese Film Narratives of Remembering Mike Sugimoto 1 The Tanka Poetry of Yosano Akiko: Transformation of Tradition Through the Female Voice Harriet D. Grissom 21 Civil Servant or Obedient Servant? Ideal(ized) Officials in 16th Century Japan Ronald K. Frank 33 The Farce of the “Great Russian Salvation Tour”: The Legacy of Aum Shinrikyo in Mother Russia Daniel A. Metraux 47 Anime and Historical Inversion in Miyazaki Hayao’s Princess Mononoke John A. Tucker 65 BOOK REVIEWS Being Modern in Japan: Culture and Society from the 1910s to 1930s By Elise K. Tipton and John Clark Reviewed by Scott P. O’Bryan 103 A Bilingual Guide to the Japanese Economy By NHK International Reviewed by Kiyoshi Kawahito 106 Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo By Ian Reader Reviewed by Daniel A. Metraux 108 Toyota-shiki Saikyono Keiei: Naze Toyota wa Kawaritsuzukeru no ka (The Toyota Style of Strongest Management: Why Toyota Keeps Changing) By Shibata, Masaharu and Hideharu Kaneda Reviewed by Kinko Ito 112 Neither Monk nor Layman: Clerical Marriage in Modern Japanese Buddhism By Richard M.
    [Show full text]
  • Divinity and Gender: the Riddle of the Japanese Emperors Ben-Ami Shillony Nissan Occasional Paper Series No. 30 1999
    DIVINITY AND GENDER: THE RIDDLE OF THE JAPANESE EMPERORS BEN-AMI SHILLONY NISSAN OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES NO. 30 1999 NISSAN OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES PAST PAPERS No.14 David Williams, Reporting the Death of the Emperor Showa. No.15 Susan Napier, The Logic of Inversion: Twentieth Century Japanese Utopias. No.16 Alice Lam, Women and Equal Employment Opportunities in Japan. No.17 Ian Reader, Sendatsu and the Development of Contemporary Japanese Pilgrimage. No.18 Watanabe Osamu, Nakasone Yasuhiro and Post-War Conservative Politics: An Historical Interpretation. No.19 Hirota Teruyuki, Marriage, Education and Social Mobility in a Former Samurai Society after the Meiji Restoration. No.20 Rikki Kersten, Diverging Discourses: Shimizu Ikutaro, Maruyama Masao and Post-War Tenko. No.21 David W. Campbell, Explaining Japan’s Saving Rate. No.22 Penny Francks, The Origins of Agricultural Protection in Japan. No.23 E.S. Crawcour, Kôgyô Iken: Maeda Masana and His View of Meiji Economic Development. No.24 Irena Powell, A Japanese Literary Response to the Vietnam War. No.25 Brian Powell, Intellectuals and Politics in Late Edo Japan: A Playwright’s View. Mayama Seika’s ‘Genboku and Chôei’. No.26 Tomida Hiroko, Japanese Writing on Women’s History. No.27 Tessa Carroll, From Script to Speech: Language Policy in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s. No.28 Ian Neary, Political Culture and Human Rights in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. NISSAN OCCASIONAL PAPER SERIES Every Friday of term from 5.00 pm, a public seminar is held at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies in Oxford. The Nissan Occasional Paper Series was established to publish some of the papers presented at this seminar series and to disseminate them free to a wider audience.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthology of Japanese Literature 1St Edition Ebook, Epub
    ANTHOLOGY OF JAPANESE LITERATURE 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Donald Keene | 9780802198655 | | | | | Anthology of Japanese Literature 1st edition PDF Book Lehrich Emmaus, PA, U. Princeton University Press. Condition: Very Good - Fine. Her dedication toward her career not only paved a way for her career but it also opened a path for other women to follow. There are 1 items available. Search Within These Results:. Nobuo Kojima 's short story "The American School" portrays a group of Japanese teachers of English who, in the immediate aftermath of the war, deal with the American occupation in varying ways. Fox, James A. View basket. More information about this seller Contact this seller 8. Add to Basket Used Hardcover. Editing the resulting anthologies of poetry soon became a national pastime. Small inscriptions and neat labels may be present. Other Editions 1. Seller Rating:. There is very little modern Japanese gay literature available in English translation, besides the two famous novels by Mishima. Era see all. Rent Modern Japanese Literature 1st edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Donald Keene. Search Within These Results:. Main article: Medieval Japanese literature. Seller Inventory CIN Learn more - eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in new window or tab. Ashley rated it really liked it Jul 30, Rating details. Add to Watchlist. Seller's payment instructions Shipping outside the US varies please be prepared for additional shipping costs. Anthology of Japanese Literature 1st edition Writer Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Her dedication toward her career not only paved a way for her career but it also opened a path for other women to follow.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Book Review Volume 1 No
    japansociety Japan Book Review Volume 1 No. 1 January 2006 Editor: Sean Curtin Assistant Editor:Clare Barclay elcome to the first edition of Japan Book Review. We hope Wthe new-look format for the reviews will enhance your Contents enjoyment of this highly popular feature. The theme for this inaugural issue is memoirs and we are featuring four newly 1) Japanese Journeys - Writings and released books under this heading ranging from the lifetime Recollections memories of the distinguished scholar Geoffrey Bownas to Crown 2) The Thames and I - A Memoir of Prince Naruhito's account of his two years at Oxford. You will also Two Years at Oxford find several other reviews of recent Japan-related publications. 3) Spitfires in Japan: From Farnborough to the Far East 4) The Magatama Doodle - One The Society is working hard to ensure we provide you with the Man's Affair with Japan, 1950-2004 very best and most up-to-date book reviews. Our newly redesigned 5) The Turbulent Decade: website currently has the full complement of all our recent reviews Confronting the Refugee Crises of the and will soon be expanded to include a comprehensive archive 1990s section. We hope this additional feature will make the Japan Society 6) Valuing Intellectual Property in the best source for on-line reviews, giving you plenty of reasons for Japan, Britain and the United States regularly visiting our website. 7) Reporting the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5: Lionel James's first wireless Visit our website at: http://www.japansociety.org.uk transmissions to The Times Book reviews: http://www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews.html Japanese Journeys - Writings and Recollections, By Geoffrey Bownas, Global Oriental, 2005, 264 pages, ISBN 1-905246-01-3 Review by Mike Barrett "That night, Mishima was less brusquely cheerful than usual.
    [Show full text]
  • SO 008 492 Moddrn Japanese Novels.In English: a Selected Bibliography
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 109 045 SO 008 492 AUTHOR Beauchamp, Nancy. Junko TITLE Moddrn Japanese Novels.in English: A Selected Bibliography. Service Cebter Paper on Asian Studies, No. 7. INSTITUTION Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Service Center for Teachers of Asian Studies. PUB DATE May 74 NOTE 44p. AIAILABLE FROM Dr. Franklin Buchanan, Association for Asian Studies, Ohio State University, 29 West Woodruff Avenue-, Columbus, Ohio 43210 ($1.00) 'EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC -$1.95 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Annotated Bibliographies; *Asian Studies; Elementary Secondary Education; Fiction; Humanities; *Interdisciplinary Approach; Literary Perspective; Literature Appreciation; *Literature Guides; Novels; Social Sciences; Social Studies; *Sociological Novels IDENTIFIERS *Japan IJ ABSTRACT Selected contemporary Japanese novels translated into English are compiled in this lbibliography as a guide for teachers interested in the possibilities offered by Japanese fiction. The bibliography acquaints teachers with available Japanese fiction, that can.be incorporated into social sciences or humanities courses to introduce Japan to students or to provide a comparative perspective. The selection, beginning with the first modern novel "Ukigumo," 1887-89, is limited to accessible full-length noyels with post-1945 translations, excluding short stories and fugitive works. The entries are arranged alphabetically by author, with his literary awards given first followed by an alphabetical listing of English titles of his works. The entry information for each title includes-the romanized Japanese title and original publication date, publications of the work, a short abstract, and major reviews. Included in the prefatory section are an overview of the milieu from which Japanese fiction has emerged; the scope of the contemporary period; and guides to new publications, abstracts, reviews, and criticisms and literary essays.
    [Show full text]
  • The Japan Society Review
    The Japan Society Review Book, Stage, Movie, Arts and Events Review Issue 31 Volume 6 Number 1 (February 2011) Editor: Sean Curtin called a kiondo. In our final review Adam House takes us through The Managing Editor: John Toppon Moon over the Mountain and Other Stories which is the first collection of stories by Atsushi Nakajima (中島 敦) to appear in English, translated In our first issue of 2011 we focus on various aspects of Japanese by Paul McCarthy and Nobuko Ochner. The stories were originally militarism in the past century with some really stimulating articles. published in Japan in 1942-1943 and are mainly set in ancient China. Our first review, The Japanese in War and Peace 1942-48, provides some fascinating insights into some of the most turbulent years in Sean Curtin the country’s history. In his youth, Professor Ian Nish was a member of the British Occupation Force in Japan, part of the Allied Occupation .................................................................................................... following the end of the war. In this book he describes his experiences Contents from 1946–48, including his postings to Matsuyama and Uwajima, 1) The Japanese in War and Peace 1942-48, Selected Documents from and his observations on the emerging new Japan. During this time a Translator’s In-tray he collected a number of documents which form a focus of the 2) Burma to Japan with Azad Hind: A war memoir (1941-5) study. They throw light on the attitudes of the Japanese people in the final two critical years of the war and the equally decisive first 3) War and Militarism in Modern Japan, Issues of History and Identity two postwar years.
    [Show full text]
  • 2019.03.08 I Mourn the Passing of Professor Donald Keene, Who Did
    2019.03.08 Professor Keene’s dinner party, 2017 I mourn the passing of Professor Donald Keene, who did so much to introduce the beauty of Japanese literature and the arts to the world. I knew Donald Keene, first through his seminal translations, essays and histories, and then as an engaging individual, when I returned to Japan a few years ago. I had the privilege to host a dinner in his honor in 2017, and had the chance to talk at length with a scholar who is such a transformational figure in our appreciation of Japanese literature and other arts. When I chatted with him, then in his mid-90s, he was still following closely Japanese art and trends. He loved this country and people, and his solidarity with the people of Tohoku after the March 11 tragedy touched all of us. I reflected on the fact that there was a time when outside of Japan only a very limited number of people knew of the full richness of the Japanese aesthetic. Keene was one of those pioneers who brought this glory to a vast audience around the world. Japanese art and its aesthetic continue to grow and evolve, and the world remains enchanted by what Japanese artists create. There is a new generation of Japanese artists whose work we are waiting to discover, even as the Japanese traditional arts flourish. Professor Keene was a devoted teacher, at Columbia University, and through his scholarship. I encourage you to visit the Donald Keene Center Kashiwazaki in Niigata, established by the Bourbon Corporation, to learn more about his amazing life.
    [Show full text]
  • The Japan Society Year in Review 2016
    The Japan Society Year in Review 2016 Heidi Potter The Japan Society celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2016, which provided an opportunity to reflect on how much has changed over the intervening period. However, ignoring the many social, technological, political and economic differences between Britain in Victorian times and that of today, some things remain the same. The founders of the Japan Society were fascinated by Japan and its language, culture and traditions, and actively sought to share knowledge and develop understanding. This is still at the heart of our mission. From the outset, the Society welcomed both British and Japanese members and encouraged friendships alongside learning. Over the years, our membership has become more diverse, being open to anyone who supports the Society’s aims, and no longer requiring approval by committee. It includes people who have lived and worked in Japan, those seeking to find out more about the country, Japanese people living in the UK both permanently and on secondment, businesses working between Japan and the UK and their staff, as well as students and academics. Our youngest members are in their teens and our oldest in their 90s. Education in its broadest sense continues to be central to our programme, whether events for members and the general public; work with schools and youth groups; support for community and regional projects through the small grants scheme; or our publications. In this special year, the Society was honoured to be awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for its role in promoting mutual understanding between Japan and the United Kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Society Timeline
    JAPAN SOCIETY TIMELINE 1907 1911 1918 May 19 , 1907 : Japan Society founded by Annual lecture series initiated (lectures Japan Society Bulletin of February 28 , 1918 , Lindsay Russell, Hamilton Holt, Jacob Schiff, usually held at the Hotel Astor or at The exhorted readers: “Isn’t it worth your while August Belmont, and other prominent Metropolitan Museum of Art, drawing to spend fifteen minutes a month on Japan? Americans on the occasion of the May visit several hundred people); lectures from The day has passed when we needed to think to New York by General Baron Tamesada the first year included Toyokichi Ienaga only in terms of our own country. The inter - Kuroki and Vice Admiral Goro Ijuin. on “The Positions of the United States and national mind is of today. Read this Bulletin Japan in the Far East” and Frederick W. of the Japan Society and learn something John H. Finley, president of City College, Gookin on Japanese color prints. new about your nearest Western neighbor. elected Japan Society’s first president. Japan has much to teach us. Preparedness is Japan Society’s first art exhibition held Purpose of the Society set forth as “the pro - the watchword of the day: don’t forget that (ukiyo-e prints borrowed from private motion of friendly relations between the this includes mental preparedness. It is just collections and shown at 200 Fifth Avenue), United States and Japan and the diffusion as important to think straight as to shoot attended by about 8,000 people. among the American people of a more accu - straight.
    [Show full text]