Chair's Greetings

CJS Chair
Steven Vogel

Dear Friends:

This semester we will welcome Ryuichi Sakamoto, the internationally-acclaimed musician, composer, producer and activist, as the winner of the Berkeley Japan Prize, a lifetime achievement award from the Center for Japanese Studies to an individual who has made significant contributions in furthering the understanding of Japan on the global stage. Sakamoto's visionary and genre-defying work as a musician, with his dozens of film scores, pop music, classical music as well as experimental glitch, has demonstrated universal appeal beyond Japan. His score for The Last Emperor (1987) won him the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Sakamoto's visit to Berkeley includes a Composer's Colloquium on Friday, February 8, and an Eco-Activism Panel and a solo piano concert at Hertz Concert Hall on Saturday, February 9.

We have many other exciting programs lined up this spring. Professor Miryam Sas is organizing a conference on "Media History/Media Theory: Art Theater Guild and the Tokyo Underground," in collaboration with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Our speakers this semester include Taishin Ikeda, CJS Visiting Scholar from Konan Women's University, on the changing meanings of Japanese "Otaku"; Tetsuya Toyoda of Akita International University on territorial disputes; Amy Stanley of Northwestern on households in early modern Japan; Chris Goto-Jones of Leiden University on bushido philosophy; and Marc Keane on designing East Asian gardens. Jessica Starling, our Shinjo Ito Post-Doctoral Fellow, is organizing a colloquium on Japanese religion and material culture for April 17.

We are delighted to announce that Mark Blum, currently a professor at the State University of New York, Albany, will be the new Shinjo Ito Chair of Japanese Buddhism, taking up residency on campus in the fall. Blum is an expert on Buddhist thought and culture, especially Japanese Buddhism.

We invite you to become a part of our efforts to promote the further development of Japanese Studies at UC Berkeley. There are many ways to participate, and all levels of contribution are welcome. A few examples of how you can support this important institute and ensure its longevity include: Donations to the Center's Endowment; Gifts for Endowed Chairs and Professorships; and Naming Opportunities for Student Fellowships. Please feel free to contact CJS if you wish to make a donation. I look forward to seeing you at some of the many events we will host this spring and beyond.

Steven Vogel
Chair