Ryūsaku Tsunoda | |
|---|---|
角田 柳作 | |
 Ryūsaku Tsunoda in his Columbia University classroom | |
| Born | September 8, 1877
Gunma prefecture, Japan |
| Died | November 29, 1964 (aged 87)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Occupation | Japanese studies |
Ryūsaku Tsunoda (角田 柳作, Tsunoda Ryūsaku, 8 September 1877 - 29 November 1964) is known as the "father of Japanese studies" at Columbia University. [1] He was directly responsible for developing the Japanese language and literature collection at Columbia's library. [2] Prominent among the former-students who credit his influence as formative is Donald Keene, [3] who had himself become a later Dean of Japanese studies in the United States.
Biography
Tsunoda was the youngest of seven children born to a family of peasants in Japan. He studied at Waseda University, and later developed interest in the United States. [4]
Keene's own perspective on Tsunoda was expressed in a lecture given at Waseda University in 1994:
- "His vocation was teaching, not writing. His joy as a teacher lay in communicating knowledge directly and enthusiastically to his students. ... As one of his students, I feel it regrettable that Prof. Tsunoda is not known just because he did not publish anything." [5]
Selected works
In an overview of writings by and about Tsunoda, OCLC/ WorldCat lists roughly 50 works in 100+2 publications in 4 languages and 2,000+ library holdings. [6]
- This list is not finished; you can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
- Japan in the Chinese Dynastic Histories, 1951 (with L. Carrington Goodrich)
- Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vols. I-II, 1958 (with William Theodore de Bary and Donald Keene)
Notes
- ^ Columbia University: "Founder of Japanese Studies and the Japanese Collection at Columbia University Honored With Event and Exhibition," 2008.
- ^ C.V. Star East Asian Library, About the Japanese Collection; retrieved 2012-11-5.
- ^ Keene, Donald. (1999). World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600-1867, p. xi.
- ^ Dr. "Ryusaku Tsunoda, 87, Dies; Ex‐Columbia Japanese Scholar" New York Times, Dec. 1, 1964
- ^ Keene, Donald. "My Mentor, Prof. Ryusaku Tsunoda," Yomiuri Daily Online (Waseda Online). July 8, 1994).
- ^ WorldCat Identities: Tsunoda, Ryūsaku 1877-1964; retrieved 2012-11-5.
References
- de Bary, William Theodore. "East Asian Studies at Columbia: The Early Years," Living Legacies: Great Moments and Leading Figures in the History of Columbia University, 2002.
- Shirai, Katsuhiko. "Take Pride in Waseda," Waseda Weekly, April 2006. Shinjuku, Tokyo: Waseda University.
- Profile at Waseda University
External links
- Waseda University: "Tsunoda Ryūsaku -- his life as a bridge between Japan and America," 2008.
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