Reischauer Institute awards Japanese studies prizes

The Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and Kodansha Publishers recently hosted the 15th annual Edwin O. Reischauer/Kodansha Ltd. Commemorative Symposium and the 14th annual awarding of the Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies. These prizes, $2,000 for the best undergraduate essay and $3,000 for the best graduate essay, are given annually by Kodansha Publishers for the best essays written by Harvard students on Japan-related topics. The prizes this year also included Kodansha’s three-volume edition of “Seeing Japan/Tokyo/Kyoto,” “The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving,” “Autumn Colors of Kyoto,” or “Cherry Blossoms of Kyoto.”

Audrey Ji-eun Kim ’09 (history), won the undergraduate prize for her essay “Crediting Empire:  Politics, Policies, and Perceptions of Japan in the London Bond Market, 1900-1914.” The graduate essay prize went to Kathryn Handlir, A.M. ’09 in regional studies-East Asia, for her essay “Fads, Brands, and Fashion Spreads:  Print Culture and the Making of Kimono in Early Modern Japan.” Both winners were in attendance to describe their research and accept the awards.  Kodansha Ltd. was represented by Ryu Yamane, vice president (Tokyo); and Yoichi Kimata, senior vice president, and Tomoe Sumi, project coordinator, both of Kodansha America LLC (New York).

Akira Iriye, Charles Warren Research Professor of American History, gave the symposium address on “Transnational Japan,” while Susan J. Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and director of the Reischauer Institute, gave the welcome.

The deadline for submitting essays for the next Noma-Reischauer Prize is June 30, 2010.

For more information, contact the Reischauer Institute at 617.495.3220 or visit the Reischauer Web site.