University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ public health and nursing alumna Aime Le has been crowned the 74th Cherry Blossom Festival Queen, one of Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯²õ longest-running ethnic festivals hosted annually by the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce. Her fellow contestants also voted her Miss Congeniality in recognition of her compassion, professionalism and interpersonal leadership.

“As queen, I serve as a cultural ambassador representing Â鶹´«Ã½ through community service, educational outreach and cultural exchange programs locally and internationally,” said Le.

Le earned dual bachelor¡¯²õ degrees in and in 2020 and a bachelor of science in nursing in 2022. She was also inducted into the Japanese National Honor Society–College Chapter for academic excellence in Japanese language studies.

During her time at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, Le participated in student leadership and service organizations including Mortar Board National Honor Society, Hui Ola Pono Public Health Club, HOSA-Future Health Professionals and Atherton YMCA community programs. She also took part in medical mission and service-learning trips to the Philippines and Kauaʻi and completed a rural clinical rotation in Yap, Micronesia.

“My time in Yap further strengthened my appreciation for community-centered healthcare and cross-cultural connection,” Le said.

Supporting k¨±puna through community care

Now a nurse practitioner, Le earned her degree in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track from the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ in spring 2025. In fall 2025 and spring 2026, Le volunteered with the Memory Caf¨¦ at the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Center on Aging, a free monthly garden-based program for people living with memory loss and their care partners.

“At the Memory Caf¨¦, I can help support dementia-friendly spaces for k¨±puna and caregivers through nature-based activities, social connection and community engagement,” she said.

Le hopes to continue bridging healthcare, culture and community service throughout her career while advocating for compassionate, inclusive care across generations.

“We are so privileged to have someone like Aime be a part of the Memory Caf¨¦,” said Christy Nishita, a gerontologist with the Center on Aging. “The combination of her personal qualities and professional training has made her the ideal volunteer. She has helped to nurture not only our garden but also the growth of human relationships among students, staff and community participants. I know she will make a superb Cherry Blossom Festival Queen.”

Three members of the 2026 Cherry Blossom Court also have UH ties: Princess Lauren Sayuri Katayama and First Princess Jacqueline Kiemi Osumi are UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ alumnae, while Princess Kiʻilaweau Kakie Aweau is a current public health PhD student.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa ballroom dance team won its third consecutive national title at the (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 27–29.

Competing against 37 colleges, UH Mānoa once again took first place for “highest point average,” as well as a close second place for the overall team championship, asserting its place among the nation¡¯²õ top ballroom dance college teams. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires most team members to perform exceptionally well in all events.

The dancers of the Ballroom Dance Club @UHM—a registered independent organization at UH Mānoa—are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Narayan and Sumukti also represented Â鶹´«Ã½ in the senior age division placing 1st in several events.

“We are no longer the underdogs, so all the other colleges are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Narayan, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the UH Mānoa . “The bar is getting raised higher and higher each year, but we prevailed once again. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our dancers who put in many hours to prepare for this competition. We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from the entire ballroom community in the state of Â鶹´«Ã½.”

The Ballroom Dance Club @UHM was formed in September 2022, and the team took first place for “highest team average” in 2024 and 2025.

“Nationals was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said Caleb Zerbe, who competed in the nationals for the first time. “Getting to see so many people dance and enjoy themselves on the floor made me realize how fun dancing can be, even at the highest stages. It was a moment that helped me build a lot of confidence, and one that I will never forget.”

Christopher Ramirez, who competed on all three victorious UH Mānoa teams, added, “Given the opportunity to compete at my third nationals, there is always something new to learn. Winning for the third year in a row has reminded me just how incredible it is to be a part of this team.”

Tough competition

NCDC is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.). Each student danced in up to 32 different events at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba, paso doble and jive).

Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some events. This trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as Â鶹´«Ã½ has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.

More about the Ballroom Dance Club

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH Mānoa students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6—7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH Mānoa Department of Athletics, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, USA Dance Honolulu and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for facility and financial support.

UH Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science), coach and alumnus
• Synthia Sumukti, coach and alumna
• ʻAulani Wagner, library science and American studies
• Alexander Picken, Earth science
• Amanda Kanthack, psychology and Japanese
• Caleb Zerbe, computer science
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Christopher Wright, electrical engineering
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• D’Elle Martin, architecture
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Hannah Madiam, kinesiology
• Iris Calauan, pre-nursing
• Jonathan Bona, civil engineering
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Kanaru Ebi, psychology
• Karl Merritt, mechanical engineering
• Luis Hernandez, electrical and computer engineering
• Lyndsey Moku, political science
• Maya Ito, psychology
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Noah Asano, computer science
• Samantha Reed, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Tessa Heidkamp, journalism and political science
• Andrew Lin, computer science alumnus
• Sydney Kim, computer science alumna
• Jason Aguda, computer engineering alumnus
• Matthew Rummel, political science and business alumnus
• Ariel Ramos, cinematic arts animation alumna
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science alumnus
• Wilson Tran, computer science alumnus
• Florence Liu, faculty, mathematics

Luis Hernandez and Maya Ito dancing the American Cha-cha in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti dancing the Mambo in the Senior IV American Rhythm Championship final. (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Students cheering for their coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ is giving readers and researchers a window into Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯²õ Nisei experience by acquiring the archives of Milton Murayama (1923–2016). Murayama, a Maui-born Nisei author, playwright and MIS veteran, captured the struggles and triumphs of Japanese American families through his novels and plays.

, available in the library and online, includes drafts of novels, short stories and plays, unpublished works, correspondence, photos and other materials.

Murayama is best known for his novel tetralogy All I Asking for Is My Body (1975), Five Years on a Rock (1994), Plantation Boy (1998) and Dying in a Strange Land (2008), which fictionalize his family¡¯²õ emigration from Japan and life on a Maui sugar plantation.

“We were honored to partner with Dawn Murayama [the author¡¯²õ wife] in preserving Milton Murayama¡¯²õ tremendous legacy, which will enrich the social, intellectual and cultural fabric of our community for generations to come,” said Leilani Dawson, manuscript collections archivist.

Dawn Murayama donated his papers along with a gift to support the archive¡¯²õ work.

“My late aunt dedicated her life to her husband¡¯²õ work. She wanted to be sure it was preserved and made accessible to future writers and researchers,” said grand-nephew David Wakukawa. “It¡¯²õ important because it brings to life the Japanese American immigration experience of coming to Â鶹´«Ã½.”

Project archivist Tiffany Zarriello spent months processing, digitizing and organizing the collection. “Throughout this project, it has been an absolute joy and privilege to get to know Milton Murayama through the documents he¡¯²õ left behind,” she said. (.)

The collection is now available online, with some materials requiring library access. Contact archives@hawaii.edu for details.

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The University of ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Campus Center Ballroom transformed into a colorful hub of games, workshops and music on November 7, as more than 800 people gathered for Nippon Culture Day. The annual event, hosted by the Department of (EALL), offered a full day of hands-on activities highlighting Japanese language, art and community traditions.

Attendees moved from table to table, trying everything from calligraphy and gift-wrapping to traditional Japanese card games such as hanafuda and karuta. Students practiced koto (Japanese string instrument) and sanshin (Okinawan string instrument), folded intricate origami and tested their skills at manga (comic book) character drawing and katakana (character) recognition game. Members of the Japanese Culture Club also supported a station, helping guests of all ages jump in.

“Our department has long been engaged in the study of Japan,” said Hiromi Uchida, a Japanese language instructor. “We see this event as a valuable opportunity for both learning and community building, and we hope to continue making Nippon Culture Day an exciting and enjoyable experience for all students and the community.”

Traditions up close

Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan. Culture-focused workshops ran throughout the morning and afternoon. Visitors sat for abacus lessons, learned the basics of ikebana (flower arrangement) in small-group sessions and experienced the quiet focus of a tea ceremony inside Jaku¡¯an, the campus tea house.

Information tables connected students with academic and professional opportunities tied to Japan. Representatives from UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ (COS), , Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program and spoke with attendees about travel and study opportunities. Japan Airlines also provided details about career tracks.

As the afternoon continued, the event shifted to live performances featuring koto and sanshin demonstrations. The day ended with a bon dance, inviting everyone to celebrate together.

Nippon Culture Day is co-sponsored by the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ and COS. Located within the , the EALL department has hosted the free event for more than 20 years.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ (WCDI) has released new online tools uncovering Japanese war crimes in Asia and the Pacific during World War II.

Launched in 2019, WCDI is housed in and led by historians, librarians and Geographic Information System specialists. Using digital humanities–computational analysis of the humanities–they map, contextualize and analyze data on Japanese military operations and war crimes. The initiative¡¯²õ research draws from more than 2,240 Allied war crimes trials conducted across 51 locations in Asia and the Pacific between 1945 and 1952, with the goal of making complex historical evidence accessible to students, scholars, and the public.

“WCDI¡¯²õ projects illuminate the scale and patterns of WWII Japanese war crimes in Asia and the Pacific,” said Theodore Kwok, geospatial librarian in Hamilton Library¡¯²õ Government Documents and Maps department. “They expose students and researchers to primary sources, information and data otherwise hidden or difficult to discover.”

The new resources include:

Interactive ArcGIS map, War Crimes against Ethnic Chinese: A Case Study of Group-Selective Violence by the Japanese during the War in the Pacific, 1941–1945, visualizes postwar Allied trials involving crimes against ethnic Chinese communities. It shows how Japan¡¯²õ war with China (1931–1945) spread into the Pacific, revealing patterns of targeted violence and intimidation.

Text-searchable archive, Imamura Statements: The 8th Area Army Commander¡¯²õ Apologia for Japanese War Crimes at Fortress Rabaul, digitized using Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) standards, offers access to two statements from General Imamura Hitoshi¡¯²õ 1947 trial in Australia. His testimony sheds light on prisoner abuse around Rabaul and his perspective on the postwar Allied war crimes trials.

StoryMap exhibit (coming soon), The Sook Ching Massacre: Promises and Limitations of a British Singapore War Crimes Trial, March 10–April 2, 1947, explores one of the most infamous massacres of ethnic Chinese civilians and how Allied trials sought—often with mixed results—to deliver justice.

UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ history professor Yuma Totani, who leads WCDI, praised the collaboration with Hamilton Library. “WCDI has a terrific team of librarians whose expertise in digital technologies, knowledge in the humanities, and commitment to collaborative work have been invaluable,” she said.

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Roland Kotani¡¯²õ (1985) has been digitized and is now available through the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ . The release marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark publication, long regarded as a cornerstone of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ .

“Kotani broke new ground by telling a history of Japanese and Okinawans in Â鶹´«Ã½ that centered stories of resistance to oppression in a form that was very accessible,” said Kyle Kajihiro, assistant professor of ethnic studies.

Kotani was a writer, historian and community advocate who also served as a member of the Â鶹´«Ã½ State House of Representatives. He dedicated much of his work to shedding light on the journey of Japanese and Okinawan immigrant communities, highlighting a century of resilience, labor activism and community building. Through his storytelling, Kotani captured how Japanese and Okinawan workers helped transform plantation life and shape ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±¡¯²õ modern society.

Kotani¡¯²õ legacy preserved

Hamilton Library received permission from Kotani¡¯²õ daughter, Mariko, and his brother, musician Ozzie Kotani, to make the work publicly available.

“This book is foundational in its clarity and continues to be used in ethnic studies classes,” said Jodie Mattos, Hawaiian Collection Librarian and Department Chair of the Hawaiian and Pacific Collections. “This year marks 40 years since the publication of Kotani¡¯²õ book, and its longevity is noteworthy.”

Mattos expressed appreciation to the Kotani family and Vince Watabu of the Hawaii Hochi, the book¡¯²õ publisher, for helping make this important resource freely available to future generations.

Access the digitized book through .

On November 1, Sanrio¡¯²õ beloved character Hello Kitty celebrates her 50th anniversary. To mark this milestone, Christine Yano, professor emerita of at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, offered her insights into the character’s lasting appeal and significant role in shaping kawaii (cute) culture worldwide. Known for her expertise in cultural anthropology and Japanese popular culture, Yano authored , which explores the icon’s journey as both a commercial phenomenon and a cultural symbol.

What sparked your interest in studying Hello Kitty?

In 1997, while teaching a course on Japanese popular culture at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, I casually included a lecture on Hello Kitty. The students loved it, but it was a conversation with our department secretary, Elaine, a huge fan, that made me realize how deeply Hello Kitty resonated with everyday people. That curiosity led me to research Hello Kitty further¡ªboth the corporate side and the fanbase.

What contributed to Hello Kitty¡¯²õ global popularity?

Hello Kitty’s enduring appeal lies in her simplicity and adaptability. Her minimalist design, with no mouth, allows fans to project their own emotions onto her, making her a personal and emotional icon for people from all walks of life. Since her debut in 1974, she has crossed cultural boundaries, with Sanrio keeping her relevant through subtle design updates and innovative products like Hello Kitty wine. This balance of familiarity and innovation keeps fans engaged. Unlike Barbie, Hello Kitty remains a comforting and non-threatening symbol of sweetness and nostalgia, ensuring her lasting presence.

Is there anything during your research that surprised you?

I was surprised by many things, but the one that made global headlines was the revelation that Hello Kitty is not a cat. This came up during my work on the 2014 exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum. While writing labels, I referred to her as a feline, but Sanrio asked me to change it to “a friend” or “a girl.” When I mentioned this to a reporter, it became a viral story, shocking fans worldwide. A decade later, that headline is still making news, especially with Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary.

How does Hello Kitty’s popularity in Â鶹´«Ã½ differ from other places?

In Â鶹´«Ã½, she¡¯²õ part of everyday life, woven into the cultural landscape. We don¡¯t need her to symbolize minority identity like Japanese Americans in California might. One fun example: Sanrio released a version of Hello Kitty that “tans” as the summer progresses, which was a huge hit with Japanese tourists!

As an anthropologist, what¡¯²õ your final take on Hello Kitty¡¯²õ significance?

As an academic, I¡¯m trained to be critical. But in today¡¯²õ world, Hello Kitty brings joy and empathy, and I think there¡¯²õ value in that. It¡¯²õ comforting to see something so simple evoke such positive emotions.

Two students majoring in at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ have been awarded the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Scholarship by the Japanese government. Koy Yoshizumi and Marques Batoon, are among only four students in the country to receive the highly regarded scholarship this year, and began their yearlong studies in Japan this October.

“I feel truly blessed to receive this scholarship,” said Yoshizumi, who is taking classes at Keio University in Tokyo. “I want to take every opportunity that comes my way, and I guess I want to ‘put myself out there’ a little more.”

Yoshizumi, who grew up in Kapolei, first became interested in Japanese culture through anime, a passion that has fueled his academic journey.

Batoon, a double major in Japanese and , is studying at Doshisha University in Kyoto. His year abroad offers him the chance to work on a unique project.

“One of my goals is to complete my Japanese language study app game and play it with the classmates here who are also studying Japanese,” Batoon said.

His fascination with the language began in the fourth grade when his best friend, moved to Â鶹´«Ã½ from Japan and spoke English and Japanese.

Both Yoshizumi and Batoon represent the thriving (EALL) department at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, the largest of its kind in the nation, offering courses in Japanese, Chinese and Korean. The department continues to produce globally engaged graduates, many of whom go on to work in fields ranging from academia to government service.

“I hope that the awardees will make a year in Japan as MEXT scholars a fruitful one, by studying hard, by experiencing different aspects of Japanese society and culture firsthand, and by growing as individuals,” said Miki Ogasawara, an instructor who teaches Japanese at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹.

In 2023, two more EALL students at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ were among the four recipients nationwide to be awarded the MEXT scholarship.

EALL is housed in the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ .

Kuchi-e prints are a distinctive genre of Japanese woodblock illustrations that were inserted inside of popular literary magazines during the Meiji and Taish¨­ periods, reflecting the rich cultural landscape of late 19th and early 20th-century Japan. The has recently acquired a unique collection of more than 200 Kuchi-e prints, generously donated by Nanako Yamada, a scholar and collector based in Honolulu.

The Yamada Collection showcases works by renowned ukiyo-e artists such as Hanko Kajita and Toshikata Mizumo, who used traditional techniques to produce stunning frontispieces for early modern magazines, most notably Bungei Kurabu.

An avid collector, Yamada is the author of nine books on Kuchi-e, including Woodblock Kuchi-e Prints: Reflections of Meiji Culture.

Finding a new home

In addition to the woodblock prints, Yamada has also donated dozens of accompanying literary magazines, particularly issues of Bungei Kurabu. These magazines were designed to attract readers, especially women and young adults, with the Kuchi-e illustrations serving as a captivating intersection between visual art and modern Japanese literary history.

“The images by some of the most talented artists of the Meiji-Taish¨­ period, representing iconic scenes in magazine-serialized novels, functioned to draw readers into the tales and fuel their imaginations,” explained Andre Haag, professor of Japanese literature at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹.

The Yamada Collection also highlights the meticulous technique of inserting frontispieces into each novella, which has broader implications for fields such as bookbinding and museum studies. Graduate students across the departments of the will be able to utilize the collection as a new resource for their research this fall.

After considering various possible homes for her rare and unique collection, Yamada chose UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Library due to the expertise and dedication of Mitsutaka “Mitsu” Nakamura, Japan studies librarian, and Sachiyo Kawaiʻaeʻa, Japanese cataloger.

“The research value of these prints is immense,” said John Szostak, professor and Japanese art historian at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹. “Ms. Yamada did an excellent job in gathering prints by prominent artists and kept them in wonderful condition.”

Plans for digitization, public display

Plans to digitize the Kuchi-e collection are currently being explored through grant opportunities aiming to make the collection accessible to a wider audience. Nakamura was recently awarded the 2024 Karl Lo Award and will receive $7,000 from the to assist with the digitization project.

In the near future, the collection will also be exhibited in the library¡¯²õ galleries for the public to visit.

The Yamada Collection is housed in Hamilton Library¡¯²õ Asia Collection. to view the collection.

A three-year collaboration between faculty and students in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ (EALL), scholars in Japan, and the Honolulu Museum of Art has borne fruit: a bilingual cross-platform publication that focuses on 18th century scrolls recently discovered inside a collection at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA).

Nestled within the Lane Collection, an archive curated by the late art dealer and UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ alumnus Richard Douglas Lane, lay a two-scroll set known as the J¨±ban Mushi-awase, or A Match of Crickets in Ten Rounds of Verse and Image.

“These scrolls depict a literary event in 1782 Edo (Tokyo), where poets and painters gathered to explore the relative virtues of two humble insects—the bell cricket and the pine cricket,” said Robert Huey, a UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ EALL professor emeritus. “In East Asian literature, these insects have long symbolized the sadness of autumn and the pain of separation.”

• Related UH News story: 18th century Japanese poem contest thrills UH scholars, September 26, 2023

Seeds of collaboration

The project¡¯²õ seeds were planted in 2020, when EALL scholars Huey, Assistant Professor Andre Haag, PhD students Hilson Reidpath, Tanya Barnett and alumna Francesa Pizarro teamed up with researchers in Japan to explore the rare scroll set.

“Many of the Japanese scholars we were collaborating with were specialists in these 18th century literary figures and the forms of poetry we were examining,” said Barnett, a PhD candidate who specializes in modern Japanese literature. “The breadth of their knowledge was astounding and a real privilege to learn from.”

Minami Kiyoe, who oversees the Lane Collection at the museum, works closely with the UH and Japan research teams.

• Related UH News story: Japanese literature students prepare to catalog rare book collection, November 1, 2022

Showcasing scholarly perspectives

Thanks to a generous grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the teams officially embarked on their collaborative journey in 2021. This spring, their efforts culminated in the publication of bilingual book .

The book features a transcription of the original text, a modern Japanese translation and a full English translation. In addition, all the team members wrote essays or research papers related to some aspect of the work.

“These elements together fulfilled one of the goals of the project, which was to truly showcase distinct approaches taken to the same material by Japanese and American scholars,” said Huey.

On display

This April, HoMA included the scrolls in the exhibit “.” The exhibit runs through July 28.

All images of paintings in this article are from the Collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art. Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003 (TD 2011-23-415).

The held its annual East-West Fest on April 16 with hundreds of people in attendance. This year’s theme was “Celebrating our Cultures, Sustaining our Communities.”

Two stages were set up to showcase cultural performances by students, community and professional performers with music, dance and martial arts.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa Way of Tea Club also hosted three traditional Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations in the Japanese Tea House.

Visitors had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, sample foods, ask questions and learn about the different cultures represented at the festival.

Although the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and East-West Center are separate institutions, they have long been close partners and neighbors.

It is not every day that museum visitors get the opportunity to engage hands-on with ancient treasures in an underground vault. Through a collaboration with the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA), students from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ in the were allowed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour HoMA¡¯²õ vault, which contains one of the finest sets of Japanese woodblock prints and manuscripts on O?ahu.

“Visiting the Lane Collection at HoMA was a special experience that has left a lasting impression on me,” said student Sarah Domingo. “Seeing those books and works of art from the Edo period made me feel connected to history and I was able to get a better understanding of the historic and cultural significance these books have.”

Four undergraduate and five graduate students in Professor Pier Carlo Tommasi¡¯²õ “JPN 461: Introduction to Classical Japanese” and “JPN 641: Traditional Literary Theory” classes visited HoMA on March 31. There, they were guided through the marvels and mysteries of the Lane Collection by HoMA Research Associate Kiyoe Minami.

“Activities like this are important for undergraduate students to better understand what it means to do archival research,” said Tommasi. “They also make the learning process much more effective and enjoyable.”

At the museum, Tommasi mixed up the students, splitting them into two groups as the Lane vault only fits up to eight people at one time. Once in the vault, students had the rare opportunity to view the art pieces.

“Unlike looking at art works in a glass case at the museum or viewing the images of works online, there is much to be gained from looking at the actual works up closely,” said Minami. “For example, the weight of the book, the feel of the paper, the difference in the ink condition, etc. I would be glad if the students find it enjoyable to study Japanese literature and culture through this experience at the Lane vault.”

In the vault, the undergraduate students also gave short presentations on books that they had studied previously for the “”—an assignment in Tommasi¡¯²õ fall 2022 JPN 461 class, in which students had each been assigned a book from the Lane Collection to digitally browse and analyze. At the end of the semester, they submitted a written report along with an English translation of the title to be added to the HoMA database. The field trip to the Lane vault was a full-circle moment for these students, who were able to view the physical books that they had previously only studied in digital formats.

• Related UH News Story: Japanese literature students prepare to catalog rare book collection, November 1, 2022

“Seeing the pieces in the Lane Collection in person and up close made me realize the craftsmanship and dedication that went into creating these books and art. It is amazing how they are still in great shape after all these years,” said Domingo. “What was most impactful and meaningful for me was being able to see the book, published in 1805, in person that I had researched online about last semester, as it has brought my studies to life.”

Set in Hokkaido, Tokyo and Â鶹´«Ã½, the world premiere play adaptation of Dance Dance Dance leads audiences on one man¡¯²õ journey to open doors to “other” places. The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ and production is based on the novel published by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Adapted and directed by UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ MFA candidate Maggie Ivanova, the play blurs the lines between various realities framed by magical realism and incorporates scenes set in Sapporo and an old multi-storied building in downtown Honolulu.

“The creative team and I approach Sapporo and Honolulu as places where ancestors can visit and co-exist with the characters,” Ivanova explained. “The legacy of the land and all that came before is there. But we need to slow down, listen to, and recognize the connections that are still there. The mana (power) of place and objects is potent and present, lending to the magical realism characterizing this piece.”

In 2012, Murakami received an honorary doctorate at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ while he was a visiting professor at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

The idea of adapting one of Murakami¡¯²õ novels for the stage was on Ivanova¡¯²õ radar for several years prior to her admission to UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹.

“Of all the novels he has written, Dance Dance Dance provides a closure at the end that many of Murakami¡¯²õ other works don¡¯t,” she said.

Ticket prices range from $8–$18 for the in-person production at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre on January 25–28 at 7:30 p.m. and January 29 at 2 p.m.

The play includes strong language, sexual content, simulated smoking and references to murder.

For more information visit the .

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ students enrolled in Professor Pier-Carlo Tommasi¡¯²õ Introduction to Classical Japanese course in the (EALL) this fall channeled their inner poet. Tommasi co-hosted the 2022 Intercollegiate Classical Japanese Poetry Contest on December 6 alongside Professors Marjorie Burge (University of Colorado Boulder) and Jeffrey Niedermaier (Brown University) to encourage students to pen 31-syllable poems, a traditional Japanese literary form known as waka.

“The arts and the humanities¡ªespecially language-related ones¡ªshould serve as a means of self-cultivation and self-empowerment. This is especially true when it comes to classics, whose ‘utility’ is often questioned by the public opinion,” said Tommasi. “In my JPN461 class, I encourage my students not just to memorize ancient grammar rules and patterns, but to take ownership of their learning process through open-ended, creative and multilingual assignments.”

The literary contest resembled a modern take on traditional poetry competitions in Japan known as utaawase, which traces back to the Heian period (794–1185). Contestants were divided into teams and composed poems through a series of rounds. Following each round, a poem from each team went head to head to determine which composition was stronger.

Tommasi¡¯²õ contest was conducted via Zoom where submitted poems were anonymously matched in pairs and judged collectively. The audience shared constructive criticism and cast votes online to decree the winner for each round.

“I could feel that all of the poems had a personal flavor to them, as if they could have only been written by each person,” said Rui Kono, a UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ student. “That balance of traditional aesthetics and contemporary worries and celebration was a fusion that brought lots of feelings to my heart as I listened. Through that, I wondered if the participants of utaawase in Heian Japan felt the same way I did just now? It¡¯²õ a rare experience being able to live history like this.”

Kiyoe Minami, a research associate at the Honolulu Museum of Art, was among the guests who attended the virtual contest and casted votes.

“I was surprised to see that the students were not native speakers of Japanese, yet they were composing poems using the Japanese language of the Heian period. They also used special techniques in the composition of waka poems, such as allusions, pivot words, etcetera,” Minami said.

Fifteen students from UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ participated along with six students from Brown University and four from University of Colorado Boulder. Organizers arranged it so the contest was completely anonymous and did not provide any prizes in an effort to encourage students to enjoy an atmosphere of harmony and congeniality.

“I liked that the different colleges were split as left and right teams rather than as individual colleges,” said Monique DeLara, a UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ student. “The anonymity of the poems was reassuring. As an intro course for many students, the feedback was for the most part very friendly.”

EALL is in the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ .

For more on the Intercollegiate Classical Japanese Poetry Contest go to the News and Events section of the EALL website.

Tyler Linmark, one of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ fall 2022 graduates, is a perfect example of how a student can discover their passion within the UH System.

The 2016 McKinley High School alumnus began his higher education journey pursuing a communications degree at Kapiʻolani and Honolulu Community Colleges. He transferred to UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ in fall 2020 and decided to change his focus to Japanese. Around the same time in his personal life, Linmark felt his calling was to serve God and became an intern at New Hope Oʻahu.

He discovered the program at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ and combined all three of his passions to form his personalized degree called international theology. After a few dedicated years, Linmark will graduate with his bachelor¡¯²õ degree, along with a minor in Japanese, on December 17 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

“I¡¯m very grateful for the interdisciplinary studies program for how flexible they are and how well they work with the students. For me, I felt like I was truly in charge of what I could study and what I could take,” Linmark said. “With international theology, I was able to take a huge umbrella of classes from art, to psychology, to philosophy. It was truly a godsend for me.”

“I felt like I was truly in charge of what I could study and what I could take.”—Linmark

Aside from his studies, Linmark was also involved with the (PACE) and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Student Entrepreneurs (HSE) program.

“Throughout the pandemic, PACE provided a home for me digitally through Zoom workshops, and physically though sPACE, the co-working environment,” Linmark said. “The Â鶹´«Ã½ Student Entrepreneurs were also so welcoming. HSE helped me stay serious about my social media company, networking and business mindset. I was even referred to be their marketing director at one point.”

Student speaker finalist

Linmark was one of several fall 2022 UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ graduates who auditioned to become the commencement speaker. While he was not selected, Linmark was named a finalist. In his audition speech, he talked about growing up in Kalihi and Chinatown. His parents divorced when he was young. He remembers his mom would come home from her job exhausted while still having to take care of him and his two siblings. His older sister, and later, his father, would continue to support him throughout high school.

“I was blessed to discover my dream of making YouTube videos while in high school. I was even more blessed to learn how my dream could be used to inspire thousands around the world,” Linmark said. “I knew that when I first enrolled in college, I was gonna value the unforgettable experiences, I had more than my GPA. I¡¯m extremely grateful to say, I was right.”

Check out photos from UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹’s commencement ceremony

Linmark also noted the challenges that his fellow graduates faced in pursuing a degree in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To my fellow 2022 graduates: We. Did. It. We persevered through isolation, division and fear. We are extremely blessed, don¡¯t forget to be grateful,” Linmark said.

Pursuing a career as a pastor

Linmark is now a content creator and discipleship director for young adults at New Hope Oʻahu. He hopes to continue this work full-time after graduation.

“Regardless of my job title in a church, I believe I¡¯m still a son of God and an influencer for the Gospel. I¡¯ve realized that I don¡¯t just make cool videos or work ‘for’ God, but I do everything I do because of Him. I¡¯m fulfilled in what I do because He still loves me despite my shortcomings, and I get to help others see how loved they are,” Linmark said.

—By Marc Arakaki

• Read more about other UH Mānoa graduates:
  PhD grad goes from directing commencement to walking in same ceremony, December 20, 2022
  Student speaker encourages graduates to embrace challenges, December 13, 2022
  Graduating student¡¯²õ passion feeds fellow students in need, December 13, 2022
  Public health grads discover passions, strengthen local workforce, December 12, 2022

A collaborative project between the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ (EALL) in the and the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) will provide students the opportunity to help catalog one of the most important archives of Japanese rare books and prints in Â鶹´«Ã½.

At the end of the fall semester, EALL students in Professor Pier-Carlo Tommasi¡¯²õ Introduction to Classical Japanese course will conduct research projects and contribute to the cataloging of the Lane Collection, approximately 11,000 Japanese woodblock-printed books and manuscripts collected by late art dealer Richard Douglas Lane, a UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ alumnus.

“As a scholar and instructor, one of my goals is to diversify the field and provide students with community-building opportunities. Such activities lead them to reimagine their contribution to knowledge production, augmenting their skills and envisioning possible career paths both in the public and the private sectors,” said Tommasi.

This fall, HoMA Research Associate Kiyoe Minami visited the ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ campus to present to students about the collection, which features manuscripts such as makeup and hairstyles on trend during the Edo period (1603–1868), a 400-year-old mathematics manual on geometrics, and recipes for beginner cooks.

“It was sort of strange to learn that even if these items were from a few hundred years ago, they showed that the people of the time had similar interests as today, like fashion, health, fortune telling, manga and games,” said student Sho Tanaka. “[It] made me think about the importance of preserving, cataloging and displaying these historical items to better understand our history and where we come from.”

The HoMA¨CEALL collaborative project is meant to draw attention to the ways in which Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯²õ interconnectedness with Japan has, through the movements of the transpacific diaspora, helped shape the Hawaiian Islands¡¯ culture. Under the guidance of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Emeritus Professor Robert Huey, UH has embarked on various collaborative initiatives with HoMA and the National Institute of Japanese Literature the last six years which has yielded workshops and projects.

On Saturday, October 1, Professor Tommasi¡¯²õ class also went on a guided tour of HoMA¡¯²õ exhibition, Japanese Design: Rinpa, which explores 17th century style paintings with compositional features such as asymmetry, innovative color combinations, contrasting patterns, and semi-abstraction.

“I could definitely sense the similarities and connections between the visual arts and language in a classical Japanese setting,” said student Sidney Ihm. “It is really cool to experience first-hand the connections between the literature and the visual art aspects of classical Japan.”

The ongoing collaboration between UH, HoMA and NIJL has also paved the way for EALL to recently join the Global Consortium for Japanese Textual Scholarship, which aims to build a space for participating organizations to work together through online-based activities related to premodern Japanese texts, such as training human talent, sharing information, and exchanging opinions on databases.

A special opportunity to see and feel the past through ancient Japanese text became a hands-on learning experience at for students from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ in the .

• Related UH News story: Rare Japanese scrolls gifted to Hamilton Library, January 24, 2020

Undergraduate students in Professor Pier Carlo Tommasi¡¯²õ “Introduction to Classical Japanese” class examined textual artifacts in the library’s —a set of pre- and early-modern materials called kotenseki, to which undergraduate students are seldom granted access. The experience offered students a glimpse into the realm of archival research, and allowed them to gain newfound knowledge about traditional book culture.

“This experience was very special,” said UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ student Monique DeLara. “Before this semester, I didn¡¯t really have an appreciation for objects even a hundred years old. Witnessing how much care went into handling these books and being able to look through them myself helped me put into perspective how even everyday objects like letters, a journal or textbook are an important peek into how things were done then compared to today or another several centuries (or even decades!) into the future.”

Students took a “speed-dating” approach in engaging with the ancient artifacts. Each student viewed a different object for three to five minutes on a cycle, taking notes and observing similarities and differences. When writing down observations, students focused on relevant features, such as the item¡¯²õ format (book-binding type, print/manuscript), paper quality (color and thickness), writing style and text-image relationship. Students then formulated hypotheses about the possible readership and functions of the textual artifacts.

“Being able to physically touch the pieces was something that I would have probably never had the chance to do unless I was in this class,” said Â鶹´«Ã½²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ student Shun Mizuno. “Just knowing that I am in contact with something that has essentially time traveled is a very magical feeling, as well as thinking of the past individuals which have handled these pieces.”

The “kotenseki project” will continue over the next couple of months, and will include the exploration of other important Japanese antiques at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

For more, visit the .

received two rare Japanese scrolls from Deborah Rudolph, wife of the late John Harvard Hawley. The scrolls, entitled öLô~è{Цåh (Geigyo ransh¨­roku), were created in 1819 and depict the entire process of whale hunting during Japan¡¯²õ Edo period (1600–1868). The scrolls are hand-painted and over 400 inches long. Scrolls with the same title, but less colorful, are housed in the Tokyo National Museum.

The scrolls will become part of the popular Sakamaki/Hawley Collection located in . The collection has more than 5,000 items, mostly consisting of Ryukyu source materials collected by the late English journalist Frank Hawley (1906–1961). It is complemented by the personal collection of former UH professor Shunz¨­ Sakamaki. When Frank Hawley died in 1961, Sakamaki contacted the family and started negotiating the purchase of the collection. Aided by donations from the United Okinawan Association of Hawaii, the university was able to purchase Hawley’s Ryukyu collection. John Harvard Hawley was Frank Hawley¡¯²õ son.

• Related Â鶹´«Ã½News story: Scrolls offer glimpse into Okinawa’s past, February 12, 2013

The majority of the items are in Japanese, but there are also materials in various European languages, Chinese and Ryukyuan language (Uchin¨¡guchi). The collections are in different formats such as western binding, Japanese traditional binding books, maps, scrolls, wood-block prints and hand-written manuscripts.

“This gift greatly strengthens UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹’s Hamilton Library as a world-class source for the study of Japanese and Okinawan history and culture,” said University Librarian Clem Guthro.

These scrolls will be available for scholarly research by appointment to students, faculty and researchers.