Donald Keene, one of the most respected Japanologists in the world, visited PSU on several occasions. He was University Professor Emeritus and Shinchō Professor Emeritus of Columbia University, and the first non-Japanese scholar to receive the Imperial Order of culture (November 2008).
Professor Keene was also the mentor of CJS Artistic Director Laurence Kominz, and attended a performance of the CJS production of the Revenge of the Loyal 47 Samurai, staged and directed by Professor Kominz in 2016. Professor Keene took pleasure in helping to celebrate the production’s success.
Sadly, he passed away on February 24, 2019 at the age of 96.
Presentations at PSU include the following:
May 7, 2005, "The United States and Japan: Their Postwar Literary Connection"
April 16, 2009, "World War II and Japanese Writers: A Journey through their Diaries"
April 17, 2009, "Behind the Scenes with Mishima Yukio; A Conversation with Donald Keene"