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 Hiroaki Sato

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Hiroaki Sato
A Japan Times columnist since 2000, Hiroaki Sato has won prizes for his translation of poetry (PEN American Center, Japan-US Friendship Commission). A paperback edition of his "Legends of the Samurai" has recently appeared. He is now working on a second collection of samurai tales with their origins.
For Hiroaki Sato's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Sep 8, 2018
Finding beauty amid defeat: Jan Morris' 'Battleship Yamato: Of War, Beauty and Irony'
In this slim, beautifully illustrated book, historian Jan Morris details an account of the battleship Yamato's final, suicidal run near Okinawa at the end of World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 24, 2018
'Portrait of Ohno Yoshito': A deeper look at butoh's mythical figure
Here, Inuhiko Yomota takes on Yoshito Ohno (born 1938), the "mythical figure" of butoh — a genre so undefinable that poet Miyoshi Toyoichiro once called it "a dance, performance, acting, or whatever you like." Donald Richie (1924-2013) wrote of his friend, and founder of butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-86), that "pain, exhaustion, death" were "the elements of his dance."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 28, 2017
Reading to the beat of Kazuko Shiraishi, the black sheep of Japan's poets
For the past half-century Kazuko Shiraishi has represented Japan in a number of international poetry festivals and conferences — in at least 28 countries, she tells me in a recent interview.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Oct 26, 2017
'Comfort women' issue is far from black and white
Despite widespread perceptions, not all "comfort women" were coerced into that existence, and not all were treated badly.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 7, 2017
Unending ruthless air raids
There are many sources to learn the facts behind the world's unceasing aerial bombardment.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 26, 2017
Returning from Taiwan after Japan's defeat
August is a time for remembering much about Japan both before and after World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 20, 2017
Tracing James Lee Byars' time in Japan
I first met James Lee Byars in Kyoto in early 1967 and, at his invitation, participated in his "performance." At the time I didn't know that he'd been back and forth between Japan and the U.S. for nearly a decade already. I was also unaware that he had already done one-man shows and taken part in independent exhibitions. Nor did I have any inkling that Byars would go on to become "one of the most mythic artistic figures" of the 20th century, as the Museum of Modern Art in New York called him in presenting his art and performance works in 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2017
The foulest crime, finally brought down?
Idealized notions of America's past are coming into question.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2017
Rand Castile, distinguished Asian art curator
Rand Castile, who passed away last month, was a noted curator of Japanese art.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2017
Burton Watson, noted translator, remembered
Burton Watson, the foremost translator of Chinese classics and poetry into English, chose to live much of his long life in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 21, 2017
Terrorism brouhaha, then and now
A person's definition of terrorism usually depends on what side of the fence they're on.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 3, 2017
Military justice, revenge and an albatross
Japan has produced a great many martyrs, not least in the wake of its defeat in World War II.
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Feb 27, 2017
Indiscriminate bombing and legal judgment
Indiscriminate or otherwise, aerial bombing remains the preferred choice of warfare for the United States, which dropped 26,171 bombs in 2016 alone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 22, 2017
Reversing Japanese names for Western use?
When did the Japanese start reversing the family-personal name order for Western consumption?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Dec 28, 2016
What's in a surname? It depends on who you ask
Some women want to keep their maiden names after marriage, yet many others choose not to.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2016
When a 'sick joke' is elevated to the presidency
Donald Trump as president will be a disaster, and it won't be short-lived.
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Oct 21, 2016
Anthem refuseniks, and ancient legends
Japan knows all about people taking a public stand by refusing to rise for the national anthem.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 27, 2016
'No refuge could save the hireling and slave'
Is the U.S. national anthem racist or are the lyrics of the third stanza merely misunderstood?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Aug 28, 2016
The longest U.S. conflict and defining a war
Figuring out when wars start and end isn't always as obvious as it might seem.
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 29, 2016
Terror, terror on the wall, who's the biggest of all?
The word "terrorist" can and should be applied to a wider range of killers.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world