The Japan Society Dinner on December 6 at the Hotel Russell was a great success. Thank you to everyone who came. The Japan Society Awards were presented to Dr Ayako Hotta-Lister and Dr David Hughes for their outstanding contributions to UK-Japan relations and understanding.

Dr Ayako Hotta-Lister

Ayako Hotta-Lister has for some twenty years sought to extend understanding of Japan in the UK at grass roots level and, more recently, through the academic community.

Ayako is a teacher and performer of Japanese musical instruments (koto, shamisen) and has with her Kakehashi Koto Ensemble given numerous concerts to introduce Japanese classical music in the UK. The group has performed at Japan days and open public events, as well as holding its own charity concerts whose proceeds go to the Royal National Institute for the Blind. Ayako has also conducted workshops on Japanese music for secondary school teachers and students, exploring opportunities for engagement within the school curriculum.

In the academic field, Ayako has undertaken research on the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 on which she wrote her PhD thesis. A revised version was published as The Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 (Folkestone: Japan Library, 1999). She has contributed chapters to the Japan Society publication ‘Japanese Envoys in Britain 1862-1964′.

In 2009 she began arranging for a number of conferences on the Centenary of the Exhibition, of which four ultimately took place in London in 2010 and one in Tokyo. She is currently preparing the academic papers presented for publication.

In 2008 Ayako became, with others, active in restoring the Japanese Garden in Hammersmith Park which ultimately came to completion with a ceremony in 2010. Her enthusiasm and persistence was instrumental in achieving strong involvement by the local authority and Hammersmith Park community group. She also provided information and assistance to the local authority, which created an exhibition on the Exhibition at the Fulham Palace and at the Embassy of Japan.

This Japan Society Award is made in recognition of Ayako’s activity over two decades, and particularly in the last three years, in the field of Anglo-Japanese relations at various levels.

Dr David Hughes

Over many years David Hughes has made a very significant contribution to the knowledge and understanding of a variety of Japanese musical traditions and practices. His infectious enthusiasm and willingness to give of his time and expertise have enabled many in the UK to engage with Japan through music and other performance. The breadth of this knowledge came from his personal involvement in the local musical and traditional cultures of Japan during periods when he was living there.

In August 2008 David retired from his position as Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies where he had researched, taught and published extensively in the field of Japanese music, particularly its folk traditions. But beyond his academic work, David has been instrumental in facilitating visits to the UK and organizing performances and workshops by Japanese musicians and performers of all traditions. He has assisted unstintingly with the logistical arrangements for these tours and, acting as interpreter or commentator during the events, has ensured that the performances have been accessible to the British public. It is thanks to David that many in the UK have first encountered the broadest range of Japanese music, including the folk songs of Okinawa, the music of traditional Japanese theatre, classical and gagaku court music, and taiko drumming.

In addition to all this he has found time to be actively engaged in the establishment and development of groups here in the UK devoted to the practice of some of these art forms, including the Okinawa Sanshinkai and the London Noh Group. Both of these groups were set up by SOAS students with David’s support and guidance and he has remained their active and enthusiastic member for over 10 years.

This award is in recognition that throughout his working life, and equally energetically in his retirement, David, particularly through his passion for music but never seeking to promote himself, has enthusiastically fostered understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture in the UK .

Nominate someone you know for a Japan Society Award

If you know of anyone deserving of a future Japan Society Award then please contact the Japan Society office at any time. Please click here for details. All members are encouraged to nominate those who they feel are deserving of such an Award, at any time during the year. Awards are presented at the Society’s Annual Dinner.