Yashiro (in Tokyo) to Bernard Berenson

[letterhead: The Institute of Art Research / Ueno Park, Tokio/ Telephone, Shitaya 3487/ Mail address, P.O. Box Shitaya 14, Tokio]

Tokio
Jan 7th, 1935

Dear Mr. B. Berenson,

Thank you so much for your letter of Dec. 9, which has just arrived. You ask me, what I am doing. Indeed, these years I am all in all immersed in my Eastern studies, especially in my Chinese studies. With what I have got, while I was with you, under your influence, I am now trying my best to establish a new history of Eastern Arts. I am writing a series of scholarly articles, which I publish now & then in the “Journal of Art Studies”, which I am sending you. When these articles are collected so that they form a book, I shall have them translate into English. Of the expected English summary to be affixed to the Journal of Art Studies, without fail it will begin to appear from this month January 1935. Then you will know in a general way, what is going on in the Far East in the way of art-studies. I still remain Director of the Institute, but I do not like to be troubled by administrative works, which do not suit me, & so I have given all that sort of work to my assistant director, & I spend most of my time in studies. There are heaps of interesting things in the Eastern Art, which occupy me. 

This year I am going to England from May & shall stay there till Christmas, giving lectures on Eastern Arts in various British universities. I already anticipate the pleasure of calling on you sometimes at I Tatti. Then you will find out that I have become quite an old man, although I hope I still retain freshness of mind, which however I allow you to decide!

I meet Mr. & Mrs. Grew very rarely, because I almost never appear at society. Here in Tokio a scholar must have a firm determination to remain a hermit, otherwise he will be dragged into society & taken round, & he, losing time for study, ceases to be a scholar. That is the reason why I see so little of Grews, although I like them very much.

Yours ever,

Yuki