Yashiro (in Tokyo) to Bernard Berenson

See below for the inscribed photo sent to Bernard Berenson along with this letter. 

[letterhead: The Institute of Art Research / Ueno Park, Tokio/ Telephone, Shitaya 3487/ Mail address, P.O. Box Shitaya 14, Tokio]
[added ‘1941’, probably in Nicky Mariano’s hand]

Dec. 17th

Dear B.B.

Betraying my promise, my extremely busy trip through China did not allow me to write you letters. The trip was extremely interesting, but it was hard, & I came back to Tokyo thoroughly exhausted after more than two months.

Meanwhile your last letter arrived which I was so glad to read. Your picture was framed during my absence & it now hangs in my room, giving me nice memories of my study with you at I Tatti. Looking at it I feel how I am attached to you.

Herewith under separate cover I send you a photo of my family. They all know you very well through your photograph & through my talks about you and I Tatti. My wife Fumiko is 33 years, my boy 10, my girl 7, & myself 50!! You would be astonished to hear that I am nearly a sage of 50 years. My boy is a funny little boy. By nature he has the absolute pitch of the ear in a most perfect way & is considered a musical prodigy. He began to compose from when he was 5 years old. There is no other way for me except giving him a good musical education & making him up into a musician. I wish I could take him to Europe & give him chances for good study. He plays piano beautifully.

Mr. Itsuji Yoshikawa, who published his iconographical study of St. Savin frescoes, is really my own pupil. He is a brilliant young scholar & he has been studying at the Sorbonne under Prof. Focillon. Now he is back in Japan & is working in my Institute. For his studies for the future staying in Japan, I am thinking how I can put on the right way of art-studies.

Under separate cover I send you a copy of my lecture at the Royal Society in London. As I cannot exactly grasp what part in the lecture you wanted me to copy, I send you the whole thing.

Yours ever,

Yukio Yashiro