The new Kenneth B. Pyle Prize for Best Article in the JJS honors the founding editor of the Journal of Japanese Studies. The prize — accompanied by $250 — will be awarded annually for a JJS research article published in the previous year. The winner of the 2020 prize will be announced in the summer 2021 issue.
Articles eligible for this prize are evaluated for their contribution to supporting the JJS mission of promoting the highest-quality scholarship through publication of empirical and interpretive work on Japan. Consideration is given to efforts to contextualize specialized research findings in ways that articulate their importance for the wider field of Japan studies.
Kenneth B. Pyle and his Japan studies colleagues at the University of Washington established JJS in 1974 through the generosity of the Japanese government’s million-dollar grant to the university. The UW faculty sought an innovative and enduring testament to the importance of this grant for the study of Japan around the world.
Ken served as Editor from 1974 to 1986 and subsequently in other positions with JJS, and he has been a regular contributor to JJS pages, most recently in 2020. Ken’s scholarship and teaching span more than 55 years, and his contributions to the study of Japan are profound. The journal he helped to establish looks forward to building this prize as a prestigious honor for both the founding editor and those engaged in new and exciting research on Japan.