Japanese-born scholar Masatoshi Iguchi will release a fascinating essay on Javanese culture on the 28th of January 2015: “The rich culture that Java has cultivated through her long history is outstanding” he explains. “Having engaged in this study after retirement, I thought I should share my knowledge and passion with other people.”
Interestingly, Iguchi draws much of his expertise from a medical background. After receiving his PhD from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1966, he spent most of his time in a government research laboratory: “as a scientist, I have been lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to stay or go abroad throughout my career” Iguchi continued. “I eventually found myself visiting Indonesia and various other Southeast Asian countries. It was there that I witnessed the indigenous culture of the Javanese people.”
Java Essay: The history and culture of a southern country encompasses many different aspects of the development of Indonesian society, offering a unique and accessible insight into a people who have been underrepresented. The author chronicles a range of significant events, from the deportation of Japanese Christians in the early 17th Century to Batavia- the then Indonesian capital, now the city of Jakarta-to the history of the kingdoms that built Borobudur and Prambanan.
Iguchi has already published Java Essay in Japanese where it has sold to wide acclaim.
