Ryūsaku Tsunoda

Ryūsaku Tsunoda (角田 柳作, Tsunoda Ryūsaku, 8 September 1877 - 29 November 1964) is known as the "father of Japanese studies" at Columbia University. He was directly responsible for developing the Japanese language and literature collection at Columbia's library. Prominent among the former-students who credit his influence as formative is Donald Keene, who has himself become over time the current Dean of Japanese studies in the United States.

Keene's own perspective on Tsunoda was expressed in a lecture given at Waseda University in 1994:

"His vocation was teaching, not writing. His joy as a teacher lay in communicating knowledge directly and enthusiastically to his students. ... As one of his students, I feel it regrettable that Prof. Tsunoda is not known just because he did not publish anything."