2020 Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies have been awarded to João Paulo Krug Paiva and Jesse LeFebvre.

The 2020 Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies will be virtually presented to João Paulo Krug Paiva and Jesse LeFebvre on December 7, 2020. Established by Kodansha Publishers in 1995 and named in honor of Edwin O. Reischauer, the prizes are given annually to the best essays on Japan-related topics written by a Harvard undergraduate and graduate student.

This year’s Graduate Noma-Reischauer Prize is awarded to Jesse LeFebvre for his paper, “The Politicization of Image: The ‘Elite Populism’ of The Illustrated Narrative Scroll of Major Counselor Ban and Its Implications for Medieval Large-Format Illustrated Scrolls.” Jesse is currently a G6 Ph.D. candidate in Harvard’s East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department working on the medieval and modern religious culture and history of Japan with a special interest in Buddhist traditions, spaces, art, literature, and social impact Buddhist studies.

The Undergraduate Noma-Reischauer Prize is awarded to João Paulo Krug Paiva for his paper, “A Choreographic Contribution to the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: the Narrative Interrupted in Is It a Bad Time to Talk.” João Paulo conducted research for his paper and senior thesis project during while studying abroad on the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) Program last fall. He graduated in May 2020 from Harvard’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Media. He is currently enrolled in a Master’s program at UCLA for an M.F.A in Choreographic Inquiry. He intends to develop his research on the connection between dance choreography and campaigns for nuclear disarmament.

Please see the EALC article written about the 2020 Tazuko Monane and Noma-Reischauer prize winners and the virtual awards ceremony.