Joseph Koshimi Yamagiwa was the Professor of Japanese at the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 and the chairman of its Department of Languages and Literature. He died of a seizure

Seizure

An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...

.

Early life

Yamagiwa attended the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

, then later transferred to Bates College

Bates College

Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...

, located in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. After his college education, he proceeded to enroll in the University of Michigan's English graduate studies. He graduated with a master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 in 1930. Yamagiwa was an editor of the early Modern Dictionary. He completed his studies in 1942, with a treatise

Treatise

A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...

 entitled The Older Inflected Forms of Surviving in the Modern Japanese Written Language.

World War II

From 1942–1946 Yamagiwa held the position of Director of Army Military Intelligence Japanese school located at Ann Arbor and the position Supervisor of the Language Program for the Army Specialized Training Program

Army Specialized Training Program

The Army Specialized Training Program was a military training program instituted by the United States Army during World War II at a number of American universities to meet wartime demands for junior officers and soldiers with technical skills...

 and the Civil Affairs Training School from 1943 until 1945. Later in 1945, he took his first post at the University of Michigan as the Supervisor of the Japanese Translation Program and was also a Research Bombing Analyst for the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, which took place in Washington D.C. and Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. He was later appointed as a colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 in the United States Army Reserves.

Late career

Yamagiwa was appointed as the Associate Director of Japanese in 1947, and finally to the position of Director of Japanese in 1953. He accepted the role of Chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Languages and Literature and was employed in that position until 1964. He was appointed the Fulbright Lecturer in the areas of Japanese literature, language and thought at Oxford University. Yamagiwa was an active member of the Modern Language Association

Modern Language Association

The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...

, the American Oriental Society

American Oriental Society

The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned societies in America, and is the oldest devoted to a particular field of scholarship....

, the Association for Asian Studies

Association for Asian Studies

The Association for Asian Studies is a U.S. society focused on facilitating contact and information exchange among scholars of Asian fields. It is the self-proclaimed largest society of its kind. The Association consists of eminent Asianists, and is a non-profit organization...

, the Linguistic Society of America

Linguistic Society of America

The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...

, and the Association of Teachers of Japanese.