December 3rd, 2024
 

Dear friends, participants, and everyone,

On the evening of September 28, 2024, as dusk fell, I waved goodbye to my last friend leaving Nakanoshima after our excursion, feeling heartfelt thanks and farewell. It has now been two months since the final day of the 77th SIHDA session in Osaka. I have finally found the time to thoroughly write this message, and it is my sincere hope to convey a long message of gratitude to you all. It deserves a lengthy message because so many people and organizations contributed to making our program wonderful and fruitful.
 

First and foremost, the event was made meaningful and rich in experiences thanks to each participant and their accompanying persons, whether they came from within Japan or abroad.
Your contributions -through presentations, discussions with both old and new friends, and simply by being part of the event and embracing new experiences -greatly enhanced our program.
Although the venue was located in a somewhat more distant city compared to previous sessions, we hope you found it as convenient and suitable for focused work as the others. If you discovered something new and novel during your time here, it makes the experience all the more rewarding. For that, I extend my heartfelt gratitude and immense joy.

Then, let my message be addressed to individuals. While titles are omitted, their positions and contributions may be mentioned.  Jean-François Gerkens visited Japan once in advance for preparations, gave useful advice to us, and translated three circulars from my poor English to elegant French. Kaius Tuori gave me useful suggestions and information as the chief organizer of the very successful 76th SIHDA in Helsinki. 
Antoine Evrard, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, took time out of his busy schedule, came from Tokyo, and gave us a moving celebration speech on the evening of September 23.
Shojiro Nishio gave us a heart-warming welcome speech as the President of Osaka University.

Financially, this program was generously supported by the Nomura Foundation, The Kajima Foundation, Murata Science and Education Foundation, and Nakatsuji Foresight Foundation. It is also part of an experiment executed by the Japan Tourism Agency with financial support.
Our program is a joint event with the Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University. The following institutions provided valuable assistance: Osaka University Nakanoshima Center, Nose-Town and Nose-Town Board of Education, Rokkakuza Theater Company, Osaka University Graduate School of Humanities, and the Department of Theater Studies, Faculty of Letters.

Yasushi Nagata, a drama scholar, delivered an excellent lecture on Nose Jyoruri and also facilitated collaboration with the Jyoruri theater. Masahiro Matsuda and Fusako Tsuchitori worked as the director and a staff of the theater for the Jyoruri performance. 

Shinoharu Tatekawa gave us an unforgettable performance as a Rakugo master (Shin-uchi).
 
Hiroshige Mizuno from Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau has been an invaluable source of information, providing continuous support from the initial stages through to the conclusion of the event and even beyond. His assistance has been a significant support to us.
Osaka Bus Co., Ltd, New Star Tours Co., Ltd, and particularly Hiroshi Ogawa as the liaison representative of the above companies gave us a remarkable contribution. 
As well as organizing transportation, securing a bus parking lot proved challenging until the last minute. Katsuki Yoshioka from the Osaka Science Museum kindly allowed us to use their parking lot, which is normally for the exclusive use of museum visitors.
Dynac Co., Ltd, for the welcome cocktail on the September 23^rd evening, the Rihga Royal Hotel for beautiful lunch buffet and lunch boxes, Sumiyoshi Taisha and Kisshoden Hall respectively for the ritual and the gala dinner on the September 27^th, the above are only some examples of the innumerable people and companies which made the event much richer.  I regret that I cannot mention all.
 
Now I turn to the organizing side. The planning and organizing were carried out with the close cooperation of professors, secretaries, students, and office staff at Osaka University.

Five professors formed the organizing team and they worked on planning and execution.  Mariko Igimi (Kyushu University) provided exceptional effort not only in selecting the dinner venue but also in various other aspects. Asako Kurihara (Osaka University) took care of the lunches and human resources. Takeshi Sasaki (Kyoto University) was responsible in organizing excursions and accompanying persons program. Tomoyo Yoshimura (Hiroshima International University) planned conference giveaways and coffee breaks.
Maiko Miyasaka took care of the program for accompanying persons as well as the excursion. Hikaru Mori （Chuo-University）coordinated the invitation of many colleagues from China. Many young colleagues also contributed to the operation. Sachiko Tazo has been the de facto secretary general of the SIHDA organizing team and her contribution to the organization is truly evident. Though I do not mention their names, some secretaries of the School of Law and one of the School of Humanities took the burden of preparation self-devotionally.  As for the graduate and undergraduate students who worked diligently for the program, I will prepare a comprehensive list and post it on this page and the FB group to show our sincere gratitude.

The SIHDA Osaka was truly a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm our friendships, forged through a shared love of ancient law studied worldwide. We can now look forward to the next occasion to celebrate this in Hungary(https://sihda2025.hu/). I personally hope to see you all next year in Budapest.

Thank you again and wishing you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
 

Best regards,
Tomoyoshi Hayashi as the chief organizer of the SIHDA Osaka 2024