Kirk Kanesaka
Contact
Bio
Dr. Kirk Kanesaka is an Assistant Professor of Japanese and Asian Studies. His specialty is in premodern Japanese literature and theater. In particular the emergence of early modern (1603-1900) popular fiction and kabuki/bunraku theater. In addition, because of his specialty in the performing arts, his research interests span beyond the premodern into the contemporary, examining fan culture and popular culture and their influences upon the performing and visual arts.
Outside of academia, Kirk is the first non-Japanese citizen to become a professional kabuki actor, Nakamura Gankyō, the first male to become a professional Japanese Classical dancer of the Bando School (Bandō Hirohichirō) in the United States and the first male to become a professional Kimekomi Japanese doll maker (Kyūkyōka Kanesaka) of the Kyūgetsu Academy in the United States.
Kirk currently serves as the Coordinator for the Asian Studies Program at CSUSB.
Education
Ph.D. University of California Los Angeles: Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
M.A. University of Southern California: Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
B.A. University of California Los Angeles: Department of Political Science
Fullbright IIE Researcher: Waseda University and Tokyo University
Courses/Teaching
- Japanese Literature
- General survey of Japanese Literature
- Japanese Supernatural and Yōkai
- Voices of Japanese Immigrants (forthcoming)
- Japanese Language
- Japanese Popular Culture
- Video Games
- Special Topics in Japanese Contemporary Pop Culture
- Japanese Performance
- Anime
- Japanese Cinema
Research and Teaching Interests
Kanesaka, K., (2024) “Netflix Originals: Performing the Private Lives of Marginalized Communities for a Global Audience”, Global Storytelling: Journal of Digital and Moving Images 4(2): 3. doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/gs.5911
Kanesaka, K., and Gladys M., (2023) “Labour of Love: Chinese-to-English Fan Translations of BL Web Novels.” East Asian Journal of Popular Culture. Intellect. https://doi.org/10.1386/eapc_00110_1