Ron Toby
Robert Borgen
Robert Borgen
Oyler, Elizabeth
Dear Professor Borgen and PMJS members,
It’s a true and deep loss for us all. Here’s what was posted in Champaign through the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation; I imagine close Japan colleagues will put together something more substantial in the coming weeks.
Regards,
Elizabeth Oyler
We Mourn the Passing of Ron Toby
With sadness, we note the passing of community member Ron Toby.
Professor Ronald P. Toby was born on December 6,1942. Ron died at home in his sleep of complications from cancer and Parkinson’s disease on June 20, 2025. His parents Ruth and Alan and his brother Jack preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife Yuko Kanai, two sisters, and several nieces and nephews.
Ron received his BA, MA and PhD from Columbia University, receiving his PhD in 1977. He was an Emeritus Professor of History, East Asian Languages and Culture, and a member of the Center for Global Studies. He taught at the University of Tokyo, Keio University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the UIUC History Department in 1978 and retired in 2012. He was the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards. Among them he was a UIUC University Scholar, and he received a Fullbright Hays Faculty Research Fellowship. He published over 50 works in three languages. He mentored several graduate students who went on to become important scholars in their own rights, and his undergraduate courses in Asian history and Japanese culture were popular among his students and colleagues alike. Ron delivered scholarly lectures throughout Japan, America, and Europe on Japanese history and art.
His work on the Tokugawa period of pre-modern Japan revolutionized the way scholars thought about Japan’s relationships with her East Asian neighbors. Ron’s work was especially important to Japanese scholars who began to rethink and restudy the international relations of Tokugawa Japan. Ron was also a specialist in Japanese pictorial images of non-Japanese peoples.
Interment will be in New York.
Zichrono livracha, may Ron's memory always be a blessing.
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William Farris
I just learned that Ron Toby has died. He was a brilliant scholar. I hope someone can post an obituary.
Robert Borgen
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Shapinsky, Peter D
I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Ron Toby. I met Ron when I was a Ph.D. student in Tokyo, during his time as a professor at Todai. He welcomed me into his zemi, where we discussed English-language historiography in Japanese. He was generous with his time and expertise and created a wonderful community of learning for American, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese students and scholars. He embodied the joys of scholarly discoveries large and small; he modeled insightful theoretical interventions as well as how to draw deep meaning from the close reading of a source for us all. For me, his work in diplomatic, cross-cultural history drawing on the perspectives of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and European sources has been a constant inspiration, as has his explorations of premodern constructions of “other.” After making the move to Springfield, Illinois, I was delighted to have him down the highway. I regret now not making the trip more often. I am grateful for his gifts of guidance. He transformed our field like few others have and will be missed.
Peter
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Peter Shapinsky
Professor of History
University of Illinois, Springfield
MS UHB 3050
Springfield, IL 62703-5407
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