was a Japanese historian, writer and

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

, Japan. He also served as Professor Emeritus at the

Taisho University is a private university in Nishi-sugamo, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1885, and it was chartered as a university in 1926. Its school precepts are based on the Tendai school of Buddhism. The concept for th ...

, Japan. He was a prominent scholar of Asia in the studies of south Indian and South Asian histories. He has rewritten historical accounts on medieval south India and published a number of writings. Professor Karashima played a critical role in developing Indo-Japan cultural ties and was conferred the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

award in 2013, one of India's highest civilian award, for his contribution in the field of literature and education. In a rare gesture the Indian Prime Minister Dr.

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

handed over the award personally to Professor Karashima in Tokyo. He died of leukemia in November, 2015.

Position held

*President of the Epigraphical Society of India in 1985. *President of the Japan Association for South Asian Studies from 1996 to 2000. *He was the President of International Association of Tamil Research (IATR) from 1989 to 2010. He organised 8th World Tamil Conference in 1995 at

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. He and IATR boycotted 9th World Tamil Conference in 2009 due to the political interference. He resigned from the post of president in 2010 because of the same reason.

Books

*''South Indian History and Society - Studies from Inscriptions AD 850-1800'', Oxford University Press, Delhi (1984) *''Kingship in Indian History'' *''Towards a New Formation: South Indian Society under Vijayanagar Rule'' (1992) *''A Concordance of the Names in Cōl̲a inscriptions'' *''History and Society in South India: The Cholas to Vijayanagar. Comprising South Indian History and Society and Towards a New Formation'' (2001) *''A Concordance of Nāyakas: The Vijayanagar Inscriptions in South India'' (2002) *''Ancient to Medieval: South Indian Society in Transition'' (2009) *''A Concise History of South India. Issues and Interpretations'' (2014)

Awards

* Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (1995) * Japan Academy Prize (2003) *

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

(2007) *

(2013)

References

20th-century Japanese historians 1933 births 2015 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Tamil scholars of non-Tamil background Japanese indologists 21st-century Japanese historians {{Japan-academic-bio-stub