On January 23, 2011, Dr Alexander M. Kabanoff, senior researcher at the IOM RAS, died from chronic disease. On January 26, he was buried in his native town of Pskov.

We have lost the last true Japanologist in St Petersburg who belonged to the bright pleiad of scholars-encyclopedists. He did not write so many monographs but the list of his papers includes more than 190 titles on various issues of Japanese studies, from the Ainu languages to modern Japanese literature, his brilliant book of annotated translations of the poetry by Zen monks is a great example of the highly professional work - behind short notes a huge work of the highest level is felt. Moreover, we should not forget that he was one of the first Russian scholars who started to study Buddhism even during the Soviet period. He always chose the most complicated subjects and trod the path for the future generations of scholars. He was always interested in unusual even eccentric people, no wonder that he wrote a book on Hiraga Gennai, probably because he himself was an original person. His name is surely to find its place among the most preeminent Japanologists of our time.

Dr K.Maranjian