In Memoriam of Professor Masayuki Uemura (1943-2021)
The Art Research Center (ARC) would like to express its deepest condolences on the passing of Professor Masayuki Uemura, Research Advisor of the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies (RCGS), Ritsumeikan University.
As the lead architect of Nintendo's Family Computer and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Professor Uemura played a pivotal role in shaping and developing the digital games industry in Japan and worldwide. He had been teaching as a professor at Ritsumeikan University since 2004.
At the same time as Professor Uemura was appointed to the university, he also set up a research project at the Art Research Center that focused on the development of preservation methods for digital games and video documentation. Even after he had become the first director of the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies (RCGS) in 2011, he continued his research on Japanese traditional performing arts at the Art Research Center. He built an archive of Noh chants called 'yokyoku' that led to the creation of digital games, among other research activities.
Since his appointment to the university, Professor Uemura visited many game-related institutions in Japan and abroad and made an invaluable contribution to connecting game-related research institutions and researchers. His achievements have been recognized worldwide, with his obituary appearing in the New York Times and the New Yorker.
We are profoundly grateful to Professor Uemura for his enormous contribution to Ritsumeikan University and this center.