Kanji Press

Kanji Press was originally established by my late husband, Dr. Andrew Dykstra, who used the press to publish his series of books on Japanese kanji. The kanji are the characters of Japan and China, invented by the Yellow Emperor in the legendary dawn of China's history. The people of Korea, Okinawa, Vietnam, and Japan, although speaking languages very different from Chinese, all accepted the kanji with the culture of China. My husband was always fascinated by the kanji. After my husband passed away in 2003, I took over Kanji Press. I am planning to use the Kanji Press website to publish my husband's writings and poems, as well as my translations of Japanese literature.

In the past, since many of the publishers we contacted had to cater to specific audiences, many of our works were not published. But now I can publish everything on my website, ignoring the costs and restrictions publishers have to deal with. Forthcoming translations include more short stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, some works by Okamoto Kido (1872-1939), a very popular Kabuki scenario writer, and works by Dazai Osamu (1909-1948), among others. Samurai and women are major themes in my translations (see Publications).