Toshio & Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki Endowment Fund
The Toshio & Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki Endowment Fund will be used to support Japan House's cultural programming and initiatives.
Toshio and Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki have a longstanding affiliation with the University of Illinois. The Tsuzukis attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the 50s. Toshio Tsuzuki came from Japan as a researcher in chemistry where he earned his MS in 1951 and his PhD in 1957. Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki followed him to Illinois and worked as a secretary for upper administration. Prior to this, Yoshiko Joy (then Okamoto) graduated from Tokyo’s Women College in 1949 and worked as an interpreter/interrogator for the U.S. Air Force Intelligence in Japan after WWII. The Tsuzukis lived on campus for several years and during that time, Joy graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois in 1955.
Sketch design of the Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki Chabana (Tea Flower) Gardens. This project to create a garden of flowers used in tea ceremony is one of the initiatives supported by the Toshio & Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki Fund.
We are incredibly thankful to Toshio & Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki for creating this Endowment Fund to support Japan House's mission of teaching and sharing Japanese arts and culture.
Toshio & Yoshiko Joy Tsuzuki's post-wedding celebration. They were married at the University Baptist Church in September 1951. Many of Mrs. Tsuzuki's kimono and Japanese artifacts have found a permanent home at Japan House.