Thoughts after today’s service – Pat Manning, March 14, 2025

Martha Chaiklin, from early in life, seems to have shown in interest in many parts of the world and in cultural practices. Her Jewish heritage opened her to deep intellectual and spiritual interests. She chose to settle in Japan, where she absorbed the specifics of Japanese culture as well as the Japanese interest in culture worldwide. With time, she turned to exploring cultural connections in past times, through materials in archives and museums, with a history PhD at Leiden. This led to work at the Milwaukee Public Museum - until her position was ended by a cut in support for cultural studies.

She moved to the University of Pittsburgh, supported by Dick Smethurst and Evelyn Rawski, established scholars in Asian history. Martha taught Japanese history but also conducted global research, as on the movement of ivory from Africa to Japan. All seemed to be going well until Martha and two other innovative female scholars, each commended by department votes, were denied tenure by administrators who rejected such work in cultural ties. Martha challenged this rejection but the university remained adamant.

For more than the next decade she researched, taught, published more articles, and met with existing and new friends. Comments at the service by Sushili and Alison showed Marth’s energy and insight up to the end. I loved hearing of the trip of Martha, David, and Sam to Japan, especially Deshima.

Martha’s study of cultural connections has been influential. Along with other cultural analysts, artists, and audiences, her appreciation of culture, her interactive approach to culture and its history have advanced greatly as a topic of global discourse.

Pat Manning 

Dearest Sharon and family, 

It was a privilege to be at the beautiful memorial for Martha, and I send you my deepest condolences.

May Martha's memory be for a blessing.

With love,

Mimi Roskin Berger

Dear Martha,

I have known you for 10 years. We met as colleagues of a faculty, but we became close friends, and I think of you as my honorary mother. 

We were there for each other in Dubai, and after you visited my family and me on several occasions in Europe, and I also had one chance to travel and meet you and your family in Maryland. I will never forget you, and you will be forever missed. I wish we had more time to talk. Whenever I think of you, I will come back to this page to leave a story from these trips.

With love,

Karoly

Thank you so much for the memorial service. I had trouble posting my memories in the chat. Now I do it here.

I met Martha more than 30 years ago, I do not remember exactly when, but we were both in our thirties, each of us with two young children. And we were working on our PhD-thesis. This made us stand out among mostly younger aspiring students and young scholars.

We were both interested in early modern Japanese history, in particular international relations. We would have a coffee every once in a while and share joys and complaints. Our lives were very busy. We completed our PhD’s in the early 2000’s and went our separate ways. Martha moved to the US . We met at conferences, especially the AAS. I first shared a room with her in San Diego in 2013. That was actually the first time I got to know her better. Her great sense of humour, her instinct to survive and overcome many hardships. She had invited me to join her panel and that was a great experience for me. We kept in touch and Martha came to visit us and stayed with us in Leiden every once in a while.

During the covid years there was no travelling and no conferences, and it is at Boston, in 2023, that I saw her again. Though we emailed every once in a while in those years, It is only then that I learned she had actually been very ill.

Last year, in Ohio, we again shared a panel and a room. She stayed in the room quite a lot, and seems a bit tired. I thought that was still from all the poisonous medicines and radiation she had. Perhaps the leukaemia was also playing a role, but she did not tell me about that.

Martha was much more disciplined than me in writing and starting new projects and extending her scholarly network. And she involved me several times, which was good for me. She would ask me to write reviews or contribute a chapter to one of her book projects. I am very grateful she did that because it kept me involved in a much wider network. I looked forward to see her again in Vancouver. I learned so much from her and will miss her terribly. 

Dear Martha, 

I share below a few memories of your trip to Lodz and Warsaw in 2025. 

You visited us in our home in Poland to meet with our son. He received a huge plush bunny, and I received some of your father's books, some of which I have been using towards my thesis.  As well as a memorable cocktail-making set forming a spaceship, with astronauts on the handles of each piece of equipment. It is a unique piece, and one of the coolest gifts I've ever got. 

You spent a few days with us in Lodz, and then the two of us took the train to Warsaw, where we explored the city together for days before you travelled on to Latvia and Sweden to your conference.  Below are some of these memories. I am so glad that we could meet one more time, and that you have connected with our son. He continues to wrestle with the giant plush bunny, although he is slowly outgrowing it. 

I cherish these last memories and time spent together. 

With love, 

Karoly

YinYing Chen - 

Martha was always rooting for us, and I still smile when I think of the nickname she gave our cold office, walk-in freezer. I remember her sharing her new research project on Taiwanese rush hats and craft with me, and I had been hoping to bring her a rush-craft souvenir from Taiwan. I hold dear the memory of having gelato together before she caught the bus home.

I am impressed by how she shone in so many roles at once and lived such a rich life: a wonderful researcher in Japanese art and culture at a museum, a passionate material-culture scholar exploring so many fascinating topics, and a dedicated staff member at the election office. Above all, she was warm and truly inspiring.

I am praying for Martha and for peace and comfort for her family.

Dr. Martha Chaiklin was a remarkable person whose honesty, integrity, and humor made even the greyest of spaces light up. I remember Martha's candor when I interviewed her for a position as my research assistant. She addressed head on any concerns I may have about how her seniority relative to myself -both professionally and in life- may affect our working relationship. Her references had nothing but the highest praise for her character and professionalism, and she was by far, the standout candidate and excellent researcher for the project. Her dedication to research was outstanding and inspiring, especially since academia does not support scholars lacking official affiliation or seniority. I was excited to work on a provenance panel together where she had the opportunity to share her expertise on 17th century Dutch trade with Japan. Martha spoke fondly of her family, and I recall how joyful she was to go on a family trip with her mother and son. I regret that I didn't have more time to discuss research with Martha, and that I never had the chance to thank her for her patience in my first role as a supervisor, and for sharing with me her insights and wisdom as a woman and mother in academia. I will miss Martha.

-Sol Jung "

Sol Jung, PhD (she/her/hers)

The Shirley Z. Johnson Assistant Curator of Japanese Art

Martha always spoke softly, choosing her words with care, and treated me with great gentleness.

Although she possessed remarkable Japanese language skills, deep knowledge of Japan, and thoughtful insight as a historian, she never once showed them off. Instead, she approached her research at the museum calmly and steadily, always working at her own quiet, deliberate pace.

Even to someone like me, who has not formally studied art history or museum studies, she showed no distinction or hierarchy. She would often ask me questions, and the time we spent together puzzling over the meanings and readings of kanji was truly joyful and deeply precious to me.

When she learned that I practice tea ceremony, she gave me a kimono from her own collection. I never imagined that the kimono I received from her just a few months ago would one day feel like a keepsake—almost a parting gift.

Martha consistently produced research of the highest quality. Beginning with what became her final project, the Cowles Collection research with Dr. Frank Feltens, and going back to her work on the Shirley Z. Johnson Collection with Dr. Sol Jung, her contributions to the National Museum of Asian Art were immeasurable. She was deeply trusted and respected by everyone.

In fact, we were in the process of arranging for her to continue her research work at the museum beyond 2026, which makes the news of her passing all the more sudden, heartbreaking, and difficult to accept.

Knowing that on Thursdays I would see Martha at the museum—walking together to get coffee while speaking in Japanese about Japan—was a small joy in my life. That joy has suddenly vanished.

I will never forget her quiet kindness.

I first met Martha in 2018  at Sharon Chaiklin's home and then again when she accompanied Sharon to the Dance Therapy conference in Miami 2019, and Chicago 2024 . Martha was brilliant. She loved to share stories about her passions to teach, write, travel, cook and describe her various research interests and work.  However, it was when she talked about Sam and David, her sons, their lives and accomplishments, that she radiated her love and pride in them. While in Miami, Martha walked all over to find beautiful shirts for them. And when in Chicago, bringing them the famous Chicago Brownies. 

In honor and remembrance of Martha's bright light, kind heart, and sensitive curious way of being which will forever shine in my heart and those she touched.

All of my deepest condolences and sympathy to Sharon, Sam, David, Nina, Seth, Mariana and family,

With much love,

Lynn Koshland