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Obituary about Masashi published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-025-01749-2

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Masashi Kawasaki (1955-2025): neuroethologist who explored neural mechanisms of echolocation in bats and of electric behavior in fish

Abstract

Masashi Kawasaki tragically died in a car accident on May 18, 2025. A dedicated neuroethologist and beloved faculty member at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, he spent over four decades exploring neural mechanisms underlying echolocation in bats and electric behavior in weakly electric fish. He will be remembered for his expertise in carrying out challenging electrophysiological experiments in whole animals where others failed. His success was grounded on his mastery in combining a deep knowledge in neurophysiology with an excellent skill set for designing and building sophisticated experimental apparatus. Through his seminal research contributions and his generosity in sharing his knowledge with others, he left footprints in the minds and hearts of many.

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Introduction

Masashi Kawasaki was killed in an auto accident in Madison County, Virginia, United States on May 18, 20251-just a few days before his 70th birthday. His wife Yasuko and her sister, Ryoko Saito, were also involved in the accident and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. His sudden passing was a profound loss to the international community of neuroethology and to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Kawasaki is best known for his research on neural mechanisms underlying echolocation and electroreception. His close association with the Journal of Comparative Physiology A is reflected by the publication of nearly half of his papers in this journal, including many highly-cited and influential papers. In addition, he served on its Advisory Board from 2012 until the time of his death.

Family and upbringing

Masashi Kawasaki was born in Tokyo, Japan, on June 1, 1955, but he grew up mostly in Chigasaki, a seaside town about 60 km southeast of Tokyo. Both of his parents were professional musicians2, which sparked in him a lifelong interest in music. He also developed an early fascination for biology, likely triggered by the dogs, cats, and other animals that were part of the family at his parents' home. When he was in middle school, he set up his first tank with fish. His desire to become a biologist and study the behavior of animals was strongly reinforced when Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and Karl von Frisch were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, for their work on how behavior is organized and elicited.

Undergraduate and graduate education

In 1975, Masashi enrolled as an undergraduate student in the biology degree program at Waseda University in Shinjuku, Tokyo. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1979, he was admitted into the doctoral program at Sophia University, a private Jesuit research university in Tokyo. During his graduate study, in 1982, he married Yasuko, whom he had known since high school. One year later, their first child, Tomomi, was born.

For his thesis research, Masashi joined the laboratory of Kiyoshi Aoki. In his first project, he examined, through electrophysiology, the responses of single units in the optic tectum of the Japanese dace ( Tribolodon hakonensis) to stationary and moving visual stimuli. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A (Kawasaki and Aoki 1983).

For the second project of his thesis research, Masashi continued studying the visual system of fish. However, these experiments were carried out in the laboratory of Ken-Ichi Naka at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Okazaki. Employing again electrophysiological methods, he examined how background illumination affects the sensitivity of horizontal cells in the retina of channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus). The assumption at that time in sensory physiology and psychophysics was that the presence of background illumination depresses the sensitivity of retinal neurons proportionally to the intensity of illumination, an effect predicted by the Weber-Fechner law. However, this 'law' does not apply universally, as some experimental evidence had suggested that background illumination can have the opposite effect by enhancing the response of retinal neurons to test flashes (Burkhardt 1974; Hartline and Lange 1974). In human psychophysics, such a sensitizing effect of background illumination is referred to as the Westheimer effect (Westheimer 1970).

Masashi found in I. punctatus that, contrary to the Weber-Fechner law but consistent with the Westheimer effect, background illumination enhances the response of horizontal cells to both increments and decrements in light pulses or to white-noise modulation (Kawasaki et al. 1984). However, such an enhancement was not evident in cones. Masashi and his co-authors hypothesized that the enhancement of the sensitivity of horizontal cells by background illumination serves as a mechanism to increase the retina's ability for discriminating changes in visual stimuli against ambient illumination.

Postdoctoral research on bat echolocation in the laboratory of Nobuo Suga

After Masashi had received his PhD in 1983, he left Japan for the United States, to pursue doctoral research -first with Nobuo Suga and later with Walter Heiligenberg. He had met each of the two scholars when they visited the lab of Kiyoshi Aoki while Masashi worked there as a graduate student.

Masashi joined Suga's lab at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1984, staying for 2 years. The focus of Suga's research was on the neurophysiology of echolocation in bats, especially the neural processing of distance information and multiple harmonic components in echoes. Bats use echoes of self-generated sound to extract various pieces of information about the complex environment, including distance to a target. James Simmons had shown earlier that echolocating bats perceive distance by measuring the time delay between the emitted pulse (in most bat species a frequency-modulated sweep) and the returning echo (Simmons 1971, 1973). Subsequently, Feng et al. ( 1978) and Neill and Suga ( 1979) discovered specialized neurons in the central nervous system of echolocating bats that respond preferentially to specific time delays between the pulse and the echo. These neural cells are commonly referred to as 'delay-tuned neurons.'

At the time of Masashi's arrival in Suga's lab, one limitation of all previous studies on delay-tuned neurons was that they had been conducted using only synthesized sounds and echoes delivered through loudspeakers as substitutes for the sounds and echoes occurring during active vocalization of bats. Addressing this limitation, Masashi and his co-authors, Daniel Margoliash and Nobuo Suga, were the first to examine systematically the properties of delay-tuned neurons in the auditory cortex of actively vocalizing bats. They showed that cortical neurons in the mustached bat ( Pteronotus parnelli) exhibit harmonic combination sensitivity and delay tuning similar to that observed in silent bats stimulated with synthetic sounds. In particular, each harmonic in the echo produces its own delay estimate. This seminal study stimulated further work on the perceptual and computational effects of the individual harmonics in complex echoes. One important technical contribution of the study by Kawasaki et al. ( 1988a) was that the authors conducted the experiments in an echo-free environment - they put the bat on a platform hung outside the laboratory window, so that extraneous echoes were eliminated.

Postdoctoral research on the neuroethology of electric fish in the laboratory of Walter Heiligenberg

In 1986, Masashi moved from St. Louis to La Jolla, California, to join the lab of Walter Heiligenberg. In retrospect, this decision propelled Masashi's research career tremendously, as Heiligenberg's laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (part of the University of California, San Diego) entered at that time its most productive phase. Masashi contributed to this success story significantly, with a total of 10 papers resulting from the research work he carried out over the following 4 years. It was also during that time (in 1988) that Masashi's and Yasuko's second child, a son named Daigo, was born.

A key factor in Masashi's success was that he and Walter matched very well. Each of them not only was an excellent electrophysiologist but also an exceptionally gifted craftsman who liked to design and build devices needed for experimental setups and to write complex codes for data registration and analysis - at a time when commercial software programs for carrying out these tasks were still in their infancy. Beyond the lab, they shared a love for classical music. Walter played the piano very well, and his wife Zsuzsa was a concert pianist and private music instructor. Walter had a deep appreciation for Japanese culture, language, and food. Both Walter and Masashi enjoyed having found a partner for discussing, for example, the etymology of Japanese names. Tragically, they also shared with each other the fact that their lives were taken by accidents that were beyond their controls. Walter Heiligenberg was killed when a U.S. Air Boeing 737 crashed near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1994 (Zupanc and Lamprecht 1994; Zupanc and Bullock 2006).

One of the areas in which Masashi's work in the Heiligenberg lab left a lasting impact on other researchers concerned the identification of neural mechanisms of communication behavior in weakly electric fish. Heiligenberg and his students, as well as scientists in other labs, had already shown that weakly electric fish of the genera Eigenmannia and Apteronotus produce during courtship and aggressive encounters certain frequency-amplitude modulations of the otherwise highly regular electric organ discharges. These modulations were, therefore, believed to function as communication signals. Neuroanatomical evidence had suggested that these signals are controlled by a nucleus in the dorsal thalamus - the prepacemaker nucleus - which is the only brain site that provides input to the pacemaker nucleus. The neural oscillations of the latter nucleus, located in the brainstem, drive the discharges of the electric organ.

In their first joint study, Kawasaki and Heiligenberg ( 1988) demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the prepacemaker nucleus elicits modulations of the electric organ discharge indistinguishable from those produced by the natural communication signals, thus corroborating the idea that it is, indeed, the prepacemaker nucleus that controls these behaviors. In a follow-up study carried out in collaboration with Walter Heiligenberg, Leonard Maler (a visiting professor from the University of Ottawa) and Gary Rose (another postdoc in the Heiligenberg lab), Masashi combined neurophysiological stimulation techniques with neuroanatomical labeling of cells in the prepacemaker nucleus by neural-tract-tracing from the pacemaker nucleus (Kawasaki et al. 1988b). They showed that iontophoresis of L-glutamate evokes different types of communication signals from different subnuclei of the prepacemaker nucleus, characterized by morphologically different neurons. In two subsequent investigations, Masashi, in collaboration with other members of the Heiligenberg lab, provided experimental evidence that the generation of distinct types of electric communication signals is mediated by different classes of glutamate receptors (Dye et al. 1989; Kawasaki and Heiligenberg 1990). Taken together, these four studies inspired many other investigations aimed at identifying neural mechanisms that underlie the premotor and motor control of communication behaviors in vertebrate organisms.

A second area in which Masashi made lasting contributions relates to the fundamental question of how temporal acuity at the behavioral level is encoded neurally. Since behavioral acuity is superior to that of individual sensory receptors, central neural integrative mechanisms must be involved. Masashi, Rose, and Heiligenberg addressed this issue by taking advantage of the jamming avoidance response in the weakly electric fish Eigenmannia. This reflex-like behavior is performed when two fish meet with similar frequency of their electric organ discharges. Then, each of the two fish shifts the frequency of its discharges away from the frequency of the neighboring fish. Thus, to correctly perform this behavior, it is necessary that each fish determines the sign of the frequency difference between the two electric signals. To achieve this task, the fish analyzes modulations in both phase differences and amplitude that result from the interference of the two electric signals. Phase differences are detected as differences in the firing of zero-crossings of signals received at different parts of the fish's body surface. Behavioral experiments have shown that Eigenmannia can detect modulations in phase difference, i.e., temporal disparities, smaller than 1 µs (Rose and Heiligenberg 1985).

Using a sophisticated experimental design, Kawasaki et al. ( 1988a, b, c) created temporal disparities between two parts of the body of varying size, while recording the neural responses of 'sign-selective' neurons (neurons that detect the sign of the frequency difference between the fish's signal and the neighbor's signal) in the prepacemaker nucleus. They found that single sign-selective neurons are sensitive to such temporal disparities as small as 1 µs - the highest temporal sensitivity ever observed at the single-cell level at the time their study was published!

Research as a faculty member of the University of Virginia

In 1990, Masashi accepted an offer from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, to join the biology faculty as assistant professor. He remained there until his death in 2025, while progressing through the ranks to full professor. During these 35 years, he published (according to a PubMed search3) 32 original research papers and review articles. All but two of these publications concerned the neuroethology of electric fish.

One of the recurring themes of these research activities was a comparative analysis of the jamming avoidance response. Masashi and his students showed that the African knifefish ( Gymnarchus niloticus) exhibits a jamming avoidance response that closely resembles that in the South American knifefish ( Eigenmannia sp.), although both fishes are thought to have evolved their electric systems independently. Like Eigenmannia, G. niloticus gradually shifts the frequency of its electric organ discharge away when encountering a neighbor of similar frequency. To correctly perform this behavior, the two species employ identical computational algorithms (Kawasaki 1993). The individual steps of this algorithm include the following:

The fish determine whether to raise or to lower their discharge frequency, based solely on the mixture of their own electric signal and the signal of the neighbor; no internal reference is made to the command signals of the pacemaker nucleus that drive the electric discharge.

The mixture of the two signals is analyzed in terms of the time courses of amplitude modulation and phase modulation at each area of the body surface.

Phase modulation is detected by comparing the phase of the mixed signal in each area of the body surface with that of another area.

Unambiguous information about the sign of the frequency difference between the two signals, necessary for shifting the fish's own discharge in the correct direction, becomes available only by integrating information from all body areas.

Despite the functional similarity of the jamming avoidance responses in the two species, and the identical computational algorithms employed for executing a correct response, a major difference exists in the neural implementation of the behavior. One of the essential computational steps, timing comparison between different areas of the body surface, takes place in the hindbrain in G. niloticus but in the midbrain in Eigenmannia (Kawasaki and Guo 1996). Thus, the comparative analysis of the jamming avoidance response provides a beautiful example of how different brain structures can perform functionally similar behavioral tasks in independently evolved systems (for review see Kawasaki 1996).

The last paper

Masashi's last paper (Kawasaki and Zupanc 2025) was published in the January/February 2025 issue of the Journal of Comparative Physiology A - the journal in which 21 of his scientific articles, including his first one, have been published. His last article presented collaborative research, funded by the National Science Foundation, that Masashi and I had carried out. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the sexually dimorphic frequency of the electric organ discharge of Apteronotus leptorhynchus (males discharge at higher frequencies than females, with little overlap between the two sexes) is caused by sex-specific differences in the potassium equilibrium potential of the neurons that constitute the pacemaking neural network of the pacemaker nucleus. Previous experimental and modeling studies had suggested that a sexual dimorphism exists in the morphology and gene expression of the astrocytic syncytium that envelopes these neurons. These sexually dimorphic patterns mediate differences in the capacity of the astrocytes to buffer the extracellular concentration of K+ ions, which, in turn, alter the K+ equilibrium potential (Zupanc et al. 2014, 2019; Hartman et al. 2021). By using an in vitro preparation of the pacemaker nucleus, we obtained physiological evidence in support of this hypothesis - exposure of the pacemaker nucleus to acutely increased/decreased concentration of K+ in the perfusate led to concentration-dependent increases/decreases in the frequency of the synchronized oscillations generated by the pacemaker nucleus (Kawasaki and Zupanc 2025).

Teacher and mentor

While I visited Masashi's lab twice in 2023 to jointly work on our collaborative project, I was able to witness first-hand how much he was committed to the Animal Behavior Lab course he was teaching during the time of my visits. Not only did he make sure that the animals for this course were meticulously maintained, but he also gave high priority to his preparation for the course and the time he spent with students in class or during office hours. Not surprisingly, during the 35 years of his tenure at the University of Virginia, Masashi established a reputation as an inspiring and caring teacher. Among the courses he taught, his Animal Behavior Laboratory was particularly popular among students. It gave him the opportunity to share with them his passion for animals and to inspire their curiosity. As Adam Lenhart, one of his former teaching assistants, remembers:

He would encourage students to develop their love of animals by examining the fascinating lives of hamsters, insects, and fish. He always treated the animals with the utmost respect, a trait that was transferred to the students, so they knew these animals were here to inform us, but also an organism to treat well... He worked hard to find ways for students to grow apart from thinking about the grade and enjoy spending time with animals. He made a big impact on their lives and appreciation for nature. 4

And it was particularly this course through which Masashi was able to connect with students in his genuine way. As a member of the Department of Biology observed:

Similar qualities that characterized Masashi in his interactions with undergraduates also shine through in his mentorship of graduate students. John Leonard, who was his last PhD student, wrote the following after he had learned about Masashi's passing:

Musician and luthier

Masashi was a passionate, life-long lover of classical music. Raised in a musical family, he not only enjoyed attending classical concerts, but he also learned to play the piano at an early age. However, it was only during his tenure as a faculty member of the Department of Biology that he learned a second instrument, double bass. Although already an adult, he became so good at it that he joined the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, which is composed of music faculty who serve as Principal Players, as well as talented students and community members. The rehearsals every Monday and Wednesday evening were one of his great delights, as were the more frequent meetings during concert weeks.

However, Masashi did not stop 'just' playing the double bass. In the summer of 2024, less than one year before his death, he even built himself an electronic double bass, completely from scratch. It was designed such that he could take it apart so that it would fit into checked luggage when he travelled to Japan. On YouTube, Masashi has shared a video that shows him playing this portable electronic instrument while performing with friends in Japan the ending of the First Movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 by Johann Sebastian Bach ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-i1E6TYBRg).

"A kind and gentle soul"

Masashi was highly respected and admired by his colleagues. He helped new faculty in the department setting up their labs and, drawing on his craftsmanship and well-equipped workshop, he frequently offered to repair equipment when it stopped working. The following description by Ignacio Provencio, a biology professor who co-taught several classes with Masashi, encapsulates well how colleagues characterized him:

Besides known for his collegiality at the University of Virginia, Masashi was deeply rooted in, and a leading force of, the Japanese community in Charlottesville. By the members of this community, he is commonly referred to as 'Kawasaki-sensei.'8 Masashi helped numerous students, postdocs, and faculty from Japan to cope with the culture shock after their arrivals and to ultimately settle in Charlottesville. Together with his wife Yasuko, Masashi organized lunch and dinner events for them at their house - be it to welcome them in town or to say goodbye, to help organize their weddings or to celebrate when they expected a baby. Masashi was also there if someone needed help with his woodworking, plumbing, or electric skills - or simply as a source of comfort. Yuta Ohno, who worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine from 2023 to 2025, succinctly described his relationship to Masashi:

Some personal reflections

I first met Masashi in 1987 when I joined the laboratory of Walter Heiligenberg at the University of California, San Diego as a graduate student. Masashi had arrived one year earlier to work as a postdoc in the lab. During that time, I greatly enjoyed our interactions both in the lab and outside the lab, including the time with his family. When Masashi and his family moved to Charlottesville in 1990, my wife and I 'inherited' his meticulously maintained (what else would one expect from him?) Volvo 244, which soon became our beloved car. Over the following three decades, I was in sporadic contact with Masashi, but our interactions deepened again when we embarked on our collaborative project on the sexual dimorphism of the electric organ discharge in A. leptorhynchus (see 'The last paper,' above). The last time we met was in July 2024, at the 15th International Congress of Neuroethology in Berlin, Germany. Figure 1 shows us at this conference, together with Kentaro Arikawa, a lifelong friend whom he had met when both were graduate students in Kiyoshi Aoki's lab. The photograph was taken by Masashi's wife, Yasuko Kawasaki.

Masashi Kawasaki (left) with Günther K.H. Zupanc (center) and Kentaro Arikawa (right), attending a dinner event at the 15th International Congress of Neuroethology in Berlin, Germany, on July 27, 2024. Photograph courtesy of Yasuko Kawasaki

Apart from the many interactions during our times in the Heiligenberg lab, and while we worked on our joint research program in recent years, what shapes my memories of Masashi are snippets - reflecting rather insignificant events on their own but collectively adding significant contours to the story of his life. One of these snippets that adds a glimpse of an idea of how Masashi was doing science is the way he determined the frequency of the electric organ of the fish we used for our joint electrophysiological experiments. Like most other investigators, I would have determined the frequency by amplifying and digitizing the recorded signal and measuring the frequency by running a data acquisition and analysis software program. Masashi, however, did it much simpler (and cheaper). He made the fish's discharge audible through a loudspeaker, and then used an online tone generator10 on his cell phone to adjust the frequency of the pure (sinus) tone generated by the app to match the frequency of the fish signal. A kind of 'reverse tuning' of a musical instrument...!

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Notes

Masashi Kawasaki's mother, Taeko Kawasaki (born 1927) played and taught the violin. His father, Masaru Kawasaki (1924-2018), was a well-known composer, conductor, and music professor. On August 6, 1945, when Hiroshima was devastated by the first atomic bomb, Masaru Kawasaki was in the city, just 1.5 km from the site of the explosion. He survived but suffered lifelong severe injuries. Although initially reluctant to use the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a theme for his work, in 1975 he started to compose with 'Dirge' the first piece of a series called 'Prayer Music.' Since then, this composition has been played by a brass band of local middle and high school students every year on August 6th at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

The addition 'sensei' to a person's name is used in the Japanese culture to show respect for the mastery achieved in a certain field based on wisdom coming from age and experience.

References

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Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Yasuko Kawasaki for providing detailed information about her late husband, Masashi Kawasaki, and their family. I am also grateful to Douglas Taylor, Chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, who set up the Padlet 'Remembrances of Masashi Kawasaki.' The posts shared on this site were an invaluable source of information for preparing the manuscript of this obituary. Kentaro Arikawa, Andrea Megela Simmons, Christina M. Zupanc, and Marianne M. Zupanc made very helpful suggestions for improving the manuscript.

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Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

Günther K. H. Zupanc

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Günther K. H. Zupanc

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GKHZ wrote, reviewed, and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Günther K. H. Zupanc.

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GKHZ is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Comparative Physiology A.

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Zupanc, G.K.H. Masashi Kawasaki (1955-2025): neuroethologist who explored neural mechanisms of echolocation in bats and of electric behavior in fish. J Comp Physiol A (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-025-01749-2
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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Masashi Kawasaki (1955-2025): neuroethologist who explored neural mechanisms of echolocation in bats and of electric behavior in fish - Journal of Comparative Physiology A

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Masashi Kawasaki tragically died in a car accident on May 18, 2025. A dedicated neuroethologist and beloved faculty member at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, he spent over four decades exploring neural mechanisms underlying echolocation in bats and electric behavior in weakly electric fish.

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天国からご家族を見守っていてくださいますように

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天国からご家族を見守っていてくださいますように

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川崎雅司氏は、高校の弦学部の2年上の先輩でした。いつも暖かく優しい眼差しで、私たちを見守ってくださいました。渡米されてからも、康子夫人はじめご家族の皆様を暖かく優しく包んでいらしたと思います。

最後にお会いできたのは、昨年の夏、箱根での合奏団の合宿の時でした。

雅司氏は合奏にコントラバスで参加するため、何と組み立て式のコントラバスをご自身で作成され、箱にきれいに収めて、アメリカから飛行機でお持ちになりました。それを組み立てる時の、好奇心に満ちた輝く目が忘れられません。

皆が見守る中、ご本人もワクワクしながら、丁寧に一つ一つ部品を取り出して組み立てられました。そして、組み立てたばかりのコントラバスで合奏に参加されました。今もあの通奏低音の音色が聞こえてきます。

突然の事故で、最愛の雅司氏を失ってしまわれた康子夫人のご心中は、察するに余りあり言葉になりません。どうか天国から見守っていてくださいますように。

謹んでご冥福をお祈り申し上げます。

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雅司さん 安らかにお眠りください

# data[].attributes.subject
雅司さん 安らかにお眠りください

# data[].attributes.body
川崎夫妻は私の高校の2年先輩でした。奥様 康子さんは大学も学部も一緒、 そして 勤め先も一緒でした。 何もできない新人の私を 全ての面で指導してくださった康子さんは、 とても優秀で 思いやりがあり 、ウィットにとんだ 素敵な方でした。

ご夫婦でアメリカに住まいを移されてからは ご連絡を取ることもなくなっていましたが、 高校時代の弦楽部の仲間が夏に川崎夫妻の帰国に合わせて 合宿のような集まりをすることになりそこでまたお目にかかるようになりました。

お二人は本当に仲の良い ご夫婦でした。 あの 聡明な康子さんが 、ご主人を本当に愛し、信頼しているというのが そこここに見て取れ 、時に とても可愛らしい表情をされるのが 印象に残っています。

そんな大切なご主人を、 一瞬の事故 それも同じ車の中にいての事故で 失われた 康子さんの 悲しみ、 心の痛み、 悔しさ、 事故に対する怒り そういう感情は 本当に計り知れないものがあると思います。

雅司さんが、 優しく見守ってくださっているとは思いますが、 この先 康子さんが 少しでも 前を向いて生きていけるように 色々な状況が 動いて行ってくれるようにと 心から 祈らずにはいられません。

雅司さん、どうぞ 安らかに。 そして 康子さんに力を貸してあげてくださいね。

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川崎雅司君は高校の同級生で弦楽部で一緒でした。その頃の川崎君はかっこよくて優秀で穏やかで優しくて、完全な片思いでしたが、密かに憧れて思い続けてました。可愛くて男子学生の憧れの的であった康子さんと結婚してアメリカで優秀なお子さんたちにも恵まれ幸せな家庭を築いていることを知った時は心から嬉しく思いました。

数年前から年に一度の合宿でお二人にお会いできる機会を得て、かつてよりずっと素敵になられていて話しをする際など思わずドギマギしてました。私のリサイタルの折にはわざわざアメリカから聴きに来てくださるなど、本当に優しく心違いの行き届いた方でした。

この度このような不幸に見舞われもう会えないのかと思うと残念で仕方がありません。こうした場で皆さんの追悼のメッセージを拝見し本当に素晴らしい方だったのだなと改めて思わされています。

謹んでご冥福をお祈り致します。私たちは決してあなたのことを忘れません。安らかにお眠りください。

鶴見　久美子

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川崎雅史さんは、高校の同窓生で、弦楽部の後輩でした。私が仕事でSan Diegoに赴任した80年代の後半に、偶然、彼らも東部から引っ越してきて、家族ぐるみの付き合いが始まりました。動物園で販売していたダチョウの卵を大きなオムレツにしたり、目の前の海で獲れる伊勢海老の神経を切断し手際よく刺身を作ってくれたり、庭でバーベキューをしたり、思い出がたくさんあります。また、ここ10数年はは毎年、高校のクラブの同窓会合宿に来日され、合奏していました。私はチェロなので、良き通奏低音仲間でした。今年も、7月に仲のいいお二人に会うことを楽しみにしていたのに。残念でたまりません。

川崎くん、安らかにお眠りください。

写真は、昨年の夏、ご夫妻の葉山のお宅の屋上で、弦楽部の仲間と撮ったものです。

志村宗治

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川崎雅司さんは私にとって生涯最高の友人であり、芸術、科学、文学、歴史から政治経済に至るまで、あらゆる知と興味における最良の伝導者でした。

16歳の時湘南高校で出会って以来50年以上、とりわけ音楽や歴史について数えきれないほど語り合い、論じ合い、その都度貴重な示唆や啓発を受けて来ました。

雅司氏は早稲田大学在学中から優れた生物学研究者でしたが、私を含め周囲の人々にいかなる時も愛情溢れる言葉でその魅力を語り、生物の多様性や美しさを余す所なく伝えてくれました。その含蓄豊かな言葉を聞こうと多くの人々が彼のもとに集まり、尊敬と親しみを持って歩んで来たのは当然のことです。

雅司氏にとってヴァージニア大学における研究は人生の全てを賭けたライフワークであり、命ある限り続けたいと常々言っていました。生物学は一つの真理を確認するのに10年20年といったスパンが必要で、70歳を迎えようという今もなお、研究は道半ばであると強く認識していました。

専門である生物学以外でも、雅司氏はとりわけ音楽の分野で格別の才能と深い理解を示し、私たちを魅了して来ました。

作曲家である父、ヴァイオリニストである母の血を継いでコントラバスの優れた奏者であった彼は、クラシック音楽の聴き手あるいは理論家としても一流でした。

雅司氏にとって湘南高校絃楽部を通じて知り合った私たちは、心の底から自由に合奏し語り合える音楽仲間であり、その交流は半世紀以上続いて来ました。

毎年夏にはご夫婦揃って日本を訪れ、私たちと3日間合奏を楽しむのが恒例でした。

その3日間のため、彼はオリジナルのコントラバスを制作し、持参しました。

雅司氏は何よりも愛情豊かな人でした。誰に対しても常に心からの尊敬と気配りを忘れず、嘘のない言葉と楽しいジョークで温かく気持ちを包んでくれました。

とりわけ最愛のパートナーである康子さんに対しては、結婚以来一貫してソフトハードの両面に渡り最上のサポートをいささかも惜しむことがありませんでした。

雅司氏と康子夫人はどこへでも一緒に出かけて行く、息の合った夫婦として有名であり、私もそんなお二人のライフスタイルに憧れて来ました。休日はシャーロッツビルのご自宅周辺を二人で散策し、草花や昆虫や水鳥や動物など豊かな自然を四季折々愉しみ、写真に収めて大切にしていました。

川崎雅司氏の類まれなお人柄について、その全てを余す所なく語るのは至難なことです。私は彼の友人の一人として、ここにそのごく一部を記すことしか出来ません。

彼が不慮の事故で突然亡くなったことは、ご家族はもとより友人にとっても痛恨の極みです。

もしも一つだけ望みがかなうなら、私は彼との再会を切に祈ります。

平井正之

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あまりに突然の訃報、まだ信じられない思いです。

主人の関係で、1年に一度ですが、雅司さん、康子さんとアンサンブルするのを楽しみにしておりました。

コントラバスを始められた雅司さんは、帰国時苦労してレンタル楽器をかりて運ばれていましたが、昨年、分解、電気的に増音可能、な多分世界唯一の楽器をご自分で発案、製作し、アメリカから持ってきて演奏されていました。

優しくて穏やかな愛妻家、けれどもアイデア、チャレンジいっぱい、結局どんなこともやりとげてしまう、凄い方でした。

これからも、どこにいらしても、周りを楽しく幸せにしてくださったと思うと、かなしく、悔しい気持ちでいっぱいになります。

心よりご冥福をお祈りいたします。

ヴァイオリン奏者　安藤貴子

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川崎雅司君は、湘南高校１年生の時からの同級生で、親友でした。

絃楽部の部室で音楽談義をしたり、茅ケ崎の川崎家にお邪魔をしてアンサンブルをしたり、音楽家のご両親の演奏を拝聴したり、楽しい青春時代を過ごしました。自転車で辻堂の海に行ったり、江ノ電に乗って鎌倉高校まで遊びに行ったりもしました。後に奥様になった康子さんも、同じ学年で絃楽部の仲間でした(その頃はフルートを吹いていました)。

大学に入ってから学者の道へ進み、渡米してからは会う機会は少なくなりましたが、Eメールで度々やり取りをしていました。

2006年くらいから、絃楽部のOB仲間で年に一度、日本で集まって合奏をするようになり、また親交が再開。高校の頃から何故か楽器を演奏しなかった雅司君が、その頃突然コントラバスを始めてびっくりしましたが、持ち前の才能であっという間に上達し、シューベルトの「ます」やバッハの合奏曲などで一緒に演奏しました。年に一度のその集まりは本当に楽しい時間で、今年も7月に集まることになっていました。飛行機で持ち運べるように、コントラバスをエレキベースに改良していて、今年は新型を披露してくれることになっていました。

奥様の康子さんとはいつも一緒で、その献身的な愛情は周りも羨むほどでした。

世界的な生物学の教授であるのに、自宅では家のメンテナンスを進んでやり、康子さんの音楽活動を支えながら、自分もオーケストラで演奏していました。本当に優しくて賢くて、いい奴でした。

7月に会うはずだったのに永遠に会えなくなってしまうなんて、とても信じられません。私の音楽の貴重な理解者でもあったので、寂しさに押しつぶされそうです。

これからも空の上から康子さんを支えてくださいね、まさしくん。

そしてどうか安らかにお眠りください。

僕たちは君を忘れないよ。

指揮者・チェロ奏者　安藤亮

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From Wendy and Clara Heiligenberg ,

Our thoughts are with Masashi’s family, friends and colleagues and with my dear, dear family in San Diego.

“If music be the food of love, play on”

Adelaide , Australia.

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Masashi and I shared an office wall since I arrived to UVa in 2020. We also shared an intolerance for the summer AC levels and he kindly showed me once how to open the windows in my office (you need an allen screwdriver). I will never forget his stories about old experiments on bats, and his kindness when my newborn daughter was around. Last time I saw him, I forgot my office key at home and he watched my daughter for a few minutes while I went to get it from my husband. We chatted about kids, and the love and pride he felt for his kids was palpable (along with his deep desire for grandkids...)

So long Masashi, and thanks for making this world better even after you're gone, through your kindness, your family, and your legacy.

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Our family is shattered by the news of Masashi's tragic passing. Without question, he was one of the kindest souls that one could come to know. At the time of Walter's tragic passing (30 years ago), Masashi was one of the first to jump to my aid. Always so generous with his time, and beyond willing to help, he set up my very first computer and my very first email account. It came at a time where I finally really needed it. And he took the time to teach me how to use it all!

I have the fondest memories of Masashi and his sweet family...I will cherish them forever. For now, I find peace in knowing that he's been reunited with Mark and Walter, and they are certainly conducting some fascinating experiments together once again (and enjoying fine music and culinary delights)!

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Masashi-san with his kind eyes trying to take my picture before eating, despite the large amount of Blue Crab on the table at a restaurant in Baltimore in the summer of 2012.

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I am lost for words, is all I can say. When I received the news of Masashi's sudden death from Ichiro Fujita, I had no idea that I was about to experience for the third time the despair I had felt after losing two friends and colleagues of the same generation. Writing Masashi's obituary is an admission to myself that he is no longer with us, but in order to put my feelings in perspective, I would like to briefly describe the memories that Masashi and I share here. I first met Masashi-san when I heard his presentation of his research on visual responses in the optic tectum of the uguiid at a meeting of the Integrative Brain Functions Group Meeting at Shinshu Kamiyamada Onsen, which was attended by many members of the Dai-san Koza lab, Department of Zoology, School of Science, the University of Tokyo, where I was affiliated with. This led us to invite Masashi-san to participate in the neuroethological experiments on sexual behavior that we were conducting every fall using Hime Salmon of Lake Chuzenji in Nikko, and we were all surprised to hear that he was a master's degree graduate student (the same age as me). His talk was already that mature. He later received his degree from the Institute of Life Sciences at Sophia University and moved to the U.S. a short time later and took a position at UVA in 1990. When I was invited to UVA to give a seminar in 1994, I was invited to stay at his home in Charlottesville and had a chance to meet his family. Among the many memories I have, the one that stands out in my mind is the time I spent with Masashi-san, the Program Committee Chair, during ICN2012 in Maryland, when ICN2014 was to be held in Japan (Sapporo) for the first time since the First International Congress of Neuroethology (ICN1986) held at the Institute of Life Sciences, Sophia University. I had meetings with Masashi-san during ICN2012 in Maryland, went to Baltimore with him to eat Maryland Blue Crab (photo), and participated in the meeting with ISN executive members at Del Mar Beach in San Diego in 2013. Masashi-san provided full support for the organization of ICN2014, and his wife Yasuko-san even helped edit the program book. Masashi-san has long been an international leader in the neuroethological research he started at UVA on the jamming avoidance behavior of weakly electric fish, and he has always been a logical thinker, gentle but at the same time uncompromisingly strict. He was a truly respected friend who possessed many wonderful talents that I lacked. I pray for his soulful rest and express my deepest condolences to his family.

Yoshitaka Oka@UTokyo

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Masashi and Kentaro at SOKENDAI. Wearing matching Kanreki celebration ("還暦祝" celebrating 60 years old) red T-shirts. Masashi actually turned 60 two years ago, but he graciously accepted my late gift. Summer in 2017

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Dr. Masashi Kawasaki was my mentor since 1999, and I became a postdoc at his laboratory in late 2001.

Together with Yasuko-san, he supported me casually at all times not only the research but also my American life.

He loved all creatures and, as we all know, was a playful person: I remember him gesturing, for example, for a squirrel carrying a stolen tomato from Masashi's garden, or for a cichlid's reality struggling between hunger and the baby fish in its mouth. One day, he showed me a live streaming video of a pair of bold eagles, which triggered me to get crazy into birds. I wanted to go bird watching with him at least once.

I miss Masashi.

川崎さん、今までずっとありがとうございました。

寂しいです。

Atsuko Matsushita

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I am shocked and devastated to learn of the passing of my former professor, Dr. Masashi Kawasaki. I graduated in '20, and I've known him as kind, thoughtful, and selfless person. He has taught me so much about Animal Biology, and dedicated time to helping students further advance their careers. I wish I got to tell him I was accepted into medical school before he passed. Rest in peace, my friend. 

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I am shocked and devastated to learn of the passing of my former professor, Dr. Masashi Kawasaki. I graduated in '20, and I've known him as kind, thoughtful, and selfless person. He has taught me so much about Animal Biology, and dedicated time to helping students further advance their careers. I wish I got to tell him I was accepted into medical school before he passed. Rest in peace, my friend. 

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The A.N.G.E.L.S. Society, a "secret" society at UVA, is dedicated to caring for others. They honor Masashi

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The A.N.G.E.L.S. Society, a "secret" society at UVA, is dedicated to caring for others. They honor Masashi

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Dear UVa Biology Community,

Please know that you are never alone during these trying times, and you never will be. The sudden passing of Professor Kawasaki is a shock to our community, and we wish to extend our deepest condolences. He was a great colleague to the department, a wonderful mentor to students, and a friend to all. He was a beacon of light in this community, and his positive nature and optimism always remained steadfast. From being an active member in the Japanese community and an avid musician in local groups, his impact on the greater Charlottesville community will forever be remembered.

During this sad time, the resilience and courage displayed by all those who knew him and loved him is deeply inspiring and incredibly impactful. In a time riddled with pain and grief, the hope and everlasting mark he left on the university will spread from Gilmer Hall to the community as a whole.

There are times in life when the world deals us a cruel hand, and we cannot begin to understand why. You are never alone in your grief, and we implore you to continue finding strength in the community around you. Everyone processes things differently, but this is a safe space for all. As the healing process continues, please know that, though you may never see us, we are here and we care about you.

“When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth, you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
-Kahlil Gibran

A.N.G.E.L.S. Society

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Tuday is your 70th birthday.

Happy Birthday Masashi！

We miss You！

Your former classmates

at Heiwagakuen

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A kind mentor during my graduate student years

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A kind mentor during my graduate student years

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I remember Masashi so fondly, he was one of the professors who mentored our incoming graduate student cohort in 1993. He was very knowledgeable and his research was fascinating but what I remember most is his kindness during a stressful first year having moved to a new place and working at all hours. As my graduate career progressed I always enjoyed our conversations as he took time to ask about how I was doing and was truly interested. The best memory I have of Masashi was when I went to Japan the summer of 1998 on a fellowship. I mentioned to Masashi that I would be in Japan for a few months, and he said he would be visiting as well that summer, but we made no arrangements to meet and I had no idea when he would be there or where he would be. Amazingly I was at Shibuya station one day and amongst the sea of people I saw Masashi! When I approached him he was speechless- when words finally came all he could say was “this is not possible!” I will hold Masashi and his family in my heart, what a terrible loss for the world.

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I took Animal Behavior with Professor Kawasaki this past semester, and it was by far my favorite class. Although I was a quiet student, I enjoyed sitting in the front row and listening to the enthusiasm with which Professor Kawasaki lectured. All of my friends know about this class because I would frequently talk about having the nicest professor and being excited to show them the interesting examples Professor Kawasaki showed us in class.

It was a shock to hear this tragic news, and I will always wish I took more time to get to know my professor outside of class and office hours; but it is heartwarming to see how much he influenced the lives of his students and colleagues alike. It takes a special type of person to create a lasting impression on people who only had fleeting interactions with them, and Professor Kawasaki was that type of person. I am sending prayers and strength to his family and friends. May he rest in peace and may his memory live on in all of us 🤍

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Kawasaki san, I remember you being a very creative engineer and handy person who could fix almost anything, which made me think that you could have fit in an engineering department (if you wished) better than myself. You were rather calm but strong-willed. You shared with me lots of interesting biological findings, which motivated me further to look into neuroscience from an engineering view point. I was looking forward to seeing you again and am so sad that you left us. Please rest in peace.

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I knew Dr. Kawasaki from the time he became part of the Biology Dept. While I didn't work directly with him for his lab classes, I saw him frequently and assisted him with feeding his research fish a few times when he was out of town. Dr. Kawasaki was truly such a kind and gentle soul...not one time in all of those years did I ever hear him say an unkind word or raise his voice. His students seemed to enjoy the Animal Behavior lab a great deal, and I know that he loved teaching and interacting with them as well. His loss is a terrible tragedy for his family, friends, colleagues and students, and he will be well-remembered as a highly respected and integral member of the department and the community as a whole. Rest well, Dr. Kawasaki....

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I always appreciated seeing Dr. Kawasaki's plants in the hallway and by the 4th floor elevator. He got them to grow so well in the indoor environment, and they were nice to look at while waiting for the elevator to come up. In general he was a constant and calming presence in Gilmer 4th addition, and he will be missed dearly.

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Professor Kawasaki was such a kind and compassionate person, and I could see from his interactions with his students how much he cared about each and every one of them. His passion for biology and teaching was evident through his lectures and warm personality, and he shared his passion with me and so many of his students. Watching nature documentaries growing up was one of the experiences that first sparked my interest in science, and seeing the clips of animals that Professor Kawasaki played during his lectures reminded me why I first chose to study biology in college.

I had the privilege of serving as one of his teaching assistants last semester, which allowed me to see how much effort Professor Kawasaki puts in behind the scenes for his students, whether through preparing lesson plans, writing exams, or answering questions on Piazza. He was truly dedicated to his students, and his kindness, thoughtfulness, and passion for his work will be fondly remembered by everyone he taught. I am so grateful to have met and learned from Professor Kawasaki during my time at UVA, and he will be deeply missed.

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Masashi was a kind and gentle soul. He was a patient and highly effective teacher, with a masterful knowledge and understanding of the sensory worlds he worked in. He was the best of us. My heart goes out to Yasuko and his children.

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I learned of Masashi's passing from a dear friend with whom I've kept in touch since I studied neuroscience there as a undergrad and then a PhD student. This time was—and is—very special to me, and largely made me who I am today. I had returned to higher education as an adult student, after having taken a decade or so to forge a career as a Marketing and Design professional. Deciding that I felt largely unfulfilled by this choice, I made the decision to explore the possibility of becoming a scientist. Let me tell you, that's a heck of a pivot... As I began classes, I frequently felt unsure about what I was doing and so I was constantly looking for clues that this was in fact the life I wanted. Indeed, there were a few professors who seemed somewhat skeptical of a guy in his 30s even attempting a Science PhD, let alone a grueling postdoc, and entering the field with any hope of success. And I might have chosen to leave, had it not been for role models like Dr. Kawasaki. He (and a couple of others—they know who they are) not only treated me as a "real" student, fielding my incessant questions, giving me their precious time, but more importantly consistently modeled what it meant to be a scientist. Masahi had an enthusiasm, a love, a passion for his work that simply could not be suppressed; for me, this was infectious. Jumping up and down in front of the lecture hall (something to do with a spiking neuron I believe) with a great big smile on his face was not only entertaining and fun, but it demonstrated the lengths to which he would joyfully go (with his entire being) to communicate a principal to the class. He had a way of disarming me, and making it alright to also be passionate about stuff that 99% of the population could care less about. He made it OK for me to relax and engage, to see the subject as fun, as invigorating, and something to be embraced--not held at arms length. He made it alright to be enthralled by a leech—or in his case an electric fish—and created a space where learning was anything but dry; he was always alive, almost childlike in his fascination with nature, and he spread that to me as well. Remembering how alive he was, I cannot yet quite grasp that he is no longer here, physically. What I know for sure is that his spirit will remain, because he shared it freely and generously with anyone who was lucky enough to enter his orbit, as I was. I will carry a bit of his spirit with me as long as I am here, and hope I can pass it on, although I doubt ever with the ease that he did. Dr. Kawasaki was far more than a Professor—he was a teacher, in the truest sense of the word. He will be missed.

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Thank you, Masashi, for sharing your meaningful life with us!

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Thank you, Masashi, for sharing your meaningful life with us!

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I first met Masashi when I joined, as a graduate student, the lab of Walter Heiligenberg at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego in 1987. Masashi had come to the lab one year earlier for his second postdoctoral position. By the time of my arrival, he was already highly respected in the lab not only as an excellent electrophysiologist but also as an exceptionally gifted craftsman who spent numerous hours on building electronic circuits or other devices for the experimental setups. In Walter, he had found his perfect mentor. Walter himself was an extremely skilled experimentalist and craftsman, and, like Masashi, he had a great passion for classical music. My wife and I knew Masashi and his wife Yasuko also personally, as we were occasionally babysitting their two children, Tomomi and Daigo. When Masashi and his family left San Diego in 1990, due to his acceptance of a position as assistant professor at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, we “inherited” their Volvo 244 - something that reminded us of them whenever we drove the car.

After Masashi’s departure, I remained in contact with him, through exchange of emails, meetings at conferences, and work for the Journal of Comparative Physiology A. As Associate Editor and later Editor-in-Chief, I frequently sought, and benefitted from, his advice, while he served, for many years, on its Advisory Board.

A few years ago, I was seeking a collaborator for an NSF grant that required some sophisticated electrophysiological experiments using an in vitro preparation of the pacemaker nucleus of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Masashi was a natural choice for this collaboration. Through this work, we were in frequent contact, which included regular joint lab meetings held via video conferences. In 2023, I visited twice his lab at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. I greatly enjoyed not only the experiments we ran together, but also the frequent meetings over lunch or dinner. We used these occasions not only for “science talk” but also for deeply personal conversations, such as the experience of his father as a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, and how Masashi was trying to cope with this tragedy by studying its history. The photograph shows Masashi, Yasuko, and me having lunch at a restaurant in Charlottesville on September 3, 2023.

As a result of our work, we published an article earlier this year. It is available through this link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-024-01719-0. Sadly (as far as I know), it is Masashi’s last scientific paper. Any plans for future joint endeavors ended abruptly when he was killed in a motor accident on May 18, 2025.

As saddened as I am about the loss of Masashi, I am eternally grateful for the nearly four decades that I had the privilege to know him, and for the sharing of his meaningful life with me and so many other people. My condolences go out to Yasuko, Tomomi, and Daigo, as well as his brother and mother in Japan.

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Professor Kawasaki and his mother and myself in 2019 at his father’s memorial service in Japan

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I’m deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Dr. Kawasaki. A true hero who demonstrated his deep devotion to his family and his community, while balancing a demanding career as a professor at UVa. He was so adept at everything. As an example, he created his own transportable double bass as well as its own case during his last summer trip to Japan. A brilliant man with a heart of gold. Oh how I wish he had more time to spend with his lovely family and to play the double bass. My family and I are grief stricken by his passing. Sending heartfelt prayers and love to the Kawasaki family.

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Masashi,  Carl, and Kentaro in Sendai 2008 wearing the T-shird celebrating the diversity of EODs in Paramormyrops.  

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I have read and agree with the many kind words written about Masashi Kawasaki’s life and his love of science, of family, and music.  His loss is tragic for all who knew him, but he has left us a legacy of a beautiful life, well lived. Masashi Kawasaki has given much to his science, to his students, his colleagues, family and friends. We all will miss him.

I have followed Masashi’s career ever since he first came to the United States after his PhD with Aoki.  He worked briefly at Washington University in St. Louis, in San Diego in Walter Heiligenberg, and in UVa and in every position he produced important papers on the neural basis of behavior, most recently on electric fishes.  His discoveries of temporal coding pathways, motor control systems, and comparative neuroethology are remarkable for their clarity, beautiful illustrations, and innovative experiments. Although we never worked side by side in a lab, he introduced me to Neuroethology in working on diverse systems. He invited me to conferences in Japan and introduced me to many colleagues working on neuroethology.

Thank you Masashi !

Carl Hopkins, Cornell University in Ithaca New York

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4年前に久しぶりにシャーロッツビルを訪れた際には、娘が川崎氏宅の音楽室でグランドピアノを弾かせてもらい、アコースティックピアノで練習をした方がいい、とご主人から助言いただきました。我々は引っ越しばかりなので躊躇していたのですが、その助言に背中を押され、アコースティックピアノを手に入れ、練習させるようになり、今では娘は地域の音楽家のクラブで演奏するようになりました。

家族一同、心からご主人のご冥福をお祈りしています。

ーオルメズ友美

Four years ago, when we visited Charlottesville for the first time in some years, our daughter was given the opportunity to play the grand piano in Dr. Kawasaki’s music room. He kindly advised us that it would be better for her to practice on an acoustic piano. At the time, we were hesitant because we moved frequently, but his advice encouraged us to get an acoustic piano, and our daughter began practicing on it. Now, she performs with a local musicians' club.

Our whole family sincerely prays for the repose of his gentle soul.

ーTomomi Olmez

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Remembering a wonderful colleague and friend

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Remembering a wonderful colleague and friend

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I heard the news first with disbelief, then with shock and horror. I am left with unmitigated sorrow for my loss and, most particularly, the loss for his family.

Masashi was my greatly appreciated fellow neuroscientist, and a kindred spirit in our efforts to understand how nervous systems integrate sensory inputs and motor system outputs to generate animal behaviors. This shared scientific niche, Neuroethology, fostered our close collegiality within the Biology Department at UVa and found us together at many conventions of the Society for Neuroscience and the more intimate and focused meetings of the International Society for Neuroethology.

He continues to live in my thoughts and in my heart.

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Like many other have said, Professor Kawasaki was more than a mentor—he was a father figure to me during my time in the US.

I grew up in Japan and never lived abroad before coming to Charlottesville as a graduate student. When I first met Professor Kawasaki, he welcomed me with a gentle smile and, in Japanese, said “Don’t worry, Charlottesville is a great, peaceful place. It’s been ranked as one of the best places to live in the US.” I remember feeling deeply relieved after that conversation—not because I had learned how livable Charlottesville was, but because I had met a compassionate and understanding professor who truly grasped the loneliness and challenges faced by international students.

Throughout my graduate school years, Professor Kawasaki was always kind, caring, generous, intellectually curious, and warm-hearted. I was very fortunate to be part of the close-knit Japanese community at UVA, where we often shared meals together. The photo above was taken in 2009 after a wonderful dinner at Zinc.

On campus, whenever I ran into him in the hallways of Gilmer Hall, he would greet me with his familiar, gentle smile, and we would exchange a few words. Those small moments always lifted my spirits. I vividly remember walking back to the lab afterward, thinking he must have had a superpower for brightening people’s days. Professor Kawasaki and his wife Yasuko-san were the heart of the local Japanese community in Charlottesville, always there to support and care for us. They celebrated each of my milestones with me—when I passed my qualifying exam, defended my PhD, and later, when I got married. Their kindness and presence made Charlottesville feel like home. I believe many in the Japanese community would say the same.

Charlottesville was a great, peaceful place for me because of amazing people like Professor Kawasaki. His passing has left me heartbroken in a way that words cannot fully express. He will be sorely missed and forever remembered. May Professor Kawasaki rest in peace.

雅司先生、在学中そして卒業後も何かと気にかけていただき、温かいお心遣いに何度も救われました。心より感謝しております。先生のご訃報に接し、深い悲しみに包まれております。先生のご冥福を心よりお祈り申し上げます。

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Southern Beach Chigasaki, overlooking Enoshima

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Although Kawasaki-sensei was born in Tokyo, he grew up in a town called Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎), about 35 miles south west of central Tokyo. It is a beach town, and seagulls above and salty & sticky breeze remind you that you are in town. He would share his childhood memories with a fond smile and a nostalgic look in his eyes, presumably because I happen to call the same town home and was a postdoc in the lab next to his.

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A hub for scientists/trainees from Japan

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A hub for scientists/trainees from Japan

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Kawaski-sensei was a hub for scientists, trainees, and their families from Japan. He had a natural ability to bring people together, and everyone always wanted to spend more time with him. He would organize a gathering whether it’d be for somebody leaving town, coming to town, getting married or expecting a baby. No matter how short the notice, everyone would be there.

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Masashi Kawasaki (69), University of Virginia Professor of Biology, passed away in transport to the UVA Hospital on Sunday, May 18 from fatal injuries caused by an auto accident in Madison County in Virginia that day.

Masashi was born in June of 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. After receiving his Ph.D. in Tokyo, he became a postdoc first at Washington University in St. Louis (Nobuo Suga lab) and then at the Scripps Institute for Oceanography in San Diego (Walter Heiligenberg lab), then he came to Charlottesville as a professor of biology in 1990 and has been teaching/doing research for the past 35 years at UVA. He was a specialist in African and South American electric fishes, studying their unique methods of communication and behavior. His curiosity and love for animals of all kinds made his famous Animal Behavior Laboratory Course both interesting and insightful. This lab was extremely popular among students, and he ended up winning multiple teaching awards.

Masashi was raised in a musical family. His father Masaru Kawasaki (a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor) was a renowned composer/flute teacher in Japan who studied composition at The Juilliard School for one semester under Vincent Persichetti. His mother Taeko (98) still plays the violin beautifully. His grandfather Yutaka Kawasaki was an opera singer who studied in Italy for 3 years before World War II. Masashi’s musical ear helped his scientific research as well as his music life. He started to learn double bass at UVA and joined the UVA Symphony. Playing in the Symphony with the music faculty and talented students was one of the greatest delights of his life. His encouragement made his wife Yasuko come back to music after years of her having a hard time adapting to a foreign culture, and she became a community oboe player in and around Charlottesville.

He was a kind, gentle, caring, warm-hearted, sometimes funny, generous person to everybody, helping people in trouble (especially struggling students), fixing anything and everything as a handyman, creating ingenious things (such as a portable foldable electric double bass), and building a beautiful Japanese community in Charlottesville using his woodworking/electronics/plumbing skills and creativity for the benefit of the weekly Japanese Library at his home and various seasonal festivals/events for the community. He is survived by wife Yasuko (69), daughter Tomomi (41), son Daigo (37), brother Masaya (67) and mother Taeko (98).

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My 3rd year to be had Professor Kawasaki fall semester and she loved him. She said he was a sweet man. My prayers and thoughts go to his family. 🙏

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During my PhD I was lucky enough to TA Masashi's Animal Behavior lab. This experience was transformative for me as a professor, and I still reference his lab manual to see how he built such an interactive class. I remember sitting in our small classroom with dim lights as Masashi lectured about circadian rhythms, cichlid nesting behaviors and cricket song. Seeing how he build a course that taught students how to ask questions, explore behaviors, and analyze real data inspired the design of my physiology and evolution courses.

In addition to being an amazing teacher, Masashi was always kind, curious, and generous with his time, I met him shortly after starting graduate school and he helped me with a few hair-brained ideas I had in my early days without judgement (even though these ideas all failed). I think about how important it was to not have this ideas dismissed, and instead had someone help me through the process of testing them out, then finding solutions when they didn't work. Again, this speaks to his style of mentoring and teaching that I hope to provide to my students. When I came back to campus many years after graduating, Masashi made the time to meet with me, and was genuinely interested in my life.

I wish I had been able to know him better, but my time with him truly changed the trajectory of my career. May his memory be a blessing.

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It was a small moment, barely a line of an email exchange, but it’s stayed with me ever since. I had crafted my email sign-off to include a quote from Henri Poincaré—“The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful”— and Professor Kawasaki was the only person who noticed this and took the time to say how much he liked it, adding that he hoped I found beauty in the research project I was writing to him about. In that very minute exchange, he made me feel seen, not just as a student, but as a fellow lover of science, someone who, like him, found joy in the intricacies of biology. It was a quiet kind of kinship, and I’ve never forgotten it. May Professor Kawasaki rest in peace, and may the rest of us honor him through finding delight in the world that surrounds us.

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Despite being a biology student, I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to take a class with Dr. Kawasaki but had often heard positive reviews about his Animal Behaviour class. But I fortunately did have a brief chance to meet him and witness all the qualities that had made him so renowned throughout the biology department. As a student of the Japanese department, I had attended a local Japanese fall festival as a volunteer. There, a man had came bringing in a hefty kakigori (shaved ice) machine. He had shown me where the ice was stored in the refrigerator and how to load it into the machine. For parts of the instructions that I struggled with understanding in Japanese, he did not dismiss me and switch to English. Instead he patiently rephrased, adjusting his Japanese until I could follow along. He would demonstrate first and then guide me with hands-on experience, actively giving me supportive words of encouragement. Any time the machine would get jammed and we would have to find him again for help, he would be more than willing to fix it. Keeping an ever watchful eye, he stayed nearby, never straying too far, being a physical, reassuring pillar of support. By being flexible and patiently making things comprehensible, I did not feel overwhelmed at all. He gave me an inviting, warm welcome to actively be part of the community and enjoy my time at the event. It wasn’t until the end that I learned he was the famous Dr. Kawasaki from the biology department and I could experience that he was a good teacher through and through from inside the classroom to outside. It was an honor to see how committed and involved he was with the Charlottesville community. Thank you Dr. Kawasaki for that memory.

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Masashi and I shared an office when he was a post-doc and I a graduate student with Walter H. at Scripps. Masashi, you are an amazing friend and colleague- a most gracious and talented human being. My family sends heart-felt wishes of peace and wonderful memories to Yasuko, Tomomi and Daigo and your extended family and friends. We miss you.

I won’t get this exactly right, but one day there came a call from the Scripps Director’s office. Scripps was expecting a most important visitor from Japan the next day (I think it was Akihito, the Prince and then soon to be Emperor – who was also an accomplished ichthyologist). Would this new postdoc in Walter’s lab help us greet our visitor in appropriate Japanese fashion and help with translation - tomorrow? Masashi agreed – but was very concerned to be formally correct and speak appropriately. Of course, Masashi was the perfect host for the occasion.

One day in our office, Masashi asked me to read a nearly final manuscript ready for submission.  I penciled in a few comments and small idiomatic English suggestions – one of which elicited a ‘but this is grammatically incorrect!’ from Masashi. ‘It is on page XX in my English grammar book – here let me find it and read you the rule.’ And, yes, certainly, upon pulling his grammar book from the shelf and turning to page XX, there was the rule – that Masashi was applying correctly – but that no American-English speaker ever did.

One beautiful sunny Southern California day, the Heiligenberg lab rented a large sailboat for a sail out to the Coronado Islands – a nice break that even got Walter away from the lab. We were all enjoying different aspects of the day, when I walked up to the foredeck and found Masashi quietly savoring the fish he had just minutes earlier reeled in. No further preparation needed.

My wife and I were able to visit Masashi and Yasuko in Charlottesville not too long after their move there. They wanted so much to make us welcome – and had gone out and bought an outdoor barbeque grill to be able to host their first-ever American BBQ. Such a generous – and unexpected – gesture of friendship. If only we could make sushi as well!

Many other happy memories that will have to get me through. Thank you Masashi and ‘Thank you’ to your wonderful family.

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During my stay at the UVA in 2013-2014 as a visiting professor, I was a regular visitor to his house, which became like a second home to me. I cannot thank Prof. Kawasaki enough for making my stay such a wonderful period of my life. May his soul rest in peace❤️ OHKADO, Masayuki

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The last time I exchanged emails with Masashi was on 28 March 2025. I asked via the departmental mailing list if anyone had a specific slide glass. Masashi was one of those who replied to me. Here is his reply (originally) in Japanese (first photo): "I found what you are looking for in my lab. I hung the bag on my office door (Gilmer 485) containing it. You can take it. Masashi Kawasaki". This is an example of how he had always helped people including me. I found an "old" new (unused) glass in the bag (second photo). Like this, in his lab, there were always many tiny "presents" (for me). For example, if I needed a rare fuse or screw to repair my stuffs, I first visited his lab and asked, "Kawasaki-sensei, do you happen to have ####?". He then began looking for the #### in his tool boxes in which many kinds of stuffs were sitting. He was an outstanding biologist but also simultaneously an engineer and he did all by himself. He was a good mentor for all Japanese (under)grads/postdocs/young faculty in the UVA as a "Sen-Pai" (direct translation may be "Senior" in English, but there would be more meaning behind) studying/living in the US and taught us many tips to "survive" in the US. He (with Yasuko-san) and we often went out for lunches or dinners. The last photo was taken in 2013 at the MAS Tapas, here, some of you may recognize some faces: from the front right (going to the front left), a visiting professor (Dr. Ohkado) from Japan; Yasuko-san; Kawasaki-sensei; me; Shihoko Kojima (a postdoc in Carla Green's lab, UVA/UTSW [at that time]), Dr. Ohishi (prof in the Psychology Dept [at that time]), Asuka Komiya (a posdoc in Ohishi's lab [at that time]), Kazusa Edamura (a grad in Chris Deppmann's lab [at that time]). I lost everything such as described above now, but I have all memories. May Masashi rest in peace.

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Earlier this year, the Peabody 8th grade took a neurobiology trip to the UVA labs. Dr. Kawasaki ran a rotation and graciously showed us around and taught us about his electric fish. He showed compassion and humor, and the class loved him. Dr. Kawasaki’s lab was one of the most popular visits, as the fish were very engaging, and Dr. Kawasaki’s style of teaching didn’t condescend but clarified and simplified everything very well. We regret that Dr. Kawasaki’s brilliance will not be here for future grades.

Here are some things our 8th graders had to say about Dr. Kawasaki:

“Dr. Kawasaki adored his fish and he showed lots of passion for his work. Even though we only spent 20 minutes at his station, it was clear he loved what he did, and he taught us with humor and joy.”

“Dr. Kawaski had a love for his job that is not often seen. He made our experience unlike any other because he made us laugh and learn simultaneously. His passion shined through, and we brought it with us for the rest of the day.”

“Dr. Kawasaki was passionate about his work. Showed passion in the things he said. His lab was my favorite that day. Rest in peace Dr. Kawasaki”

“Out of all the labs we visited, Dr. Kawashi’s was by far the most memorable. He showed a true passion for his work and you could tell how much he loved what he did.”

“Although we only spent a little bit of time with him, Dr. Kawashi’s lab was an influential and memorable experience. Dr. Kawashi was so interesting and made the lab so enjoyable. He knew so much about what he taught and was clearly passionate and loved his job.”

“He loved to show us his fish and was so excited to show us how they created electrical signals and how the different genders created different sounds. Everything he showed us he did with passion. He was the highlight of the trip for me.”

“I didn’t get to know him that well, but the mere 10 to 15 minutes I spent with him, he made my day. In my opinion he was the most interesting and passionate guy there. He was so interested in his work, and so nice to us. He cracked jokes, was full of laughs, and just an absolutely amazing guy. He made learning truly fun. Rest in peace.”

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I played bass with Masashi in the Charlottesville Symphony from 2018 - 2022. I remember being so nervous my first year and he was always very kind and encouraging. I had also taken Japanese in high school, and when I shared this he was very excited to talk to me and learn more. It's devastating to hear of his passing and my heart goes out to his family and friends for their loss.

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Masashi was an amazing advisor and mentor

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Masashi was an amazing advisor and mentor

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Dr. Kawasaki was my undergraduate advisor back in 2008-2011. He gave me my first paid job in the department (cleaning fish tanks!) and I eventually did a few semesters of research in his lab. He was always kind and patient and a great teacher.

His guidance and letters of recommendation helped me get into graduate school (at SIO, where he did his postdoc) and earn an NSF fellowship. I wouldn't have gotten my PhD without him. I am so grateful for the role he played in my life. He was a great man and will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.

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Dr. Kawasaki was an amazing professor and incredible person. I was lucky enough to work with him as an undergrad in the early 90's, caring for the cichlids and electric fish, and doing an independent study on Gymnarchus niloticus. He was brilliant and kind. Always patient and encouraging, he radiated calm and imparted knowledge in such a way that you really took in complex concepts without feeling deficient or foolish for asking too many questions. We stayed in touch every now and again over the years, and he always made time to speak with me and to meet my then 10 year old kid who was enthusiastic about electronics (pictured). Through that meeting, I heard about how Dr. Kawasaki as a child had loved going to the electronics shop with his dad in Japan. He saw how Will reacted to the walls of instrumentation - and invited him to see his well organized and labeled closet of components where they enthused about various resistors or capacitors or other esoteric parts beyond my comprehension. Five years later, he welcomed the FIRST FTC robotics team Will captained to his lab to see what a University research lab was like, and to learn about the fish. For many of those students, it was their first time experiencing a university setting, and eye opening to what might be possible for them in the future. Since moving back to Charlottesville a few years ago, I was happy to see him occasionally around town, including at Ivy Creek Natural area. One time there, he had a hand held instrument that could detect bats roosting in a habitat, which he was happy to demonstrate and explain. I wish I could have taken his animal behavior class or attended one of his concerts - but sadly now that is not possible. My heart goes out to Yasuko and their children, and all the many friends, colleagues, and students who will miss him terribly.

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15 years ago Dr. Kawasaki explains a concept to a 10 year old in his lab. Equipment of various kinds is everywhere.

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I only knew Masashi from the monthly DDEI meetings in A&S. No one looks forward to a Friday meeting, but he always had such a kind and calm presence, with thoughtful ideas on supporting other people's work. I'm sending prayers for his family and friends.

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I have known Masashi since his arrival Charlottesville.  I had the pleasure of co-teaching with Masashi on several occasions.  When I was graduate student, I co-taught a Photobiology Lab with Masashi and Mike Timko. Upon my return as faculty, Masashi, Mike Mellon and I co-taught Introduction to Neurobiology.  Just watching Masashi teach made me a better teacher.  Masashi also generously gave a guest lecture every year in my Sensory Neurobiology course.  There came a point, two years ago, when I didn’t ask Masashi to give a guest lecture because I believed it was too much of an imposition.  Toward the end of the semester, he asked me, “Iggy, do you need me to give a lecture in your class?”  I replied that I felt that I had been abusing his generosity.  He simply said, “I would love to do it.”  I could not have been happier with his offer.  That’s who Masashi was–generous with his soul and generous with his mind.

Apart from his generosity, Masashi was an intellectual giant, highly respected in the neuroethology community.  A survey of the tributes on this site reveals other adjectives describing Masashi including: talented, gentle, calm, devoted, caring, empathic, passionate, and inspiring.  However, the most common descriptor is “kind.”  I can think of no greater legacy than that.  Our colleague, Mike Mellon, best encapsulated the life of Masashi by stating, “He was the best of us.”

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Masashi's work as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was so important and he was a steady and trustworthy voice in our group. I will miss seeing him in every meeting.

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The first interaction I had with Dr. Kawasaki was through email. I couldn’t find a single research lab to join and was searching for quite some time, but when I finally found one, the deadline to enroll was on the same night. I reached out to Dr. Kawasaki (the head of all research labs in the dept.) hesitantly as I was unsure of how to let him know about my situation. To my pleasant surprise, I was met with grace, kind words, and the most helpful reply I could have gotten given the hectic timing of the semester. I felt understood by him. Fast forward to the next semester, I decided to enroll in his animal behavior class. Of course, given his past respectable reputation, the class was overflowing with students enrolled and on the waitlist. I was pretty far down on the waitlist, but I spoke to Dr. Kawasaki after the first class on how to proceed. Instead of sending me away with no hope or speaking logistics to me, he offered me help and people to communicate with, but mostly he told me to keep waiting and attending class. He didn’t want me to give up. I’ve never met a professor who was persistent in helping their students and meeting them in middle consistently. His kindness always showed up for me, and I’m sure for many others too. During class, he was very considerate, humble, kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating. I enjoyed every lecture, and everyone felt inclined to attend because of his calm presence and nature. This loss is unbelievably hard to process. Just two days before the accident, we were emailing about future opportunities. We were talking about the next semester and the his other animal lab course. Praying for his family and friends and sending my condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy. 🤍 May he rest in peace.

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I took Professor Kawasaki’s Animal Behavior lecture this past spring. There was something about the way he spoke with such fondness and smiled at every animal on his slides that made me feel in that moment like I shared a fraction of his passion. After class, I’d usually rush to my next lecture, trying in those ten spare minutes to pass on to my friends the awe I felt from the fascinating examples he’d shared. Now, I wish I had stayed after class more often. Thank you, Professor Kawasaki, for your love of animals and science — you’ve inspired me to love both more. You will be dearly missed.

--Songhan

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I took Dr. Kawasaki’s animal behavior course, and I loved it. I never had a background in this, but I just loved it. His interest and passion sparked some in myself. He was always so gentle. I had a meeting with him to discuss the class, and he was so kind and gentle. He genuinely cared about helping the class to enjoy his teaching. Prior to this, a few years ago, I emailed him as an undergraduate looking for a research lab. He informed me that he didn’t have space for an undergrad, but he still offered to meet with me to help me in my endeavors. He had no idea who he was, but he offered his help. He was a gentle and kind soul. You will be missed, Dr. Kawasaki. You were an amazing man whose legacy will always live on.

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A Kind and Gentle Man who will be deeply missed

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A Kind and Gentle Man who will be deeply missed

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Dr. Kawasaki cared so deeply about his students and was one of the kindest people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Dr. Kawasaki served as a mentor to me as I applied to medical school and wrote my letter of recommendation--his advice and willingness to help me navigate the application and work towards my future goals will never be forgotten. I was just emailing him last week. He had such a love for science and his students that was evident in every aspect of his being. Thank you, again, Dr. Kawasaki. I will miss you dearly. -Lauren Highfield

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I remember first meeting Professor Kawasaki when I got lost in the Chemistry Building and somehow ended up in Gilmer. I was running through the halls, late for a meeting with another professor, and when I ran into Dr. Kawasaki in his lab, I was grossly sweaty, gasping for air, and pleading for directions. He very calmly and kindly guided me out of the Gilmer labs and brought me through a shortcut to where I needed to be. I remember thinking that it would be extremely embarrassing for me if I ever met Dr. Kawasaki again after being such a mess in front of him.

Well, the next semester, in the spring of 2023, I met Professor Kawasaki again, as many biology undergrads do, in his Animal Behavior class. At the time, I was going through a really rough period, so through the exhausted haze of my day-to-day, Professor Kawasaki's class was a welcome reprieve in the morning. He was a delightful lecturer and a well-versed scientist whose love of his field was apparent in every class. He always patiently answered my rambling list of questions after lectures, despite my less-than-eloquent morning brain lag. His calm execution of jokes were a highlight too. He cultivated in me an appreciation for the science over the grade, a difficult endeavor with a tired pre-med student. From hamsters on wheels to pufferfish making sand art, I still reference the material I learned in Dr. Kawasaki's class, and it remains a memorable favorite of my time at UVA.

While I am not sure if he would remember the anxious student with an egregious sense of direction - outside of asking questions, I tend to be a very quiet person - I wanted to come here and express my appreciation for Professor Kawasaki. He was a thoughtful and fun professor, and I'm glad to see so many people on here who loved and cared for him. Sending thoughts and prayers to his friends and family, and thank you for being my professor, Dr. Kawasaki.

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Sunday, June 1. A Musical Tribute/Birthday Party for Masashi Kawasaki

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Sunday, June 1. A Musical Tribute/Birthday Party for Masashi Kawasaki

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The Atrium at The Center at Belvedere
Sunday, June 1st (Masashi’s 70th birthday).

3:30 PM – 5:30 PM

The Kawasaki family and friends invite you to join us in honoring Masashi’s life with his favorite music.

Despite the setting, it is casual with a few snacks and refreshments. Let's celebrate Masashi's birthday together!

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Professor Kawasaki was one of the best professors I have had at UVA. On the first day of class, he put up a slide with lots of different animals and this picture. I remember how happy the class was to see this. It was such a cute picture, and he made us all laugh and feel related to. He went around the lecture hall asking each of us about experiences we've had with animals. He loved talking with each of us.

I was his student last year and this year I was lucky to be his teaching assistant. I have always admired Professor Kawasaki. Not only is he an excellent professor, but he is a wonderful and kind person. He always had a very calm demeanor, putting all of his students at ease. Professor Kawasaki tried his best to provide his students with all of the help he could give them - always answering questions on piazza, in-person, or over email. He tried to understand his students and make accommodations. He was always so good at teaching. He lectures and slides were so easy to follow along and his passion for Animals was very apparent (a passion many of us have developed after his class). He always found joy in explaining concepts or showing fun animal videos to us. No matter how many times I pestered him with questions and visited him at office hours, he was always very patient while explaining everything to me. He wanted to know what each of us was pursuing because he cared about his students. Up until the day of his passing, he was working on recommendation letters for myself and the other teaching assistants. He was dedicated to his students.

I remember on the day of the final I was explaining a concept to other students that he explained to me earlier that week. He stood over my shoulder and listened quietly and then clapped and gave me a thumbs up at the end. He said I explained it perfectly. It was such a small act, but it meant so much to me that I made Professor Kawasaki proud. I hope he knows how much he impacted myself and other students. Professor Kawasaki inspired me to pursue my passions and to find reasons to laugh no matter how small. He taught me patience and the value of hard work. He showed me what good character is and how important it is to help others around you. I will continue to carry your lessons with me.

I wish I had the opportunity to properly thank him. I hope you know how loved and appreciated you are Professor Kawasaki.

One of your students,

Maria Paracha

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A beloved mentor and warm presence in the lab space

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A beloved mentor and warm presence in the lab space

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I didn’t know Dr. Masashi Kawasaki personally, and yet, in some quiet way, he became a part of my daily rhythm. I saw him often in our shared lab space on the fourth floor. We never spoke more than a hello or a smile in passing, but he always acknowledged me. Even in brief moments, his presence carried warmth. He was one of those rare people who could make you feel seen without saying a word.

I remember how even during the busiest parts of the semester, when everyone was juggling deadlines and experiments and meetings, he carried a calm with him. There was a steadiness to how he moved through the space. It mattered, especially in the chaos of academic life, to have someone like him around. He brought quiet reassurance just by being there.

Many of my friends, especially those who had the privilege of learning from him, spoke about him with deep admiration. They loved the way he taught—not just the material, but the way he listened, how he encouraged questions, how he created an environment where students felt safe to think out loud. He didn’t teach to impress; he taught because he genuinely cared. He was the kind of professor who remembered your name, your project, and the last thing you told him, even if you didn’t expect him to.

He was thoughtful. Curious. Steady. He made people feel like their ideas mattered.

The Biology Department is grieving. It’s a quiet kind of grief, the kind that sits heavy in the hallways and in the chairs of the classrooms he once filled. His absence feels strange and sudden. We keep expecting to see him come around the corner, coffee in hand, eyes scanning over some article or deep in thought about a conversation he just had with a student.

He was a brilliant scientist. An excellent teacher. A beloved mentor. And he was also just a good man—the kind of person who makes a place better simply by being part of it.

To those he taught and mentored, his legacy lives on in the questions they ask and the way they approach their own students. To the colleagues and students who worked beside him, there is a deep, enduring respect. And to those of us who only caught glimpses of his kindness in passing, we still carry something from those brief encounters.

We will miss you, Dr. Kawasaki. More than words can capture. Thank you for your presence, your patience, and your quiet brilliance. You leave behind more than a career—you leave behind a legacy of curiosity, gentleness, and genuine human connection.

May you rest peacefully, knowing that you were deeply appreciated and will not be forgotten.

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I had the privilege of being a student in Professor Kawasaki’s Animal Behavior class last semester. I want to express my sincere appreciation for the passion and enthusiasm he brought to every lecture. His engaging teaching style made the material come alive and turned each class into something I genuinely looked forward to. He left a lasting impression on me and many others. The UVA community will deeply miss him, and his impact will be remembered for years to come.

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A man who helped people appreciate and respect animals 

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A man who helped people appreciate and respect animals 

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Masashi taught the animal behavior lab, and every year he would encourage students to develop their love of animals by examining the fascinating lives of hamsters, insects and fish. He always treated the animals with the utmost respect, a trait that was transferred to the students so they knew these animals were here to inform us, but also an organism to treat well. As his TA for several years, I had many occasions to see him tinkering with the fish tanks, making sure the cichlid fish were getting along and separating rude neighbors. He gave all of the hamsters toys to play with. He worked hard to find ways for students to grow apart from thinking about the grade, and enjoy spending time with animals. He made a big impact on their lives and appreciation for nature.

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I had always wanted to work with Masashi in some capacity, because I heard the best things from students he’d mentored. Last month I started that process with a meeting with him about a mix of TA-ing, electroretinography, and the teaching of animal behavior. He was kind, helpful, and curious, sharing a truly magnificent experiment by a Japanese scientist involving drones and moth antennas that I have relayed to pretty much anyone I thought would be interested. I am so sad that I will not get to work with him in the future, to discuss the classical music interest that we both share, and to learn from a great teacher and scientist. My thoughts are with his family and our community.

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When I was PhD student at Cornell with Carl Hopkins, I had the good fortune to get to know Masashi, and collaborated on a small project comparing time coding systems in Gymnarchus and a couple mormyrid species. One of the best things to come out of that was that he invited me to be a TA at Woods Hole where he was involved in the Neural Systems and Behavior course, while Catherine Carr and ? Harold Zakon ? were course directors. He lectured about the jamming avoidance response, and the lab we did that week replicated some of the classic Eigenmannia experiments, and we also taught the students tract-tracing methods. And the reason I say it was the best was that when I was at loose ends some morning, I had brought my flute and Masashi and I played duets, him on the piano. He said that his father had played the flute constantly at home when he was growing up, and now he considered flute the same as noise. Was that a hint? Anyway, I didn't take it that way, and had a great time playing with him. We shared an adoration for Andras Schiff's piano playing, and we compared notes when we ran into each other at meetings. Such a wonderful, calm, thoughtful person. My deepest condolences to his family. Best wishes for their recoveries.

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I had the pleasure of taking Professor Kawasaki’s Animal Behavior class in the Spring of 2023. I recall it being my first biology elective, and I really didn’t know what to expect. It didn’t take long for it to become my favorite class. Professor Kawasaki was remarkable in how he managed to capture his students’ attentions and how he showed such genuine interest in the subject. His whole face would light up when any student raised their hand to inquire about the lesson. I truly loved seeing him smile as he taught in his bright yellow or pink sweater.

I’d been so enamored by his teaching style that I ended up becoming one of his teaching assistants the following year. He never ceased to show his gratitude for my and the other assistants’ help and made sure to answer any of our own questions whenever we needed it. He managed to make the job fun, and I looked forward to helping out.

Eventually it came time for me to apply for medical schools, and, as he was my advisor as well, we were able to sit down and chat about my plans. I distinctly remember the moment he found out that I was double majoring in biology and religious studies. He had been thrilled by my desire for an interdisciplinary approach and told me it’d serve me well in medical school. I was blessed that he had graciously agreed to write the recommendation that I’d end up sending to all of my schools.

This fall, I will be attending an Ivy League medical school, and it will be my greatest regret that I was unable to share this news with Professor Kawasaki. I have no doubt that his guidance and recommendation are what sealed the deal for my acceptance, and I wish that I could thank him once more. I know that he would have been so proud. He was my favorite professor and someone I was lucky to call a friend. He will be greatly missed, and I vow to carry his teachings with me throughout my life.

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Prof Kawasaki was a role model to me, as a professional scientist and a family person. When we first met, I was a young postdoc in neuroscience (circa 2007), with a PhD from Japan. I had started considering staying in the US as a career choice. In hindsight, I was looking more for a role model than a mentor. A number of years later, I had the opportunity to move to Charlottesville to start a family here, and a few years after that an opportunity to resume a career in neuroscience research. I felt a deep connection with Prof Kawasaki in the life choices that we have made. Naturally, my conversations with Prof Kawasaki ranged from what brought us to neuroscience to the struggles of raising a family with Japanese culture.

One particular conversation has stuck in my mind. Although I have never worked with Prof Kawasaki in any professional capacity, research or otherwise, we both approached neuroscience as breaking the code transmitted by an electric circuit. If the code is unknown, but we know that a certain electrical circuit is involved in its transmission, a natural method is to use an electrode to monitor the signals being transmitted among the circuit components. In an animal brain, it's just that the circuit components happen to be neurons, instead of the wires, resistors, capacitors, and transistors as in typical electrical circuits. With this approach in mind, there is really no boundary between his line of research on electrolocation in electric fish and my line of research on stereoscopic vision in binocularly viewing mammals. They are merely two examples of extraordinary things neural circuits have evolved to achieve.

I will sorely miss my casual conversations with Prof Kawasaki, or Kawasaki-sensei as I used to call him. Kawasaki-sensei's role model will forever live in my memory. Thank you, Kawasaki-sensei, for showing by example, how to be a caring father, a gentle husband, and a curious neuroscientist, all at once.

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History: An exciting collaboration with Masashi

I first met Masashi when he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Walter Heiligenberg's lab (1986, UCSD). Walter and I had received a NATO visiting scientist award that permitted me to visit his lab for extended collaborative research. We both worked on weakly electric South American fish and were both fascinated by their ability to "electrocommunicate" by modulating their electric organ discharge; following Ted Bullock's lead, we were searching for one very interesting communication signal - a chirp.  Walter had used local electrical brain stimulation to identify the " prepacemaker nucleus"-  the brain region responsible for initiating electrocommunicate signal production. Walter concluded that it was a very large structure. I had used anatomical tracing methods and concluded that it was a tiny structure. Who was right?

Masashi had already done excellent work on prepacemaker cells, and he became the key person leading our effort and with strong support from Gary Rose. Our plan was to combine the old-fashioned electrical stimulation method with a newer technology that I had been using- iontophoresis of glutamate to stimulate neurons. Masashi figured out how to combine these methods and did all the painstaking experimental preparations. He was able to fuse a metal electrode to a glutamate filled glass micropipette and then advance this assembly to where we both expected the prepacemaker nucleus to be located.

Our first three or four attempts were not successful (memory fails here). Electric stimulation was able to evoke chirping, but glutamate had no effect. Walter was quite disappointed by the failure of my "newfangled" method. On the fourth or fifth try, Masashi was finally successful. Glutamate iontophoresis evoked long barrages of entirely natural chirps and Masashi was, for the first time, smiling from ear to ear! We were all ecstatic and gathered around Masashi's setup as he and I kept repeating the experiment to convince ourselves that it was real. Finally, having "burned out" the prepacemaker nucleus with excessive stimulation, we gathered in Walter's office where he produced a couple of bottles of fine wine, and we celebrated our success while looking out at the Pacific Ocean.

Masashi, Gary, Walter and I continued this research over the duration of my stay in La Jolla. We found that glutamate evoked chirps could only be evoked over a tiny brain region that corresponded precisely to the anatomical nucleus I had mapped. Electrical stimulation was over a far larger volume and was clearly not as useful. I left back for Ottawa, and we continued to work together to precisely link the physiology and anatomy and complete and publish the resulting paper.

Working with Masashi was truly a great pleasure. He was an outstanding young neuroscientist with great imagination and technical skills. Our collaboration was one of the most memorable and rewarding of my long career. Masashi was also humble. Before I left for Ottawa, he asked whether I would permit him to be first author. Naturally I replied - of course you contributed the most to our success and will obviously and without a doubt be first author. Our paper was successful in that it launched a vast amount of follow up research including many fine papers by Masashi. I would occasionally meet Masashi at conferences and always enjoyed those meeting and will greatly miss those interactions.

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UVA lawn gathering of friends of the Kawasaki family.

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UVA lawn gathering of friends of the Kawasaki family.

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Friends, you are welcome to join us in honoring Masashi Kawasaki on Thursday, May 29, 4PM, Pavilion II on the UVA lawn. Despite the setting, it is casual with a few snacks and refreshments.

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川崎先生は、奥様の康子さんと共に、シャーロッツビルの日本人コミュニティを愛し支えてくださいました。日本語学校のために様々な協力をしてくださいましたが、もっとも思い出に残っているいくつかを挙げるなら、まずは夏祭りのために作ってくださった巨大ルーレットのことです。美しい木工細工で、そのプロ級のワザは感動の仕上がりでした。多くの子供達を(大人も)ワクワクさせました。

また、我が家の地下にあって壊れてしまい処分に困っていた卓球台は、川崎家に引き取られ川崎さんの手で美しく修復され、その後何年も(今もかな)子供たちやみなさんが楽しく使ったとお聞きしています。あのような不用品を元気よく生き返らせることができるのは、素晴らしいことだなあと思いました。

さらには、今も我が家にあるアップライトピアノは、川崎さんが塗装を丁寧に剥いでリフィニッシュし、さらに持ち前の絶対音感で調律までしてくださったものです。

私は川崎さんの一面しか存じ上げませんが、きっと研究者としても音楽家としても、あのように丁寧に愛を持って取り組む方だったのだと想像します。お知り合いになれたことを心から感謝をします。

Dr. Kawasaki, together with his wife Yasuko, lovingly supported the Japanese community in Charlottesville. He offered various forms of assistance to the Japanese language school, and among the most memorable contributions was the large roulette wheel he made for the summer festival. Crafted with beautiful woodworking skills, the professional-level craftsmanship was truly impressive. It brought excitement and joy to many children—and adults as well.

Another fond memory involves a ping pong table that had been sitting broken in our basement, and we didn’t know how to dispose of it. Dr. Kawasaki took it in, beautifully restored it with his own hands, and I’ve heard that it continued to be used and enjoyed by children and others for many years (perhaps even to this day). It struck me as truly wonderful that he could breathe new life into something that had been deemed unusable.

Moreover, the upright piano we still have in our home was refinished by Dr. Kawasaki, who carefully stripped off the old paint and brought it back to life. He even tuned it using his natural perfect pitch.

I only knew one side of Dr. Kawasaki, but I can easily imagine that, both as a researcher and a musician, he approached everything he did with the same care and deep affection. I am truly grateful to have had the chance to know him.

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After scrolling through the list of possible electives for my major, I stumbled across Animal Behavior. I was hesitant to take it at first as I'm on the pre-medicine track and questioned whether a class about animals, not humans, would be useful, or even interesting. But after reading the reviews about Dr. Kawasaki’s class, I decided to give it a try.

This ended up being one the best decisions I have ever made. Dr. Kawasaki’s contagious love for animals began to rub off on me. So much so that when I visited my parents and we went out to dinner, I couldn’t stop talking about bees, turtles, and ants.

I even had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica recently, and I realized that what made the trip so enjoyable was everything Dr. Kawasaki had taught me. He showed me the value of all animals and I mean every single one. From tiny ants to poison dart frogs and bats, even the birds I might have once overlooked, I saw each creature as unique, with its own story. I found myself excited to share what I’d learned with others in my tour group and even more excited to see it all with my own eyes.

Dr. Kawasaki not only sparked my passion for the natural world, but also reminded me what it means to be a kind and thoughtful person. He never tried to trick us on exams. He just wanted us to learn. He let us attend class virtually during bad weather. If someone had an issue, he addressed it with care. In simple terms, he was just a good person.

My biggest regret is that I never sent him a message to thank him and let him know how much of an impact he and his class had on me. So please, tell people how you feel while you still can. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Dr. Kawasaki, thank you for everything. Your passion was truly contagious. Every time I find myself admiring the natural world, I will think of you and remember you.

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I had the pleasure of taking Professor Kawasaki's Animal Behavior class a few semesters ago, and I was always struck by Professor Kawasaki's kind presence. His peaceful way of carrying himself, care for students, and love for animals was always evident, and I often found myself smiling during class or while rewatching recordings. Even though we did not interact one-on-one much, I have always thought of Professor Kawasaki as one of the most wholesome, passionate, and endearing professors I came across at UVA. I also attended multiple Charlottesville Symphony concerts and always loved seeing him play - I thought it was so inspiring that Professor Kawasaki was so multifaceted and was able to live what seemed like a very fulfilling, engaged life. I also always loved seeing his wife cheering for him in the audience and the two of them sitting together at intermission. I am so sad to hear of Professor Kawasaki's passing, and I will be praying for him and his family.

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Professor Kawasaki was one of the sweetest and kindest professors I have ever met. I took his animal behavior course in Spring 2022, and I remember him being a phenomenal professor, and surprisingly funny in the most unexpected moments. Whether it was teaching about the waggle dance of bees or the hearing frequencies of different species, he always made sure each lesson was fun and engaging.

He also managed the life sciences research course, and always sent me gentle reminders to submit my final research update at the end of each semester. His encouraging words motivated me to continue pursing research despite my busy schedule, and I will forever be grateful of him.

Professor Kawasaki will be deeply missed, and I will keep him and his family in my prayers.

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We came to the US from Japan about 14 or 15 years ago to do our postdoc at UVa. Charlottesville wasn't a place with many Japanese people, but we were so fortunate to have Prof. Kawasaki and Yasuko-san there. Their home was always open to the Japanese community, and it was a great source of comfort to know we could go to them if we ever needed anything! I'll always remember Dr. Kawasaki's smiling face. Thank you for everything. May he rest in peace.

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Professor Kawasaki was the kindest, most caring professor I have ever had. I took his animal behavior course this past Spring and he always exhibited such passion and awe in his lectures, specifically with animal clips or when he so eagerly showed us his electric fish. I have never met someone so consistently happy and excited to talk about their research. The joy he exhibited in each lecture was always so refreshing, and I would leave class feeling so peaceful and grounded. At the end of the semester I came to Professor Kawasaki with an extenuating circumstance I had and he met me with such kindness and empathy. He so deeply cared about his students and had such a beautiful appreciation for life. He will be missed.

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Masterworks II Concert 2024-25 Season. I'm on Masashi's left. 

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Masashi and I played bass in the Charlottesville Symphony. When I learned Masashi was a Professor of Biology, I was struck in a positive way. I thought after college, unless you’re a professional musician, you can’t really continue doing orchestra or music. But Masashi showed me that you can. You can do your separate career path and music, whether it’s with others or solo.

I want to share a moment from one of our last rehearsals this season. During break, I felt a bit timid to talk with everyone, so I turned to Masashi and asked, “Do you work in Gilmer a lot?” I had seen him there several times. We then spoke about his class and my majors: economics and statistics. He mentioned a class I took, Game Theory, and how it applies to animal behavior. In a flock of birds flying in a V-formation, there’s a prisoner’s dilemma where a bird can fall back and exert less effort, but if no one leads, the flock might fall apart. So there's a matter of coordination. Masashi helped lift my sprits in that moment.

I was able to see Masashi and Yasuko before leaving Charlottesville for the summer. Masashi told me how he went to Japan and played music with friends. He then showed me an electric bass that he built completely himself. He made it with wooden material but it's narrow, like a stick, so that it could be packed in a case. It was seriously incredible.

I loved playing with Masashi in the Symphony. My best memories at UVA have been with music, and Masashi was there from the start. Since my first year, we have been in rehearsals every Monday and Wednesday evening. During concert weeks, we would see each other almost every day. We worked on many difficult pieces and felt the emotional payoffs at the concerts. When I think about those memories, and when I play in the future, I know I’ll feel connected to Masashi. Because of the time we spent, the energy we gave, and the passion we shared making music.

Thank you,

Richard Karpynskyi

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Kawasaki make sure that everyone is on the right track within the Biology department. He helped me with getting into a lab that helped made me realize that we need more scientists in the world. Without his help, I wouldn’t be able to have that motivation and passion to be a scientist.

Thank you, Professor Kawasaki, for making all of us feel the fire within us to use science as a force for good. Thank you for being part of all of our endeavors within the department and at UVA. I will miss you dearly, and I know that his work for all students, including me, will never be forgotten. ❤️

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I took his class during Covid and even though we were online he made sure to make every student feel cared for. He answered every question so patiently and I’ll never forget his in class impersonations of bird calls. He really was just so full of light and made UVA a better place! We will miss him!

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Like many other undergraduate students, I took Professor Kawasaki’s animal behavior lecture last spring. I always looked forward to his lectures, and it deeply saddens me that other students cannot take his wonderful class. From day one, it was clear that Professor Kawasaki had a deep passion for animals, which he shared through captivating personal stories and engaging documentary clips in class. Often spotted in his signature bright yellow or pink sweater, he brought lessons to life with active demonstrations, like showing how chicks imprint or how Whooping Cranes migrate. I especially enjoyed hearing his tales of collecting beetles in Japan and caring for birds that found their way to him. Thank you Professor Kawasaki for being a compassionate professor who is always so kind and thoughtful to his students.

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In my third year of spring semester, I took his Animal Behavior lecture and seats were constantly full. His classes were in the morning at 9am, but I never felt tired or bored during his lectures. In fact, his classes was the first thing I looked forward to on MWF. He would start off the class with a nature documentary related to the topic of the slides or talk about his own experience working with animals. At that point, I wasn’t glued to my computer to copy everything down; his stories gave a connection that made the topics memorable and understandable.

Of course, there were times when I felt frustrated during class because I couldn’t grasp the information he was trying to convey. I was still a little shy to ask for help, but I decided to go up to him after class to ask him a few questions. He understood I needed some guidance, and explained the subject in a calm demeanor especially when I thought the questions seemed to be obvious. My biggest regret was not taking the Animal Behavior Lab because it was always full by the time I enrolled into my classes. Professor Kawasaki inspired me to form a balance between life and academics. As a role model for music, research, and community, he has left a lasting impression for students and faculty alike.

Thank you so much for everything that you’ve accomplished, Professor. You will always live in our hearts and memories.

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The note here from Dr. Mires explaining that he was not alone and that he was not in pain truly means the world to me. Thank you so much for your post. As someone who’s been in a freak car accident before, I was grieving over the thought that Professor Kawasaki must have been so scared and alone in the situation. It is truly so, so scary and lonely.

Professor Kawasaki was the first professor to make me feel like I mattered. That I had a place at UVA and a place in the biology and neuroscience department. He was constantly pushing me to do better and supporting me in ways that I hope he knows significantly impacted my confidence as a student. I attended his office hours often for clarification on lecture topics, and he was always so patient and willing to explain any exam questions when I wanted to improve my performance on them. Our office hour conversations naturally always went overtime as we talked about other things like his research, my research, cool animals, and the similarities of our backgrounds as Asian Americans. We bonded over how we both did not have English as our first language and the difficulties of navigating that in the academic environment. That conversation meant so much to me—a professor who understood and sympathized with my struggles. He was someone I greatly looked up to. I was going to be a TA for his Animal Behavior class next year because it inspired me so much this year, but I am devastated to know that I can no longer be by his side for it. I’m looking back at our emails now—it was only two weeks ago when he was congratulating me on getting my first job, which he wrote me a recommendation letter for. I am deeply crushed to know that he has passed and honestly still cannot believe it. I feel as though if I walk into his office now, he will still be there with his warm smile.

Professor, thank you for making me feel seen as a student here at UVA. Thank you for your amazing lectures. Your kind heartedness and your warmth. Your constant excitement to talk about your research with your electric fish. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for this department. You inspire me to always be curious, to show warmth to others, and to pour intentional time into people the way you did with me.

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Masashi was so kind to Mark Konishi at Mark's last Neuroethology congress in Sapporo. He and Yasuko were always there, and always kind. We'll miss him so much.

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Masashi & I bonded broadly over the years, on topics of science/technology, music, taking care of our mothers, or sushi. I just searched the 424 emails from Masashi in my inbox, with topics from science, music, student issues, animal behavior, Japanese whiskey, and many with one of us needing tools/screws/sockets, or technical advice, etc.

I’ll highlight some of Masashi’s musical/woodworking skills below:

Masashi was in a really musical family, his late father a well known Japanese composer and flautist, and his mother, a violinist.  Masashi had a background in piano, but to my knowledge, no experience with stringed instruments until he took up double bass as an adult. He progressed very quickly, and for years played double bass in the Charlottesville Symphony.

He also enjoyed playing music with friends when he went to Japan, but tired of renting an expensive instrument while there. So in the summer of 2024, he built himself from scratch(!) an electronic double bass, designed to be taken apart & to fit into a case that would fit into checked luggage.

Photos/video links below:

Construction:

Pics:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LppkMKtU1uUE38kA6

Video:

https://youtu.be/ft9rkodSz_I

——

Performance in Japan with friends

The Trout

https://youtu.be/SfLN0oGpBw0

Brandenburg No.5

https://youtu.be/V-i1E6TYBRg

This has the best view of Masashi with his e-bass

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This is all unsurprising for Masashi. He had incredible skills with his hands, and could build anything. Buried in his lab is a small precision milling machine. He would give me instructions as to its use, but I was nothing compared to what I could almost learn by watching him. He was also so incredibly generous with his time; he’d help me with anything.

I’ve sat with Masashi & Yasuko at the Tuesday Evening Concerts for a number of years. The first concert without Masashi will be really tough. Masashi, you will be missed, & our hearts go out to Yasuko and your immediate family.

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Photo of Masashi, Walter, and me (center), with other lab members at Sophia University, December 23, 1982.

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Masashi had been one of my closest friends since 1979, when we began our PhD research in the same laboratory at Sophia University in Tokyo. Our bond extended beyond science—we shared a love for music and often enjoyed family gatherings.

The touching notes by Jianhua and Chuiwen on this page brought back vivid memories of Masashi walking among the equipment, always ready to help others, just as he did for me 46 years ago. With great skill, he patiently taught me how to assemble my first electrophysiology setup.

What likely drew Masashi to the United States was the international environment fostered by our mentor, the late Professor Kiyoshi Aoki, who regularly welcomed visiting scientists from abroad, including Walter Heiligenberg, Mark Konishi, and Nobuo Suga.

I believe Masashi’s life in the U.S. was deeply rewarding, surrounded by excellent colleagues and a loving family. I remain profoundly grateful to him for his friendship, generosity, and the lasting impact he made on my life.

—Kentaro Arikawa
Professor of Neuroethology, SOKENDAI, Japan

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I was fortunate enough to be one of Dr. Kawasaki's TAs for his animal behavior class a few years ago. He was always so kind and welcoming to everyone. I loved to see what colorful shirt he would wear to class each day, and would tell myself it was going to be a good day when he wore yellow. Thinking about him and his family in these times.

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I took his Animal Behavior Lab class in my last year at UVA. Much of my experiences in lab classes were filled with stress and pressure, but not with Professor Kawasaki. He had a calming presence and quiet sense of humor that peeked through during lecture, and he was very knowledgeable about what he was teaching. I still remember watching bird recordings for one of our labs, and the depth of his explanations as he guided us through the interesting behaviors they exhibited. My table constantly stayed after class chatting about not only what we learned in class with Professor Kawasaki, but internet references and our lives beyond academia. There were times I would be walking the halls in Gilmer and pass by Professor Kawasaki checking in on our fish, or making his way to his own research lab. He would always give me a kind greeting and ask how I was doing.

The news of his passing is devastating to me, and I find myself thinking back to all the fun lab modules we completed in class, like raising our hamsters or observing mealworms. My favorite memory was the tour of his research lab at the end of the semester, where we asked him many questions about the electric fish he was researching. After spending far too long ooh-ing and ahh-ing, he quickly ushered us out while joking about how some of the lab workers were going to get mad at us for staying too long. There was also a time I had accidentally submitted an unfinished version of my lab, yet rather than docking me points, Professor Kawasaki had emailed it back to me and given me a gentle reminder to send him the completed version. He truly gave me the impression that he was there to uplift me in my academic journey.

Professor Kawasaki inspired me--and continues to inspire me--to balance my artistic hobbies and interests with my academic pursuits. He was a great supporter of my future academic endeavors into medicine, and I am deeply sad that I will not be able to thank him in person. He had just responded to my email a few days ago, commenting on how well my personal statement reads.

My condolences to all his family, friends, students, and colleagues in this difficult time. Professor Kawasaki will always live warmly in my memories at UVA, and my future pursuits in research and medicine.

Thank you for everything, Professor.

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I didn’t see the accident, but I arrived on the scene shortly after, before the paramedics arrived. I ran into the car to try to help him- there were so many people trying to help as well. I’m a doctor of acupuncture (and I am well trained in emergency medicine).

A young man comforted and held the woman in the front passenger seat.

Myself and another woman who also stopped (named Denise) comforted and talked to him. I held his head with my left hand. I told him jokes. I assured him that the paramedics were coming, and I encouraged his breath. He was unconscious and gasping, and I knew that wasn’t a good sign, but I was really hoping that he could make it. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save him. I’m so sorry.

I was on my way to a cabin in the woods when this happened and I’ve been here for the past four days, thinking about him, grieving him, and honoring his memory.

I would love for his friends and family to know that he was not alone. he was not in pain and he did not suffer.

He was not alone.

The day after the accident, throughout the entire day bees kept landing on my left hand, especially my pinky finger. I don’t know what this means, but I know that bees and electric fishes have a lot in common as far as how they communicate, and I strongly believe this was a message from someone saying thank you.

I wish to attend his memorial and I would love to find out more information and reach out to his family if they would accept it. Nimires@gmail.com

I’m here in the woods alone with my dog processing this but I’m so glad that I was able to be there that day.

I’m so sorry.

He was not alone.

He did not suffer.

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I had the honor to interact with Dr. Kawasaki both as an undergraduate student and a graduate student of UVA.

4 years ago during the pandemic, I took Dr. Kawasaki's animal behavior class 12 time zones away from Charlottesville. I had the option to skip classes and just watch the recordings, because the class began at 10pm for me. However, I was always there at 10pm. Dr. Kawasaki was patient and quiet. He was very knowledgeable about animals, especially fishes and birds. The class was always accompanied by funny behavior videos, well-designed experiments and passionate knowledge. Currently I do not have my class notes with me, but I have doodled a lot of animal behaviors on there.

As a graduate student, I also attended Dr. Kawasaki's lecture about his early research. His love for electric fish left me great impression.

Before I left for home this May, I casually knocked on his door and had one final conversation with him. I told him I want to be his TA in the future, because I really enjoyed his classes. He told me that he had everything planned and I had to wait for several semesters before the spot is available, and how he will leave for a while and come back...

It was a great pleasure to know you, Dr. Kawasaki.

-- Erik Miao

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Masashi-san was like a second father to me during my time in Charlottesville

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Masashi-san was like a second father to me during my time in Charlottesville

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I lived in Charlottesville from April 2023 to March 2025 as a visiting scholar at UVA from Japan. Masashi-san and his wife, Yasuko-san, have been running the Japanese community in Charlottesville for a long time, and many Japanese residents — including my family — rely on them. Thanks to them, I was able to adjust to life in Charlottesville, and my family could enjoy our time there.

This photo is from our visit to his house during the summer of 2023. I had always felt that he was like a second father to me in Charlottesville. I still can't believe that he passed away; when we left Charlottesville about two months ago, he warmly told us we’d be welcome to visit whenever we returned.

Thank you, Masashi-san, for everything you did for us.

- Yuta Ohno

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Professor Kawasaki had a very gentle voice, one that would've eased me into much-needed sleep if not for the fascinating content of his words during class. He was extraordinarily patient with us, regardless of whether we were bombarding him with lab work questions, making silly jokes about slang, or simply being distracted students. Many of my favorite academic memories from my fourth year stem from Animal Behavior Lab: taking a field trip to observe his lab's electric fish, staring at mealworms until my guts churned, and desperately trying to prevent our hamster, Mr. Mickey, from escaping during bedding changes.

Professor Kawasaki was an exceptional teacher not only because he made the information easily digestible, but also because he made research interesting. A major reason why I chose to pursue animal modeling in research after graduation, as opposed to other gap year career options, is because of Professor Kawasaki. He was a good role model. I felt comfortable continuing my artistic hobbies, which so many people have told me conflict with my scientific interest, largely because I saw him play double bass with the Charlottesville Symphony by chance. Words can't express how devastating his passing is for the community and my fellow alumni who took his class. I hope that his family, loved ones, colleagues, and students may find comfort in sharing fond memories.

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On Sunday, I was driving home from attending my twin daughter Emily's nursing school graduation when I witnessed the accident and was praying for everyone involved. Yesterday I heard the heartbreaking news from my younger twin, Hayly, who was a neuroscience major and had the animal behavior class with the remarkable Professor Kawasaki. She served as a teaching assistant for him one semester, and he recently wrote a letter of recommendation on her behalf for her medical school application. He took some of the teaching assistants to lunch, and they all hold him in high regard. I recall my daughter sharing with me that he loves Pho 75 in northern Virginia and wanting to treat him to a meal in person to express gratitude, sadly I no longer have that opportunity. His dedication and generosity shines through in everything he does for his students. He is greatly missed by many, and his legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, inspiring future generations to follow in his footsteps.

May you rest in eternal peace Prof. Kawasaki!

The Nguyen family

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I studied under Masashi from 2015 - 2021. It started when I emailed him in late 2014, looking for an opportunity to study the neural basis of behavior and not having any luck, and he gave me an opportunity when nobody else would. He became like a second father figure to me, and I quickly noticed that this was true for many of his undergraduate students as well. He approached everything with patience and understanding, and no problem ever seemed too large - he always had the answer. Through a rough first semester, back surgery, my child being born, and a traumatic event that nearly upended everything I knew - his attitude was always "no problem, let's just do this instead." If he ever lost his temper, I certainly never saw it, even when I was taking FAR too long to learn patch clamping. Whether the topic was science or life, his approach was always one of patience and flexibility, yet still striving for perfection in everything. He showed me the path for my career and ensured that I stayed on it, and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Masashi was a mentor, a friend, and one of the greatest people I have ever met. He is missed already.

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CSO on April 26th (Masashi in the back middle)

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Last month, I attended one of Masashi's last concerts, a beautiful celestial-themed set culminating in a Rachmaninoff piano concerto. Masashi was brilliant and it was wonderful to see him doing something he so clearly loved. I'm so sad, but am so grateful for the time I knew him.

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From left to right: Masashi Kawasaki, postdoc Bruce Carlson, PhD student Scott Pluta, PhD student Ying Zhang.

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I did my postdoc in Masashi's laboratory. It was not until I was on the job market and interviewing at WashU in St. Louis that Masashi told me he had done a brief postdoc at WashU with Nobuo Suga before going on to do a postdoc with Walter Heiligenberg at Scripps. I ended up at WashU, where I have been since 2008. After telling me about his time at WashU, Masashi shared this photo with me. That is Masashi on the 2nd Floor of Monsanto Laboratory Building, dangling a live bat out the window so that he could record neural responses from the bat's brain in an open space without echoes. That experiment wouldn't work today, as now there is a psychology building in front of the bat's face. But Monsanto Laboratory Building is still there (now named Bayer Laboratory), and my office and lab is 2 floors above where Masashi did this classic experiment.

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One of my favorite stories about Masashi illustrates his thoughtfulness and generosity.

When I first started my lab at UVA, I was in desperate need of a very specific piece of equipment: a micropipette puller. This device transforms thin glass tubes into fine needles used for microinjection. But I didn’t just need any puller—I needed a Narishige PE-2, a model that had been discontinued for decades and was nearly impossible to find. The few that surfaced on eBay were of uncertain condition and still cost many thousands of dollars. I was seriously considering borrowing money from family to buy one from eBay, just to get our experiments off the ground.

Somehow, Masashi heard I was searching for a micropipette puller and mentioned he had one he no longer used. When he showed it to me, I couldn’t believe it—it was the exact model I needed. And in true Masashi fashion, he insisted I take it and use it in my lab, free of charge. We ended up using that puller for every microinjection in our first six years. Even when it eventually stopped working, Masashi offered to repair it for us. I still have it in my lab today, and every time I see it, I’m reminded of his quiet generosity and how deeply he supported those around him.

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This picture was taken in Jan 2023 as we celebrated Lunar New Year at our home, with Masashi, Yasuko, Otto, and Lynette, 20 some years after I first met with and learned from Masashi as a graduate student in the Biology department.

I did a lab rotation with Masashi in 1997 and learned for the first time electrophysiology recording in intact animals. He and his research scientist were doing "sharp" electrode recording. I still remember seeing an ordinary hammer among many sophisticated equipment. They used this "really important" piece of instrument, as Masashi would call it, to tap the table to cause vibration for breaking into cells for intracellular recording. I was fascinated by it! During that rotation, I was also exposed to a new technique that he was using, "in vivo whole cell recording", which I did years later during my postdoc and in my own lab.

Masashi was the first reader of my PhD thesis committee. He in fact suggested a key experiment that led to my very first scientific publication in 2000. It's really moving to read my own student Chuiwen's note of how much Masashi helped her research, 20 years after he helped mine.

Years after I graduated from UVA, Masashi invited me back to give a seminar. My flight to Charlottesville was delayed for hours. I called him to not wait for me, but by the time I walked out the airport, well after midnight, Masashi was right there to pick me up. And this just occurred to me - it was also during that visit I learned about a new faculty position in the department, which eventually led me back to UVA, to be a colleague with Masashi in neighboring labs.

Just last week, Masashi and I were discussing about one of the latest recording techniques (neuropixels). I can't believe that I will no longer have these conversations with him. He will be sorely missed, and forever remembered.

-Jianhua Cang (蒼建華)

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Masashi had the coolest workbench at Gilmer 4th floor, right next to ours. I often saw him building things by hand. In my very first project here, I received a lot of help from him. He taught me how to use the laser cutter, how to glue acrylic boards together, and lent me all kinds of tools while sharing his own trial-and-error experiences. When I was fumbling with building circuits, he lent me resistors and diodes of all kinds. We often ran into each other near the elevator or at the benches, exchanging friendly greetings. He would show passing-by students the fish he kept on the 3rd floor. Weekends, late nights — you could sometimes find him at odd hours, always calmly and quietly immersed in experiments, devoted to the science he loved.

His mentorship and care were deeply felt for generations of young scientists. As a researcher and a professor, he was always giving back to the community he cared about.

Masashi is mentioned in the acknowledgments of the very first research paper I ever published. A part of my scientific identity will always carry his influence. My PhD defense is scheduled in less than a month. Not being able to express my gratitude to him in person is a profound regret. But he will always remain in our hearts.

-- Chuiwen Li

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Masashi and Yasuko playing a duet. From MK's YouTube page:

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Masashi and Yasuko playing a duet. From MK's YouTube page:

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Masashi's SoundCloud recording of two classical music pieces he performed on double bass 

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Masashi's SoundCloud recording of two classical music pieces he performed on double bass 

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Listen to Masashi Kawasaki | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

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This is a picture of Henry Wilbur and Daigo Kawasaki at the Turk Mountain overlook in 1993. I was being recruited to UVA and had my eldest son Jimmy in a backpack thing. Masashi and Daigo came along.

When we go to the top, Masashi dug into his haversack (or whatever) and pulled out a beautiful sushi lunch that he had prepared. Best. Lunch. Ever. thanks Masashi...

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Biology Department Gathering to honor Masashi

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Biology Department Gathering to honor Masashi

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The Biology Department is getting together to honor the memory and celebrate our friendship with Masashi Kawasaki. This will be Thursday, May 29, 1PM in room 490 Gilmer Hall. There will be snacks! The Kawasaki family and close friends are welcome at all BIO events.

Not sure that we have a strict schedule, but after we settle in, there will be some words from the family and some colleagues.

Here is a zoom link:

https://virginia.zoom.us/j/94490175957?pwd=6FFkXQdFyS1Z5bzoNufob88EQrJzNf.1

passcode: 851733

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Dear Friends/Colleagues,

This is Douglas Taylor from the UVA Biology Department, and it brings me great sadness to write with the news of the passing of Masashi Kawasaki, Professor of Biology, beloved colleague, and friend.

Masashi suffered fatal injuries from an auto accident near Charlottesville, VA, Sunday, May 18. The other passengers in the car were hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Masashi Kawasaki was born in June of 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. He spent his undergraduate and graduate years there as well, receiving his Ph.D. from Sophia University in 1984. After taking a position at Washington University of St. Louis, then the Scripp’s Institute for Oceanography, Masashi joined the UVA Biology faculty in 1990 and rose through the ranks.

Masashi studied electric fishes, which possess one of the most extraordinary methods of communication and behavior in the animal world. He focused on South American and African electric fishes, combining behavioral experiments, computation, and neuroscience to uncover fundamental design principles of the brain using these beautiful exotic animals.

Masashi Kawasaki taught many courses over his 35 years at UVA but is most recognized for his extraordinary courses in Animal Behavior, and especially the Animal Behavior Lab, where students interacted with animals with respect to mating behaviors (Cichlid fish) and circadian rhythms (hamsters). Masashi was remarkable in teaching outside his comfort zone, interviewing his colleagues from other fields, and being truly interdisciplinary. Despite being from another culture, he connected with the students organically and won multiple teaching awards.

Masashi was among the most generous and principled colleagues that I have ever known. He was listened to and respected by his colleagues and was working for the students literally until the day that he passed. He had an outsized effect of our department and will be sorely missed at every level.

Masashi Kawasaki’s influence extended far beyond the biology department. He was an accomplished musician and a tireless advocate for classical music in Charlottesville. He was an active member of the local Japanese American community, and the food culture that this involves.

If you have thoughts or remembrances of Masashi, please share them and we will together find a way to honor him. I apologize if this early tribute is incomplete. The family plans are obviously uncertain. We will have plans to honor him as a department, as will the University. I am sure the local community will be involved or lead.

Please feel to email me if you have anything to add or stories to tell.

With Sadness, Doug Taylor, Chair of the Biology Department “