It is with deep sorrow that we were informed about the recent loss of Professor Takashi Seki, who passed away on March 16, 2023. Takashi Seki studied Archaeology and Art History at the International Christian University (Mitaka, Japan). During his studies he attended classes of the late Professor G. Mylonas, during which he discovered his passion for ancient Greek culture. A few years later (1978), he received his PhD from the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, with a thesis on the subject of the iconography of ancient Greek vessels. He began his academic career at Osaka University in 1981, and was appointed Professor in 1987.
His relationship with the Acropolis monuments dates back to 1983, when the then Minister of Culture, Melina Merkouri, invited him to the 2nd International Meeting for the restoration of the Acropolis monuments. Since then Takashi Seki has attended all International Meetings, taking an active part in the scientific debate on the Acropolis monuments and their restoration. Particularly important for the promotion of the Acropolis monuments, but also for the strengthening of bonds with the scientific community of Japan, was the exhibition organized by the late Professor Seki in Osaka in 1996, on the subject of the protection of cultural heritage.
It was just recently, in November 2021, when Takashi Seki traveled –in the midst of the pandemic of Covid-19– to Greece for the last time, to attend the 7th International Meeting for the Restoration of the Acropolis Monuments (Acropolis Museum, November 11-13). We all then had a chance to admire his gentlesess, the energy of his speech and his sincere dedication to the protection and promotion of ancient Greek culture. During the Meeting, ESMA, represented by its President, Professor M. Korres, honored Takashi Seki for his tireless support for the Acropolis works, of which he was an ambassador for almost 40 years.
