Naohito Watanabe<\/strong>, consul of Japan in Barcelona, was admitted as an honorary academician of the Royal European Academy of Doctors-Barcelona 1914<\/strong> (RAED) during a ceremony held on May 15 at the auditorium of the employer association National Work Promotion<\/strong><\/a>, in Barcelona. The recipient read the admission speech “Rub\u00e9n Dar\u00edo, Jap\u00f3n y japonismo”<\/strong> (Rub\u00e9n Dar\u00edo, Japan and Japonism). Josep Maria Bov\u00e9<\/strong><\/a>, a full academician of the RAED and also honorary consul of Austria, responded on behalf of the corporation<\/p>\n The new honorary academician recalled his years in Nicaragua and explained how chance led him to discover the figure and work of Rub\u00e9n Dar\u00edo. From there he discovered how one of the leading exponents of modernism in Spanish had felt a special fascination for Japan and also became a driver of what became known as Japonism. “Although the poet was never there in Japan, Dar\u00edo with his vigorous imagination and cosmopolitan vision merged the exoticism of Japan in its modernism, surpassing time and space”, explained the new academician.<\/p>\n In this context, Watanabe recalled the figure of the Japanese dancer Madame Sadayakko<\/strong>, who surprised the Barcelona society during her trip to the Catalan capital in May 1902. “Ramon Casas<\/strong> and Picasso<\/strong> painted the portraits of Madame Sadayakko that are on display in the Museum of Modernism in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bDar\u00edo admired the scenes of Madame Sadayakko mentioning that the wonderful actress made an exotic and pilgrim revelation”, says the Japanese consul in his speech.<\/p>\n Watanabe could not but state the references to Japan that Dar\u00edo makes in his “Prosas Profanas”<\/strong>. He highlighted the poem “Divagaci\u00f3n”<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u00c1mame, japonesa, japonesa Love me, Japanese, Japanese<\/em> Also, in the poem “Para la misma”<\/strong>, a curious allusion to the beauty of a fascinating “Cuban-Japanese” appears:<\/p>\n Mir\u00e9 al sentarme a la mesa, I looked at sitting at the table,<\/em>
\nantigua, que no sepa de naciones
\noccidentales; tal una princesa
\ncon las pupilas llenas de visiones
\nque aun ignorase en la sagrada Kioto,
\nen su labrado camer\u00edn de plata,
\nornado al par de crisantemo y loto
\nla civilizaci\u00f3n de Yamagata<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0old, that does not know of nations<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Western such a princess<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0with pupils full of visions<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0that still ignored in the sacred Kyoto,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in its carved silver camerin,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ornate to the pair of chrysanthemum and lotus<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the civilization of Yamagata<\/em><\/p>\n
\nba\u00f1ado en la luz del d\u00eda,
\nel retrato de Mar\u00eda,
\nla cubana japonesa.
\nEl aire acaricia y besa,
\ncomo un amante lo har\u00eda,
\nla orgullosa bizarr\u00eda
\nde la cabellera espesa.
\nDiera un tesoro el mikado
\npor sentirse acariciado
\npor princesa tan gentil
\ndigna de que un gran pintor
\nla pinte junto a una flor
\nen un vaso de marfil<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bathed in the light of day,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the portrait of Mary,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the Japanese Cuban<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The air caresses and kisses,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0as a lover I would,<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the proud bizarre<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0of thick hair.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Give the mikado a treasure<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0for feeling caressed<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0for princess so gentle<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0worthy of a great painter<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I painted it next to a flower<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in an ivory glass<\/em><\/p>\nAdmission speech<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\t\t