Washin Kai was originally formed in 2018 as a volunteer group in response to an appeal from the University of Washington for community support to help preserve and strengthen the study of classical Japanese literature at UW.  To raise awareness of the important work on Japanese literature at UW, Washin Kai started a series of free, public lectures by experts in Japanese classical literature.  Since 2018, Washin Kai has worked with UW's Departments of Asian Languages and Literature as well as the Center for Japanese Studies to organize a number of lectures, conversations, and performances by artists and faculty members from UW and beyond.   Those events have attracted hundreds of attendees in-person and online from around the country and abroad.   For the complete list of our past events, see the Archive page.  

Part of our mission has been to raise funds to support graduate students in their study of Japanese literature.  Washin Kai has successfully raised funds to grant three graduate fellowships to Ph.D. students of classical Japanese literature and established a permanent fund to support the study at UW.  For more information about Washin Kai's activities at UW for the first 6 years, visit Department of Asian Languages and Literature's website.

Following these successes, Washin Kai decided in 2025 to become an independent non-profit organization and to broaden our scope to cover Japanese culture and literature of all periods and genres.   We are continuing our association with the University of Washington to enrich our communities with educational lectures and events, while also collaborating with other cultural organizations in the Puget Sound region to reach wider audiences.