Deryk Cameron Bliss is a researcher originally from northern Canada whose work centres on the preservation of Japan’s built cultural heritage. His research explores the history, conservation, and adaptive reuse of traditional wooden architecture, with particular attention to the challenges of sustaining endangered rural buildings. This has led him to pursue graduate studies at the Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage (MA, 2017) and Waseda Graduate School of Social Sciences (PhD, 2024). Deryk currently serves as the Director of Operations for the Minka Preservation Society, as well as an adjunct lecturer at Senshu University, and is involved in preservation initiatives and collaborative projects that connect scholars, craftspeople, and community groups working to safeguard Japan’s architectural traditions. Deryk can be contacted via the LinkedIn account listed here or through derykbliss@suou.waseda.jp.