Renowned scholar of Japanese literature Donald Keene will be honored at a ceremony in Tokyo on Feb. 24, the first anniversary of his death.

His adopted son, Seiki, announced the news on Jan. 8. The ceremony will be held annually from this year.

Donald Keene, who died at age 96, was known for his love of wordplay and often used “Kiin,” a combination of kanji characters that literally mean a “yellow dog,” as his signature.

The characters are engraved on his tombstone.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. at Shinjuku Kinokuniya Hall in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward.

Novelist Keiichiro Hirano and Japanese literature scholar Robert Campbell, who both interacted with Keene, will appear as featured speakers.

Seiki Keene also revealed a memorial foundation will be set up named after his father and that he will act as its representative director.

An enormous treasure trove of Donald Keene's belongings, including books, letters and stationery, left in his home in Tokyo’s Kita Ward, will be donated to the foundation.

After sorting through them, the foundation plans to make the materials available for view by the public.

Seiki is also considering using the foundation to help foster researchers in Japan and abroad in accordance with the wishes of his late father, who was a great advocate for educating younger researchers.

Seiki said he was pleasantly surprised to uncover items among them that he thinks will be of precious value to historians and fans of the groundbreaking translator, who paved the way for Japanese literature to be introduced to the world through his work.

Seiki said he truly regrets passing up the many chances he had to ask his father about those items, adding that he now realizes what a great man he was.