Frederick Starr was an American academic, anthropologist, and "populist educator" active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in Auburn, New York, in 1858, he was the son of a Missouri clergyman and prominent abolitionist. Throughout his career, Starr sought to make anthropological knowledge accessible to the wider public, earning a reputation for his engaging and populist approach to education.\n\nBeyond his academic duties, Starr developed a deep fascination with Japanese culture, particularly traditional paper charms (ofuda) and votive slips (senjafuda or nōsatsu). His passionate collecting habits and frequent travels to Japan earned him the affectionate moniker "Dr. Ofuda" (Ofuda Hakushi) among the Japanese public. He amassed a significant collection of these cultural artifacts, documenting a unique aspect of Japanese religious and folk art.\n\nLater in life, Starr sold a substantial portion of his Japanese charm collection to Gertrude Bass Warner, a prominent art collector and museum specialist. Today, this valuable historical collection is preserved and housed at the University of Oregon, split between the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the Knight Library Special Collections and University Archives. Starr passed away in 1933, leaving behind a legacy of cross-cultural education and preservation.
