Kuro Murase (1880-1947) was a Japanese American physician who was born in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan in 1880. He was an “issei” (first-generation immigrant) and earned a medical degree.

Dr. Murase pursued a career in surgery at Nagoya University Medical Graduate School and participated in the Russo-Japanese War. Dr. Murase immigrated to New York City in approximately 1911, where he pursued further education in ophthalmology at the esteemed Bellevue Hospital. He was personally acquainted with prominent figures in the field, including Dr. Hideyo Noguchi and Dr. Takamine.

The Japan Society in New York City has dedicated the Murase Room on its ground floor to his memory. This room is distinguished by its sliding glass windows that open onto the main foyer, pool, and sculpture garden. In 2013, the Japanese Medical Society of America established a new scholarship, the Kuro Murase MD-JMSA Scholarship. This scholarship is sponsored by Mr. Satoru Murase in honor of his late grandfather, who was among the first Japanese doctors to practice in NY.