Richard K. Diran

Richard K. Diran (born November 3, 1949) is an American adventurer and gemologist who has also been a painter, trader in gemstones, restaurateur, and art dealer. He is most notable as the author and photographer of the book The Vanishing Tribes of Burma, which was published in 1997.

Biography

Diran is the son of Edward K. and Dorothy Diran of San Mateo, California. He graduated from San Mateo High School in 1968. Diran was in the first graduating class of the California Institute of the Arts in 1972. He moved to Japan where he earned a Black Belt in karate in 1974, after which he returned to California, where he graduated from the Gemological Institute of America in 1978 Later Diran and his Japanese wife, Junko, owned the Fuki-ya Japanese Restaurant in the Japan Center (San Francisco) (1978–1989). An article in The Goldsmith magazine claimed that it was the first Robatayaki restaurant in the United States.

Jerry Hopkins and Andy McCoy have mentioned Diran in their published books. Both remember him as part of the business and social scene in Bangkok in the early 80s.