Fuefuki
file:Ichinomiya asama-jinja.jpg, 270px, Ichinomiya Asama Shrine
is a Cities of Japan, city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 67,300 in 30,408 households, and a population density of 340 persons per km2. The ...
,
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...
in 1903. His family were doctors. He grew up in his hometown until his secondary education. He entered
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
, often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist National university, national research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan.
TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international relations, international affairs and area studies. ...
in 1921, and majored
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
course. After graduation, he entered
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
. He studied
Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
in the oriental history seminar. In March of 1928, he graduated with a BA from the
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
, and left for
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
As an Orientalist (By the end of the Pacific War)
He became a
research assistant
A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, research institute, or privately held organization to provide assistance in academic or private research endeavors. Research assistants work under ...
of
Taihoku Imperial University
National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a national public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as Taihoku Imperial University (), the ...
in April 1928. He moved to the
National Tainan First Senior High School
The National Tainan First Senior High School () is a public senior high school in East District, Tainan, East District, Tainan, Taiwan. It was established in 1922 and is considered one of the most prestigious high schools in Taiwan, usually only a ...
Meiji Gakuin University
is a private, Christian university with the main campus in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and a satellite campus in Yokohama, Kanagawa. It was established in 1863. The Rev. Dr. James Curtis Hepburn was one of its founders and served as the firs ...
.
After the War
He worked as a special lecturer at
Keio University
, abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...
from 1950. In 1950, he submitted his dissertation ''"The ebb and flow of Islamic powers in the history of the East-West interactions"(東西交通史上に於けるイスラム勢力の消長)'' to Keio University and got
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...
. He was promoted to lecturer in 1954, and became a professor in 1956.
He set out to rebuild the
Association for Islamic Studies in Japan
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
with his colleagues,
Hisao Matsuda
Hisao (written: 央生, 久生, 久雄, 寿雄, 寿夫, 尚雄, 尚久 or 尚勇) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese voice actor
*, Japanese government official
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japa ...
and Jouhei Shimada. He was also one of the main members who established the
Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan
A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same Politics, political authority and dominant cultural expecta ...
in 1954.
Contribution
He began as a
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
scholar, but then turned his attention to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, becoming a pioneering Arabist in Japan. He was the first to render the ''
One Thousand and One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...
'' from the original
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
into
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. He died just before the publication of a supplementary volume to his twelve-volume translation, which contains the stories of ''Ali Baba'' and ''Aladdin''. Six more volumes were later produced by
Osamu Ikeda
is a masculine Japanese given name.
Written forms
Osamu can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*治 "reign"
*修 "discipline"
*理 "logic"
*収 "obtain"
*紀 "chronicle"
*統 "rule"
The name can also be written in hirag ...
(池田 修) to complete the series.
Bibliography
Books
*''"
Xuanzang
Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...
: Real history of "
Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...
"『玄奘三蔵: 史実西遊記』'' (
Iwanami Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo.Louis Frédéric, ''Japan Encyclopedia'', Harvard University Press, 2005, p. 409.
Iwanami Shoten was founded in 1913 by Iwanami Shigeo. Its first major publication was Natsume Sōseki's novel '' ...
, Iwanami shinsho series, 1952)
*''"Culture of
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
"『サラセン文化』'' (KOUBUNDOU Publishers弘文堂, 1955)
*''"Arabian medical care"『アラビアの医術』'' (
Chuokoron-Shinsha
is a Japanese publisher. It was established in 1886, under the name . In 1999, it was acquired by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, and its name was subsequently changed to Chūōkōron-shinsha.
Profile
The company publishes a wide variety of mater ...
, 1965)
**(
Heibonsha
Heibonsha (平凡社) is a Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, which publishes encyclopedias, dictionaries and books in the fields of science and philosophy. Since 1945 it has also published books on art and literature.Kawade Shobō Shinsha
, formerly , is a publisher founded in 1886 in Japan. It is headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. It publishes the magazine '' Bungei'' and administers the Bungei Prize.
History
Kawade Shobō Shinsha traces its history to 1886 ...
, 1968)
*''"World of the
One Thousand and One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...
"『アラビアン・ナイトの世界』'' (
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
, 1970)
**(
Heibonsha
Heibonsha (平凡社) is a Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, which publishes encyclopedias, dictionaries and books in the fields of science and philosophy. Since 1945 it has also published books on art and literature.Kawade Shobō Shinsha
, formerly , is a publisher founded in 1886 in Japan. It is headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. It publishes the magazine '' Bungei'' and administers the Bungei Prize.
History
Kawade Shobō Shinsha traces its history to 1886 ...
, 1975)
*''Eras of Islam''『イスラムの時代』講談社、1977年
Translation to Japanese
*''"
The Rihla
''The Rihla'', formal title ''A Masterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling'', is the travelogue written by Ibn Battuta, documenting his lifetime of travel and exploration, which according to his desc ...
: A Masterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling"『三大陸周遊記』'' (
Kawade Shobō Shinsha
, formerly , is a publisher founded in 1886 in Japan. It is headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. It publishes the magazine '' Bungei'' and administers the Bungei Prize.
History
Kawade Shobō Shinsha traces its history to 1886 ...
, 1954)
**(
Kadokawa Shoten
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...
, Kadokawa shinsho series, 1961)
*''"
One Thousand and One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...