(born 1921)松永, 脩蔵, 1921- /ref> is a Japanese engineer best known for translating the
Kural
The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' (), or shortly the ''Kural'' (), is a classic Tamil language text on commoner's morality consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or Kural (poetic form), kurals, of seven words each. The text is divided into three books wit ...
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 ...
from its English version.
Biography
Shuzo first read a translation of a few couplets of the Kural in the 1970s and developed an interest in reading more of it. He wrote to his pen-friend Shekar in
Omalur
Omalur is a panchayat town in Salem district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the 31 panchayat towns in the district, and the administrative seat of Omalur taluk. Spread across an area of , it had a population of 16,279 individual ...
,
Salem, Tamil Nadu
Salem () is a major city in Salem district, located on the banks of the Thirumanimutharu river in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu surrounded by mountains. Salem is the List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, fifth largest urban agglomerati ...
, India about his interest, and Shekar's father S. M. Muthu, an avid lover of Tamil literature, sent Shuzo a copy of G. U. Pope's English translation of the Kural. Shuzo soon began translating the entire work into Japanese and completed it in 1980, for which he corresponded with Muthu seeking clarifications about the ancient work in 50-odd letters.
In 1981, his another penpal, C. Thanaraj, arranged for Shuzo's maiden trip to
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
Madurai
Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
, where Shuzo presented his research essay on the Kural. Upon Muthu's request, Shuzo also translated poet Bharathiar's ''Kuyil Paatu'' into Japanese, which won an award and cash prize from the
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...
Tamil University
The Tamil University is a public state university located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established to provide higher research in the Tamil language.
Location
The university is situated in a campus of about , granted by the State go ...
. Shuzo also translated ''
Manimekalai
''Maṇimēkalai'' (, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably somewhere between the 2nd century to the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a ...
'', '' Naaladiyar'', '' Panchathanthira Kathaigal'' and ''Voice of Vallalar'' into Japanese.
Shuzo also authored a book titled ''My India As Seen Through Letters'', explaining his experience with the Indian culture all through the correspondence with Muthu.
Opinions and quotes
Shuzo opines about the Kural text thus:
See also
*
Tirukkural translations
Tirukkural, also known as the Kural, an ancient Indian treatise on the Secular ethics, ethics and morality of the commoner, is one of the List of literary works by number of translations, most widely translated non-religious works in the world. A ...
*
Tirukkural translations into Japanese As of 2015, the Japanese language has two translations available of the Tirukkural.
History
The first Japanese translation of the Kural text was made by Shuzo Matsunaga in 1981. Work on the translation began in the 1970s when Matsunaga chanced upon ...
*
List of translators
This is primarily a list of notable translators. Large sublists have been split off to separate articles.
By text
* List of Bible translators
* List of Qur'an translators
* List of ''Kural'' translators
* List of translators of William Shakespear ...