Publication of "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" by Fukuzawa Yukichi: Multilingual Edition

2021/07/14

Image: (Published by Keio Institute for Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies, edited by Nishizawa Naoko and Alberto Millán Martín, A5 size, hardcover, 234 pages)

"A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" (Nakatsu Ryubetsu no Sho) is an essay written by Fukuzawa Yukichi on November 27, Meiji 3 (January 17, 1871) at his former residence where he spent his youth, addressed to the people of his hometown, Nakatsu. This time, we have attempted to translate it into 13 languages—English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and modern Japanese—and compiled them into a single volume, adding a chronology and commentary in English and Japanese regarding the background of the writing and the challenges of translation. Each translation was requested from native speakers engaged in Japanese studies. We hope that readers will enjoy the various forms of language and the subtleties of translation, and that it will serve as a starting point for discussions on Fukuzawa's thought.

"A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" is a short text of about 3,500 characters, but it explains how one should live in a new era amidst the great changes of the Meiji Restoration, covering topics such as individual independence, autonomy and freedom, equality between men and women, the bidirectional nature of the parent-child relationship, and the relationship between the role of government and the "common people," while stating the importance of learning Western studies.

In addition to direct observations overseas, Fukuzawa learned from many documents and wrote Things Western (Seiyō Jijō) to introduce Western civilization between Keio 2 (1866) and Meiji 3. During that time, he experienced major changes in the political system, moved away from early modern frameworks, and established a new system of thought. "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" can be positioned as the first book in which he stated his own social vision in his own words during that exact period, with a clear awareness of his readers and while being strongly influenced by Francis Wayland.

In the Meiji era, Fukuzawa thought about bringing his mother, who had lived separately in Nakatsu and Edo for a long time, to Tokyo. However, the plan did not go as expected. Upon further inquiry, he found there were rumors in Nakatsu that Fukuzawa would achieve great success if he returned. Fukuzawa was appalled by the samurai of Nakatsu who were still conscious of "lineage." Therefore, he went to Nakatsu himself to pick up his mother and left a message about the new society to his old friends. The assertions in "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" would continue throughout his life. It can be called the essence of his thought, and from here, it developed into his representative works, including Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning). For some time, I had wanted many people, not just researchers, to read this essay.

On the other hand, compared to the enthusiastic Fukuzawa research conducted by the late Professor Carmen Blacker of Cambridge University and Professor Albert Craig of Harvard University, there was a fear that Fukuzawa research overseas has stagnated in recent years, and that young researchers in particular are losing interest. The feeling is that while he is a thinker who cannot be avoided by those studying modern Japan, there is no interest in Fukuzawa's own texts, and it is thought that the image of Fukuzawa constructed by Japanese researchers is sufficient.

Therefore, I came up with the idea of publishing "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" in multiple languages. At Keio University, the English translation of "The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi" is prepared as a souvenir for visitors from overseas or when members of the Juku go on business trips abroad. While the autobiography is interesting, it is quite thick and only in English, so I thought that if "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" translated into multiple languages were compiled into one volume, it would have utility as a souvenir and might receive a publication grant. Those who can read two or more languages can also enjoy the comparison.

Actually, I first thought of this in 2008. For the "Fukuzawa Yukichi: Creating the Future" exhibition held at the Tokyo National Museum, I created a panel with only the opening section translated into five languages. However, after that, it remained just a concept and progressed slowly until I gained an excellent collaborator in Mr. Millán Martín in 2018, and it was finally completed this year.

When I first heard from Ms. Nishizawa about the project to translate "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" into multiple languages, the major challenge was how many languages to include. We added Spanish, Dutch, and Russian to the languages for which manuscripts were completed or in progress, and since there is no end to it if one is greedy, I felt at ease that a certain number of the world's major languages had been gathered and decided to proceed with preparations for publication. Even so, it became a work dealing with 12 foreign languages with different writing systems in addition to Japanese, and after a struggle with "editing" alongside Ms. Ryoko Katahara of Keio University Press, it was a long road to the desired publication.

Of course, the "translation" work that all the translators engaged in at the previous stage must also have been difficult. In order to introduce basic knowledge of Western civilization and modern democratic thought to Japan, Fukuzawa changed the meaning of Japanese in a way that Japanese people of the time could understand and be convinced by; it is characteristic that in the first stage, he aimed for social progress without completely breaking away from the old cultural background. Within that, the reinterpretation and translation of the Five Relationships, such as "distinction between husband and wife" and "loyalty between lord and subject," are striking. The term "freedom" (jiyu), which is a translation of Western words, was introduced at the time while being distinguished from the synonym "selfishness" (wagamama), so it is interesting that it resulted in slightly different discourses in each language.

On the other hand, the translation of "kuni" and "tenka" was split right down the middle between province/nation and country/world, and the choice of translation for "ningen (jinkan) kosai" (human association) became diverse, with the differences in translation providing an opportunity to rethink the true meaning of the original language. The translation of "shi-no-ko-sho" (the four-tier class system) also seems simple but is actually complex; while literal translations and elaborations are seen, reading the free translation in the French version is an eye-opening experience. If one compares the original text with each translation using the detailed translator's notes in the English version and the commentary at the end of the book as clues, the appeal of this book lies in being able to enjoy the true essence of translation while reconsidering Fukuzawa's fundamental thought.

(Contact: www.fmc.keio.ac.jp)