Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, an Island subject to the Emperor of Japan by George Psalmanazar

This book is the first Japanese translation of "Formosa," known as a curious and eccentric work. The original was published in London in 1704. As the subtitle suggests, the main content is the "geographical history of Taiwan and Japan," but it is certainly not a record of field research by the author, Psalmanazar (a pseudonym). Psalmanazar gathered information about Taiwan and Japan circulating in Europe at the time to elaborately construct a country called "Formosa," and then falsely claimed that he was born and raised there before traveling to Europe and converting to the Anglican Church. Since the facts of his biography suggest he was from southern France and traveled across Europe before appearing in London as a convert to the Anglican Church, the trajectory of his conversion seen in the second half of this book could be called autobiographical. Such a curious book took London and Europe by storm in the early 18th century. The Royal Society, with Newton as its president, invited him to a dissertation hearing, where Edmond Halley, the discoverer of Halley's Comet, and others questioned his authenticity as a Formosan, but his trickery only grew more refined. Psalmanazar even calmly taught a language called "Formosan" at Oxford University.

Although this book is full of such fiction, it is, of course, impossible to dismiss everything as a "made-up story." The information about Formosa gathered by Psalmanazar is itself a mixture of truth and falsehood, and the doctrinal disputes surrounding his conversion are rather vivid as frank expressions of his opinions. When an Englishman says that an emperor was once assassinated in Formosa and that "such cruelty is utterly unbelievable," Psalmanazar retorts by mentioning the execution of Charles I, saying, "It is the same in your country," and the reader might find themselves applauding him. Published amidst the emergence of early modern novels such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "Gulliver's Travels," this book highlights the subtle boundary between fact and fiction, between what is believed to be fact and human imagination/creativity. The reality of this book, which is both a curious work and a forgery, shines precisely on that boundary line, and that is what fascinates modern readers as well.

Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, an Island subject to the Emperor of Japan by George Psalmanazar

Translated by Noriyuki Harada

Heibonsha Library

424 pages, 1,980 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.