2009/08/07
Published inJuku, 2009, No. 263
The major works of Yukichi Fukuzawa—"Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization," and "Fukuō Jiden (The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa)"—have been translated into numerous foreign languages. With wisdom and ideas that resonate even today, they continue to inspire people not only in Japan but around the world.
"Fukuō Jiden" Published in 10 Languages, "Gakumon no susume" in 7
Among Yukichi Fukuzawa's works, "Fukuō Jiden" has been translated the most. It has been translated into ten languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Dutch, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Turkish.
The next most translated is "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," which is available in seven languages, including English, Chinese, French, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, and Mongolian. "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization" has been translated into English, Persian, Indonesian, and Chinese.
Although many are secondary translations from English and are said to be of mixed quality, the reason "Fukuō Jiden" has been translated into so many languages and widely read is likely due to its international recognition for its engaging content, in addition to its value as the autobiography of a figure who dedicated himself to Japan's modernization. In the preface to the 1992 reprint of the English translation by Madison Books, Professor Albert M. Craig of Harvard University (at the time) compared it to Homer's epic, calling it the odyssey of the young Yukichi Fukuzawa.
Furthermore, the Vietnamese version published in 2005 was translated by an international student who studied Japanese at Hanoi University and is researching the history of Japanese Buddhism in Nara. The student spent two years on the translation, wanting "people to know the real Yukichi Fukuzawa."
There are also English translations of his essays on topics such as education and women's issues, as well as Chinese translations of works like "One Hundred Discourses of Fukuzawa."
The First Translator Was Professor Emeritus Eiichi Kiyooka
The first person to translate the works of Yukichi Fukuzawa was the late Eiichi Kiyooka, then a professor in the Faculty of Law, who taught at Keio for many years. As a student at Keio Futsubu School, he read "Fukuō Jiden" and said he "found it so interesting and came to love Yukichi Fukuzawa." It was during his studies in the United States that he thought it would be fascinating to translate the autobiography into English.
When he consulted Professor Junzaburo Nishiwaki of the Faculty of Letters (at the time), who was also known as a poet, about the writing style for the translation, he was advised to model it on Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," which was written in a classical and elegant English style. After much effort, struggling to translate the feel and historical context of Yukichi Fukuzawa's language and pondering how to translate the uninhibited behavior of the students at Tekijuku in Osaka where the young Fukuzawa studied, the English translation of "Fukuō Jiden" was published in 1934 (Showa 9) (from the December 1988 issue of "Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)").
Currently, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Keio University's founding and the 175th anniversary of Yukichi Fukuzawa's birth, Keio University Press has begun publishing the English-language 'The Thought of Fukuzawa' series, starting with "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization."
Why not take this opportunity to reread the works of Yukichi Fukuzawa, which continue to be read by people around the world in the 21st century without ever seeming dated?