Islamic Unity Basis of Japanese Translation of Quran by Tatsuoichi Savada
In this rendering, Savada has tried to bear Islamic unity in mind and also bridge the cultural and grammatical gaps between the Arabic and Japanese languages.
The first full translation of Islam’s Holy Book into Japanese was released in 1920 and by 2015, the number of Japanese Quran translations reached 14, 10 of which included all verses of the Quran.
Savada did the translation, which was published in 2014, with a Shia approach and benefitted from a number of Quran exegeses such as Al-Mizan and Nemouneh as well as Persian translations of the Quran to enhance his work.
Savada has tried to put Islamic unity the basis of his work and translate the verses of the Quran based on a unity-promoting view and away from religious discord.
His translation has removed some problems that existed in previous renderings, including those arising from lack of some concepts such as resurrection in the Japanese culture as well as differences in the grammars of Arabic and Japanese.
Savada was born in Tokyo in 1964. He is a graduate of Al-Mustafa International University in Iran in the field of Islamic teachings.
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He currently serves as the deputy of the university’s branch in Japan and teaches there as well.
Some of his published works include:
- Translation of the Quran into Japanese
- Translation of the book “How We Say Prayers”
- Translation and compilation of a dictionary of the words of the Quran
- Editor of the Japanese translation of a series of lectures by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi on tenets of Islamic beliefs
- Editor of the Japanese translation of a series of lectures by Ayatollah Mosuavi Lari on tenets of Islamic beliefs
- Editor of the Japanese translation of the book Islamic Mysticism (by Morteza Motahhari)
- Editor of the Japanese translation of the book Osul Kafi
- Editor of the Japanese translation of Imam Ali’s (AS) letter to Malik Ashtar
