Ryoichi Mita (三田 了一, Mita Ryōichi, 19 December 1892 – 29 May 1983),[1] also known as Umar Mita,[2] was a Japanese Muslim who is considered the first-ever Muslim to translate the Quran into the Japanese language.
Ryoichi Mita | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 19, 1892 Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | May 29, 1983 (aged 90) |
| Education | Yamaguchi Commercial College |
Biography
editMita moved to China at the age of 24 and lived there for almost three decades straight (he briefly returned to Japan in 1921 but moved back to China the following year and found initial employment in the railway industry). During his long life in China, he saw Islam firsthand and developed an interest in it, becoming a preeminent consultant to Japanese forces on Islam-related questions after he had been hired as a propagandist, although it wasn't until 1941 that he formally converted. Throughout this period, Mita was known to have met and had close discussions with Shūmei Ōkawa, another translator of the Quran and fellow pan-Asianist. Mita engaged in spy work for the Imperial Japanese Army and wrote of the need to propagandise Muslims in China in order to obtain their support against the Han Chinese forces.[3]
After the end of World War II, Mita focused his efforts solely on Islam. He joined the recently-founded Association of Japanese Muslims (日本ムスリム協会) in 1952, becoming its leader from 1960 to 1962, whereafter Mita left for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia so as to learn Arabic and translate the Quran into his native tongue, a task that he would complete a decade later in 1972. His translation avoided terms with Buddhist connotations in favour of simple native phrases and occasionally terms with Christian precedent.[3][4]
Published works
edit- For the Sake of Comprehending Islam (イスラム 理解 の 為に)
- Stories of the Sahaba (サハバ 物語)
- Introduction to Islam (イスラム 入門)
References
edit- ^ "Mita Ryōichi". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ Habeeb, Bashir (30 August 2017). "Umar mita: First Muslim Translator of the Qur'an to Japanese". Knowslam.com.ng. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ a b KRÄMER, HANS MARTIN (2014). "Pan-Asianism's Religious Undercurrents: The Reception of Islam and Translation of the Qur'ān in Twentieth-Century Japan". The Journal of Asian Studies. 73 (3): 619–640. doi:10.1017/S0021911814000989. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 43553338. S2CID 55349358.
- ^ "Chronology for 1962 (October - December)". Contemporary Religions in Japan. 4 (2): 181–185. 1963. ISSN 0010-7557. JSTOR 30233890.
External links
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