Tsuji, Interpreters in and Around Early Modern Japan

by Mino Saito (Editor), Miki Sato (Editor)

Overview

This book introduces English-speaking audiences to tsūji, who were interpreters in different contexts in Japan and then the Ryukyu Kingdom from the late 16th to the mid-19th century. It comprises seven historical case studies on tsūji in which contributors adopt a context-oriented approach. They aim to explore the function of these interpreters in communication with other cultures in different languages, including Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Ryukyuan, English, Russian and Ainu. Each chapter elucidates the tsūji and the surrounding social, political and economic conditions. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of translation and interpreting, but also readers interested in the early modern history of interpreting and cultural exchange. It will similarly appeal to those interested in the Japanese language, but with limited access to books written in Japanese.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031376528
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	09/27/2023
Series:	Translation History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Mino Saito is Associate Professor at Juntendo University, Japan. 

Miki Sato is Professor at Sapporo University, Japan.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction (Miki Sato and Mino Saito).- Chapter 2: The Role of Jesuit Missionary João Rodrigues Tçuzu (1561?-1634?): Interpreter, Trade Liaison, and Linguist in the Late 16^th and Early 17^th Centuries (Etsuko Nanjo).- Chapter 3: Oranda-tsūji (Japanese-Dutch Interpreters) in the 18^th Century: The Case of YOSHIO Kōzaemon (Kōgyū) (Miyuki Tanaka).- Chapter 4: Reconsidering the Role of Nagasaki Tō-tsūji (Japanese-Chinese Interpreters) in the History of Interpreting Between Japan and China (Yukari Hiratsuka).- Chapter 5: Japanese-Korean tsūji and AMENOMORI Hōshū in the 18^th Century (Hiroko Furukawa).- Chapter 6: Ryukyuan-Chinese tsūji as an Intermediary in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries (Mino Saito).- Chapter 7: The Arrival of Western Ships and English Language Interpreters in Ryukyu During the 19^th Century: The Case of ITARASHIKI Chōchū (Mutsuko Tsuboi).- Chapter 8: Ezo-tsūji (Japanese-Ainu Interpreters in the Late 18^th and Early 19^th Century: The Case of UEHARA Kumajirō (Miki Sato).- Chapter 9: The Marginality of Otokichi, a Castaway Turned Interpreter: Into the Unknown Interpreter History in Early-Modern Japan (Mikako Naganuma).