Quran Translation in Japan (1)
Therefore, translation of the Quran into different languages is necessary so that speakers of all languages can benefit from its Divine guidance and teachings.
It was the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) Companion Salman Farsi (Salman, the Persian), who did the first ever translation of the Quran when he rendered Surah al-Fatihah into Persian in the early years after the advent of Islam.
The first fully attested complete translations of the Quran were also done between the 10th and 12th centuries in Persian. Then there were translations into other languages.
In Japan, the first Quran translation dates back to 1920. It was Sakamoto Ken-ichi who did the rendering, not from the original Arabic but from John Rodwell's 19th century English translation. This version is in old Japanese and ordinary people in Japan find it difficult to understand.
The second Japanese version was done in 1938 by Bunpachiro (Ahmad) Ariga in cooperation with Takahashi Goro. It is a unique one because the order of the Surahs (chapters) in this translation is based on the order of revelation. This one, too, was not a direct translation from Arabic.
Shumei Okawa's rendering came in 1948. He has referred to Chinese, English, French and Dutch translations of the Quran to produce a better Japanese translation. As well as translation, at the beginning of every Surah, he has provided a brief introduction about the Surah.
Toshihiko Izutsu's Quran translation is said to be the most famous in Japanese. The first version of his translation was published in 1957. The second version, came in 1961. It should be noted that the rendering was done before Izutsu's stays in Canada and Iran where he learned about Islamic mysticism and philosophy.
http://www.iqna.ir/fa/News/1444472
