Publication of "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" by Fukuzawa Yukichi: Multilingual Edition

Image: (Published by Keio Institute for Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies; Edited by Naoko Nishizawa and Albert Miyan-Martin; A5 size, cloth-bound, 234 pages)

"A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" (Nakatsu Ryubetsu no Sho) is an essay written by Fukuzawa Yukichi on November 27, Meiji 3 (January 17, 1871), at his childhood home where he spent his youth, addressed to the people of his hometown, Nakatsu. This time, we have attempted to translate it into 13 languages—English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and modern Japanese—and compiled them into a single volume, adding a chronology and commentary in English and Japanese regarding the background of the writing and challenges in translation. Each translation was requested from native speakers engaged in Japanese studies. We hope that readers will enjoy the various forms of language and the subtleties of translation, and that it will serve as a starting point for discussions on Fukuzawa's thought.

"A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" is a short text of about 3,500 characters, but it explains how one should live in a new era amidst the great changes of the Meiji Restoration. It touches upon the independence of the individual, autonomy and freedom, equality between men and women, the bidirectional nature of the parent-child relationship, and the relationship between the role of government and the "common people," while stating the importance of studying Western learning.

In addition to his direct observations overseas, Fukuzawa learned from many documents and wrote Things Western (Seiyō Jijō) between 1866 and 1870 to introduce Western civilization. During that time, he experienced major changes in the political system, moved away from the early modern framework, and established a new system of thought. "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" can be positioned as the first book in which he stated his own social vision in his own words during that exact period, with a clear awareness of his audience and while being strongly influenced by Francis Wayland.

In the Meiji era, Fukuzawa thought of bringing his mother, who had lived separately in Nakatsu and Edo for a long time, to Tokyo. However, the plan did not proceed as expected. Upon further inquiry, he found there were rumors in Nakatsu that Fukuzawa would achieve great success if he returned. Fukuzawa was appalled by the samurai class in Nakatsu, who were still obsessed with "family lineage." Therefore, he went to Nakatsu himself to pick up his mother and left a message about the new society for his old friends. The arguments in "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" would continue to permeate his life thereafter. It can be called the essence of his thought, and from here, it developed into his representative works, including Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning). For a long time, I had wanted many people, not just researchers, to read this essay.

On the other hand, compared to the late Professor Carmen Blacker of Cambridge University and Professor Albert Craig of Harvard University, who were enthusiastically engaged in Fukuzawa studies, there was a fear that Fukuzawa studies overseas might be stagnating in recent years, particularly that younger researchers might be losing interest. My thought was that while he is a thinker who cannot be avoided by those studying modern Japan, there might be a lack of interest in Fukuzawa's own texts, with the feeling that the image of Fukuzawa constructed by Japanese researchers is sufficient.

Therefore, I came up with the idea of publishing "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" in multiple languages. At Keio University, the English translation of "The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi" is prepared as a souvenir for visitors from overseas or when members of the Juku go on overseas business trips. While the autobiography is interesting, it is quite thick and only in English, so I thought that if "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" translated into multiple languages were compiled into one book, it would have utility as a souvenir and might receive a publication grant. For those who can read two or more languages, they can also enjoy the comparison.

Actually, I first thought of this in 2008. For the "Fukuzawa Yukichi: Creating the Future" exhibition held at the Tokyo National Museum, I created a panel with only the opening section translated into five languages. However, after that, it remained just a concept and progressed slowly. Then, in 2018, I gained an excellent collaborator in Mr. Miyan-Martin, and it was finally completed this year.

When I first heard from Ms. Nishizawa about the project to translate "A Message of Farewell to Nakatsu" into multiple languages, the big challenge was how many languages to include. We added Spanish, Dutch, and Russian to the languages for which manuscripts were already completed or in progress. Since there is no end to what one could want, I felt at ease that a certain number of the world's major languages had been gathered for the time being, and we proceeded with preparations for publication. Even so, it became a work dealing with 12 foreign languages with different writing systems in addition to Japanese, and after a struggle with "editing" alongside Ms. Ryoko Katahara of Keio University Press, it was a long road to the long-awaited publication.

Of course, the "translation" work that all the translators tackled at the previous stage must also have been difficult. In order to introduce basic knowledge of Western civilization and modern democratic thought to Japan, Fukuzawa changed the meanings of Japanese words in a way that Japanese people of the time could understand and be convinced by. It is characteristic that in the initial stages, he aimed for social progress without completely breaking away from the old cultural background. Among these, the reinterpretation and translation of the Five Relationships, such as the "distinction between husband and wife" and the "righteousness between lord and subject," are striking. The word "freedom" (jiyu), which is a translation of Western terms, was introduced at the time while being distinguished from the synonym "selfishness" (wagamama), so it is interesting to see how it produces subtly different discourses in each language.

On the other hand, the translation of "kuni" and "tenka" is split right down the middle between province/nation and country/world, and the choice of translation for "ningen kousai" (social intercourse) is diverse, providing an opportunity to rethink the true meaning of the original words. The translation of "Shi-no-ko-sho" (the four-tier class system) also seems simple but is actually complex; while literal translations and elaborations are seen, reading the free translation in the French version is an eye-opening experience. If one compares the original text with each translation using the meticulous translation notes in the English version and the commentary at the end of the book as clues, the appeal of this book lies in being able to enjoy the essence of translation while reconsidering Fukuzawa's fundamental thoughts.

(Contact: www.fmc.keio.ac.jp)