Don Philippi
Encyclopedia
Don Philippi was a noted translator of Japanese
and Ainu
and a musician.
Born in Los Angeles, Philippi studied at the University of Southern California
before going to Japan in 1957 on a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Kokugakuin University. In Japan he became an expert in classical Japanese and Ainu.
Philippi is known for his translation of the Kojiki
and the ancient Shinto prayers known as norito. He also published a book of Ainu epic poetry (yukar
) called Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu and a book of ancient Japanese poetry called This Wine of Peace, This Wine of Laughter: A Complete Anthology of Japan's Earliest Songs. Philippi was a noted technical translator.
Philippi published Maratto, a little magazine focused on Ainu literature and culture. The first issue was published March 3, 1977 in San Francisco, under the pseudonym Slava Ranko.
Philippi was also a musician, learning the shamisen and the biwa both in the U.S. and Japan. In the late 70s, he became a part of the San Francisco musical scene under the name of Slava Ranko, performing a combination of Japanese biwa and synthesizer music. In 1981 he issued an album titled Arctic Hysteria.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and Ainu
Ainu language
Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō....
and a musician.
Born in Los Angeles, Philippi studied at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
before going to Japan in 1957 on a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Kokugakuin University. In Japan he became an expert in classical Japanese and Ainu.
Philippi is known for his translation of the Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
and the ancient Shinto prayers known as norito. He also published a book of Ainu epic poetry (yukar
Yukar
are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most skillful performers....
) called Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu and a book of ancient Japanese poetry called This Wine of Peace, This Wine of Laughter: A Complete Anthology of Japan's Earliest Songs. Philippi was a noted technical translator.
Philippi published Maratto, a little magazine focused on Ainu literature and culture. The first issue was published March 3, 1977 in San Francisco, under the pseudonym Slava Ranko.
Philippi was also a musician, learning the shamisen and the biwa both in the U.S. and Japan. In the late 70s, he became a part of the San Francisco musical scene under the name of Slava Ranko, performing a combination of Japanese biwa and synthesizer music. In 1981 he issued an album titled Arctic Hysteria.