Shinji Maejima
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese Orientalist
.
A native of Yamanashi Prefecture
, he studied Pali
and Sanskrit
at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
, and graduated with a BA from the University of Tokyo
. Prior to World War II
, he taught in Taiwan
, then a Japanese colony. After the war, he taught Islamic History at Keio University
until his death.
He began as a Buddhist scholar, but then turned his attention to Islam
, becoming a pioneering Arabist in Japan. He was the first one to render the One Thousand and One Nights from the original Arabic
into Japanese
. He died just before the publication of a supplementary volume to his twelve-volume translation, which contains the stories of Ali Baba and Aladdin. Six more volumes were later produced by Osamu Ikeda (池田 修) to complete the series.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
.
A native of Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, he studied Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
TUFS is a specialized institution only in foreign language, international affairs and foreign studies, thus it is not as well-known as other big universities such as University of Tokyo and Kyoto University...
, and graduated with a BA from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
. Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he taught in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, then a Japanese colony. After the war, he taught Islamic History at Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
until his death.
He began as a Buddhist scholar, but then turned his attention to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, becoming a pioneering Arabist in Japan. He was the first one to render the One Thousand and One Nights from the original Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
into Japanese
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...
. He died just before the publication of a supplementary volume to his twelve-volume translation, which contains the stories of Ali Baba and Aladdin. Six more volumes were later produced by Osamu Ikeda (池田 修) to complete the series.
Major works
- 『玄奘三蔵: 史実西遊記』岩波新書、1952年
- 『三大陸周遊記』（翻訳）河出書房、1954年（角川文庫、1961年）
- 『サラセン文化』弘文堂、1955年
- 『アラビアの医術』中公新書、1965年（平凡社ライブラリー、1996年）
- 『アラビアン・ナイト 全18巻』（翻訳）平凡社東洋文庫、1966年-1992年
- 『イスラム世界』河出書房新社、1968年（河出文庫、1989年）
- 『アラビアン・ナイトの世界』講談社現代新書、1970年（平凡社ライブラリー、1995年）
- 『イスラムの蔭に』河出書房新社、1975年（河出文庫、1991年）
- 『イスラムの時代』講談社、1977年