Thirukkural translations in Japanese (ஜப்பானிய மொழியில் திருக்குறள் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு)

Of the three translations of the Kural to appear in Japanese so far, two are renderings by Japanese scholars whose personal interest in Tamil literature led to the transla- tions. The first one was Shuzo Matsunaga whose pen friend in Tamil Nadu was the Tamil scholar S.M. Muthu of Omalur, Salem. Matsunaga based his translation from the English ren- derings of the Kural by G.U. Pope and H.A. Popley. The next translation to appear in Japanese was by the well-known Jap- anese Indologist Takanobu Takahashi. Published by Heibon- sha, Tokyo in 1999, the hard-bound book with an attractive casing is still available for purchase online. The latest one is a CICT publication, rendered by Balamurugan Kasinathan in 2023.

Thanks for the Support:

On 26 August 2023, Mr. Prasanna Parthasrathy from Japan spon- sored a book and handed it over to Sa. Parthasarathy in Chennai. Elangovan Thangavelu coordinat- ed the procurement through Mr. Prem Kumar (Kalvi-40). Thanks to Prasanna and Prem Kumar for their wonderful gesture.

Other translations in Japanese:

• Shuzo Matsunaga, Thirukural, Osaka,

Translated from H.A. Popley’s English Translation. 1981

• Balamurugan Tirukkural Japanese translation. Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT, Chennai. 2023)

Source: Thirukkural Translations in World Languages by ValaiTamil Publication