(born 1921)松永, 脩蔵, 1921- /ref> is a Japanese engineer best known for translating the
Kural
The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' ( ta, திருக்குறள், lit=sacred verses), or shortly the ''Kural'' ( ta, குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The text ...
Shuzo first read a translation of a few couplets of the Kural in the 1970s and developed an interest in reading more of it. He wrote to his
pen-friend
Pen pals (or penpals, pen-pals, penfriends or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of le ...
Shekar in
Omalur
Omalur is a panchayat town and headquarters of Omalur taluk in the Salem District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the National Highway 7 between 11° 73333" latitude and 78° 06667" longitude. It has a population of about 13, ...
,
Salem, Tamil Nadu
Salem (), is a major city in Salem district, located on the banks of Thirumanimutharu river in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Salem is the List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, sixth largest urban agglomeration and metropolitan city in ...
, India about his interest, and Shekar's father S. M. Muthu, an avid lover of Tamil literature, sent Shuzo a copy of G. U. Pope's English translation of the Kural. Shuzo soon began translating the entire work into Japanese and completed it in 1980, for which he corresponded with Muthu seeking clarifications about the ancient work in 50-odd letters.
In 1981, his another penpal, C. Thanaraj, arranged for Shuzo's maiden trip to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
, where Shuzo presented his research essay on the Kural. Upon Muthu's request, Shuzo also translated poet Bharathiar's ''Kuyil Paatu'' into Japanese, which won an award and cash prize from the
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
Tamil University
The Tamil University is a public state university located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established to provide higher research in the Tamil language.
Location
The university is situated in a campus of about , granted by the ...
. Shuzo also translated ''
Manimekalai
''Maṇimēkalai'' ( ta, மணிமேகலை, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil-Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably around the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a s ...
'', '' Naaladiyar'', '' Panchathanthira Kathaigal'' and ''Voice of Vallalar'' into Japanese.
Shuzo also authored a book titled ''My India As Seen Through Letters'', explaining his experience with the Indian culture all through the correspondence with Muthu.
Tirukkural translations into Japanese
As of 2015, the Japanese language has two translations available of the Tirukkural.
History
The first Japanese translation of the Kural text was made by Shuzo Matsunaga in 1981, who also translated it into Korean. The second translation was made b ...
*
List of translators
This is primarily a list of notable translators. Large sublists have been split off to separate articles.
By text
*List of Bible translators
* List of Qur'an translators
* List of Kural translators
*Harry Potter in translation
By target language ...