Tsuji, Interpreters in and Around Early Modern Japan

This book introduces English-speaking audiences to tsuji, who were interpreters in different contexts in Japan and then the Ryukyu Kingdom from the late 16th to the mid-19th century. It comprises seven historical case studies on tsuji in which contributors adopt a context-oriented approach. They aim to explore the function of these interpreters in communication with other cultures in different languages, including Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Ryukyuan, English, Russian and Ainu. Each chapter elucidates the tsuji and the surrounding social, political and economic conditions. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of translation and interpreting, but also readers interested in the early modern history of interpreting and cultural exchange. It will similarly appeal to those interested in the Japanese language, but with limited access to books written in Japanese.

Chapter 1: Introduction (Miki Sato and Mino Saito).- Chapter 2: The Role of Jesuit Missionary João Rodrigues Tçuzu (1561?-1634?): Interpreter, Trade Liaison, and Linguist in the Late 16^th and Early 17^th Centuries (Etsuko Nanjo).- Chapter 3: Oranda-tsuji (Japanese-Dutch Interpreters) in the 18^th Century: The Case of YOSHIO Kozaemon (Kogyu) (Miyuki Tanaka).- Chapter 4: Reconsidering the Role of Nagasaki To-tsuji (Japanese-Chinese Interpreters) in the History of Interpreting Between Japan and China (Yukari Hiratsuka).- Chapter 5: Japanese-Korean tsuji and AMENOMORI Hoshu in the 18^th Century (Hiroko Furukawa).- Chapter 6: Ryukyuan-Chinese tsuji as an Intermediary in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries (Mino Saito).- Chapter 7: The Arrival of Western Ships and English Language Interpreters in Ryukyu During the 19^th Century: The Case of ITARASHIKI Chochu (Mutsuko Tsuboi).- Chapter 8: Ezo-tsuji (Japanese-Ainu Interpreters in the Late 18^th and Early 19^th Century: The Case of UEHARA Kumajiro (Miki Sato).- Chapter 9: The Marginality of Otokichi, a Castaway Turned Interpreter: Into the Unknown Interpreter History in Early-Modern Japan (Mikako Naganuma).