Three years in Tibet : with the original Japanese illustrations / by the Shramana Ekai Kawaguchi.

  • Ekai Kawaguchi
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Three years in Tibet : with the original Japanese illustrations / by the Shramana Ekai Kawaguchi. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    more iiceurate translations than the Cliinese. Sow 1 do not say that tlie 'I'ihetan ti'anslations are snpei'ior to the Chinese. As literal translations, J think that they are superior; hut, tor their g-cmeral meaning, the Chinese are far better than the 'I'ihetan. ,\nyho\v, it was mv idea that 1 should study the 'ril)etan language and I’ihetan Huddhism, and should try t(j diseover Samskrt manuserij)ts in 'I'ihet, if any were there available. W ith these objects in view, 1 made u]) my mind to go to 'I'ihet, though the country was closed not only by tlie bocal (iovernment hut also by the surrounding lofty mountains. After making my pre))arations for some lime, 1 left Ja])an for 'Tibet in June, 1897, and returned to my country in May, 19t)J. 'Then in October, I9t)4, 1 again left Ja])an for India and Ne})al, with the object of studying SamskiM, hojjing’, if possible, again to peneti'ate into 'Tibet, in search of more manuscripts. On mv return to Japan, my countrymen received me with great enthusiasm, as the Hi-st ex])loror of 'Ti))et from Ja])an. 'The Jiji, a daily news])a))er in 'Tokyo, the most well-known, influential and widely I’ead paper in Jaiian, and also a famous ])a-per in Osaka, calledthe Mdiiiiichi, publish- ed mv articles every day during loti issues. After this, 1 collected all these articles and gave them for p\d)lication in two volumes to Hakid)unkwan, a. famous j)ublisher in 'Tokvo. .\fterwards some well-known gentlemen in Jai)an, .Mr. Sutejiro f'ukuzawa, .Mr. Sensid<e Hayakawa and .Mr. Tliji .\sabuki, proposed to me to get them translated into English. 'They also hel])ed me s\d)stantially in this translation, and J take this o])portunity of e.xpressing my oTateful thanks to them for tlu« favor thus conlArred upon me. When my translation was hnished, the British expedi- tion to Tibet had l)ee?n successful, and reports regarding it were Boon afterwards published. I therefore stopped the