Suematsu Kenchō and the first English translation of Genji monogatari: translation, tactics, and the ‘women's question’

Abstract

In 1882 Suematsu Kenchō, Japanese diplomat, scholar, and politician, published an English translation of the first seventeen chapters of the Tale of Genji. Scant previous research has recognized Suematsu's political motivations but his translation has largely been consigned to a footnote in history and many important questions remain unanswered. This article examines the skillful ideological and linguistic ways in which Suematsu – who was later to serve as Japanese Minister for Communications and Home Minister – translated Genji so as to appeal to nineteenth-century English readers and, through the use of previously unstudied reviews of his translation in the British press, considers its effect and impact. In particular, Suematsu skillfully used both classical orientalist discourse and contemporary British concern with the position of women to strike a chord with his readers. The article also considers the question of what official Japanese support if any might have been behind the translation, with the aim of learning more about the role of Japanese scholar-diplomats like Suematsu in Europe during the Meiji period.