Toshihiko Izutsu

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Toshihiko Izutsu (井筒俊彦; 4 May 1914 – 1993) was a university professor and author of many books on Islam and other religions. He has taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal. His approach to religious studies is linguistic and uses the social sciences extensively rather than a faith-based approach.

[edit] Background

He was born in a family of a wealthy business owner in Japan. From early age, he was familiar with Zen meditation and koan, since his father was also a calligrapher and a practising lay Zen buddhist.

He entered the faculty of economics, Keio University, but transferred to the department of English literature, wishing to be instructed by Professor Junzo Nishiwaki. He became a research assistant in 1937, following his graduation with B.A.

[edit] Islamic Study

Following advices from Shumei Okawa, he studied Islam at The East Asiatic Economic Investigation Bureau and . In 1958, he completed the first direct translation of Quran from Arabic to Japanese. His translation is still renowned for its linguistic accuracy and widely used for scholarly works. He was extremely talented in learning foreign languages, and finished reading Quran in a month after beginning to learn Arabic.

[edit] Bibliography

some dates are republishings


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