Shizuki Tadao: The Interpreter Who Shaped Japanese Scientific Language
13 hours ago
- #Dutch influence
- #scientific translation
- #Japanese history
- The TV series Shogun depicts the first Dutch contact with Japan, leading to Dutch influence after Portugal fell out of favor.
- Shizuki Tadao, a Dutch interpreter, translated European scientific works into Japanese, coining terms like 'juryoku' (gravity).
- Shizuki's translations were influenced by Neo-Confucianism and Taoism, leading to unique interpretations of scientific concepts.
- He introduced the term 'sakoku' (national isolation), reflecting Japan's 17th-century isolationist policy under the Tokugawa shogunate.
- Despite his isolationist views, Shizuki's work helped spread Dutch studies, advancing Japanese knowledge in physics, medicine, and other sciences.