Islam, in Japanese.

Japan & the Muslim World

Stories of faith, knowledge and exchange: from numbers and coffee to places of prayer and translation.

1. 9th c.

   Baghdad

   Numbers, from the Islamic world to the world

   In 9th-century Baghdad, the Muslim scholar al-Khwārizmī wrote down the numerals that came from India, zero included, and how to calculate with them. His books travelled west, and 0–9 became the world's numbers. "Algorithm" comes from his name, and "algebra" from al-jabr in the title of his book.

   ٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩→0123456789

2. 1641

   To Japan

   Coffee reaches Japan

   First cultivated in Yemen and loved across the Muslim world, coffee reached Japan in the Edo period.

   Source: All Japan Coffee Association (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)

3. 1890

   Kushimoto, Wakayama

   The Ertuğrul and Kushimoto

   The Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul was sent by the Sultan on a goodwill mission to Emperor Meiji. On its way home, a typhoon wrecked it off Kushimoto. More than 500 died; the people of Kushimoto rescued 69, and Japanese warships carried the survivors home to Istanbul. It is still remembered as the beginning of Japan–Türkiye friendship.

   Source: Kushimoto Town (Japanese) (opens in a new tab)

4. 1935

   Kobe, Hyogo

   Kobe Muslim Mosque

   Built mainly by Turkish, Tatar and Indian Muslims, it is Japan's oldest surviving mosque, and came through the war and the 1995 earthquake. You can read more of its history in the app.

   Source: Kobe Muslim Mosque (opens in a new tab)

5. 1957

   The Qur'an in Japanese

   Toshihiko Izutsu

   Not a Muslim but a philosopher of language and scholar of Islam, Izutsu made the first Japanese translation of the Qur'an directly from the Arabic (Iwanami, 1957–58).

6. 1972

   The Qur'an in Japanese

   Ryōichi Mita

   The first Arabic-to-Japanese translation of the Qur'an by a Japanese Muslim.

   Source: Wikipedia: Ryoichi Mita (opens in a new tab)

7. 2010

   In Japanese

   Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine

   The great 11th-century work of Islamic medicine by Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was published in Japanese translation.

And today, mosques across Japan are places of prayer and of local support. After earthquakes, they have taken in people affected and delivered warm meals and supplies to evacuation shelters.

See mosques on the mapSource: Activities and roles of mosques in Japan after the recent major earthquakes (ScienceDirect) (opens in a new tab)