Bedridden old man's big job

ASAHI EVENING NEWS, SATURDAY, September 23, 1978

A bedridden 79-year old man recently completed a translation of a work of Kanzo Uchimura, a well-known Christian pacifist of the Meiji Era, into English at his home for the aged in Sakai City. Osaka.

A former Kobe City trading company worker, Itojiro Morimoto spent four years translating the full text of the book. "A Day A Life." The translation, which was hand written, surprised an instructor at the Kobe University of Foreign Studies with its sophistication. Some people around him, including the director of the home, now want to publicize the translated version as they believe that it would contribute to the study of modern Japanese thoughts.

Morimoto who first read a work of Uchimura in his 20s was deeply influenced by Uchimura as he admired his views on life and particularly his pacifist theory at the time when the Russo-Japanese War was raging. Morimoto thought of translating the book in 1974 because he believed that the spirit of Uchimura would be understood by foreigners if the translation was completed. Morimoto hoped that the translation of the book would also benefit society and at the same time his ability of English would be utilized. As he was working when he started the translation, he could only translate as much as one page a day. He faced difficulty to interpreting the meaning of the sentences a they are deeply influenced by Bible studies.

In 1975, Morimoto found it too painful to walk because of the aftereffect of a traffic accident. He decided to enter the home [Old People's Home in Sakai City, Osaka] in 1976.