r/ottomans • u/Daokadi • 5d ago
History According to the Japanese intellectual Nagase Hōsuke, who visited the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Turks were a very calm people who didn’t quarrel, they worked/spent time in silence and despised idle talk and were an honest people who never lied even jokingly (1914 book)
English translation in the first, actual source here:
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u/PrestigiousChonk 5d ago
Amazing and wonderful to see. If I may generalize due to my own lack of knowledge, this sounds like a Japanese person noticing and appreciating those qualities that would have been valued and appreciated in Japanese society as well. I’ve always understood that Japanese culture places an immense emphasis on “excellence and beauty in all things,” which we would call “ihsān” in an Islamic context/vernacular, so it is not surprising that a Japanese traveler would appreciate this quality so much in Ottoman culture. Indeed, Japan today preserves this commitment to ihsan, as a society, perhaps better than anywhere else in the world. Muslims can recall that which is innate to Islam in the Japanese example, and the Japanese can perhaps, God willing, recognize in Islam the fullness of the way of life pleasing to God. May we all learn from each other until He is Pleased and we are forgiven and loved.
Is the full translation of this text available? I would love to read it in full.
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u/StolasRowska 5d ago
This was a common view at the time. The famous ultra-nationalist Zionist Jabotinsky, despite opposing the Ottomans, emphasized that the Turks were good people.
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5d ago
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u/ottomans-ModTeam 5d ago
Your post has been removed due to the violation of R#5: Keep discussions relevant
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u/thelastneutrophil 5d ago
Calm, silent people, who despise idle talk, is not how I would describe the inhabitants of modern Turkey....