Archive · 4 Oct 2026
How RF Sethna’s Gujarati Books Introduced Readers to Japan
In the early 1900s, many people in India wanted to learn about Japan.
The war between Japan and Russia made even more people curious.
But books about Japan were hard to find in Indian languages.
Gujarati writer RF Sethna decided to write some himself.
His books described Japan’s people, history, industries and military, and included pictures.
One book also tried to teach Japanese words and writing, though it had mistakes.
His books were not printed again, but they helped Gujarati readers discover more about Japan.
Later, other books about Japan appeared in Gujarati and other Indian languages.
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 sparked Indian interest in Japan, while books in many Indian languages remained scarce.
Gujarati writer Ratanji Framji Sethna published three Japan-related books between 1905 and 1906.
His 1905 book Japan ane Japanese covered Japanese history, society, industry, trade and the war, using illustrations and statistics.
Sethna’s 1906 language guide and picture album aimed to introduce Japanese writing and everyday phrases, though the guide contained errors.
Sethna’s Japan books were not reprinted, but they formed part of a wider growth in Indian-language writing about Japan.
- Who
- Gujarati author and publisher Ratanji Framji Sethna.
- What
- He published three books about Japan in Gujarati between 1905 and 1906.
- When
- The books appeared in 1905 and 1906, amid interest stirred by the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05.
- Where
- In Gujarati-language publishing in colonial Mumbai, India.
- Why
- Sethna saw a demand for information about Japan among Gujarati readers.
- Author
- Ratanji Framji Sethna (1872–1965)
- First Japan book
- Japan ane Japanese, published in 1905
- First book’s scope
- Nearly 200 pages, with 25 woodcut illustrations
- Books published in 1906
- Japani Bhasha-no Bhomiyo and Japani Chitramala, bound together in one volume
- Language guide
- Introduced Japanese scripts, vocabulary and phrases, but included errors in characters, pronunciation and grammar
- Unpublished plan
- Sethna announced a further book, Bahadur Japan, but appears to have held it back
- Later publishing
- Sethna’s Japan books were not reprinted; Gujarati books with Japanese themes continued to appear in later decades