Tokyo Mus’haf, First Copy of Quran Printed in East Asia
It was published in the Japanese capital in 1934 with the help of Muslim donations from Japan, South Korea and other countries.
It is the first copy of the Islamic Holy Scripture printed in East Asia.
Kurban Galiev (1890–1974), an ethnic Tatar exiled to Japan from Manchuria, owned Tokyo’s Islamic Printing House, which published the copy of Quran.
It printed 500 copies of the Holy Book in Kazani script based on a copy published in Kazan, the Republic of Tatarstan.
Some copies were sent to 33 countries, including Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The edition was also presented to Japan’s emperor at that time to convey the message of Islam across the country.
Earlier, in 1931, Tokyo’s Islamic Printing House had printed one-fourth of Surah Yasin (36).
Currently a copy of the 1934 edition, a vintage leather-bound Quran copy with its gilded edges, is on display at Kul Sharif Mosque in Kazan.
Most Commented 