September 7. On this date in 1916, Tokujiro Torii, the first blind Japanese to learn Esperanto, wrote ‘Abdu'l-Bahá a letter in Esperanto Braille. His letter "was the second letter to be sent from Japan to the Master."

 

September 7. On this date in 1916, Tokujiro Torii, the first blind Japanese to learn Esperanto, wrote ‘Abdu'l-Bahá a letter in Esperanto Braille. His letter "was the second letter to be sent from Japan to the Master."

Tokujiro Torii

In Tokyo I had met Tokujiro Torii, who was a student at the Government School for the Blind. There he came to know Mr. Eroshenko and was the first of the blind in Japan to learn Esperanto. In the spring of 1916, he graduated from the school, and was married to a young woman from his home village. Then he became a teacher of a small school for the blind in Ejiri, a town in Shizuoka province. When I first met this blind brother, I felt his spirit was reaching for Light. Before Mr. Eroshenko left Japan in the summer of 1916 to go to Siam he asked me if I would go to Ejiri to help Mr. Torii with Esperanto and, he added, "the Bahá'í Cause." As I had learned to read and write Esperanto Braille, I was corresponding with Mr. Torii in Esperanto. He was editing a journal for the blind, and asked me to collaborate with him and write for it an article about the Bahá'í Revelation, which I was delighted to do. He had written Mr. Eroshenko that he felt a new spirit had come to Japan and he wrote me he felt the Bahá'í Cause would give light to the spirit of the blind people and added, "please guide me."

Mr. Torii had asked me if I would come to Ejiri the last week in August, as Mr. Nakamura, a blind teacher who had spent two years in a school in England, was going to be there then and would interpret for us. On August 22, while in Matsushima, I wrote: "In a few days I will be with some blind friends who have asked me to visit them. The friend of Mr. Eroshenko's (Mr. Torii) writes me that he is sorry he is only a poor young man and cannot give me the right reception, but, he says, 'I will receive the eternal riches from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and await you with spiritual joy.' At his request I have written about the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, which will be printed in Braille in the Journal for the Blind."

In order to go to Ejiri, I returned to Tokyo. It was exceedingly hot and I became ill. It seemed as though I could not be of help to anyone and even dear Mrs. Augur said she thought ‘Abdu'l-Bahá would not want me to go. Perhaps it was God's purpose to empty me of everything that He might use me. When the morning came to go, putting some Bahá'í literature in my suitcase, I went to the train. After a ride of five hours, Mr. and Mrs. Torii and Mr. Nakamura met me at Ejiri and guided me to a Japanese Inn. As Ejiri was a town where no foreigners lived, it was the only place for me to stay. We had a visit and then they left me. Throughout that night there was geisha music and noise in the Inn and I spent a sleepless night. In the morning when the dear friends came I read them from the book Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká and other Bahá'í writings. Mr. Nakamura was then teaching in a Christian school for the blind in Tokyo, and was the editor of the only religious journal for the blind in Japan. He asked me if I would write about the Bahá'í Revelation for the blind women of Japan. He said I might be unlimited in the length of my article as nothing had yet been done for the blind women, whom he said had double darkness, that is, of spirit and body. He was devoting his time to try and better the condition of the blind in his land.

When I left Ejiri after a few days spent in reading and explaining the Bahá'í teachings, Mr. Torii told me that he wished to write to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, but he waited for the inspiration to come. On September 7, in the quiet hours of the night the inspiration came. What joy was mine when I received from him a beautiful letter addressed to the Beloved Master, written in Esperanto Braille! He wrote me that after I left, he walked with his Japanese wife in the fields and a great light and happiness came to him. His letter, which was the second letter to be sent from Japan to the Master from a Japanese follows:

Ejiri, Shizuoka, Japan

September 7, 1916.

Lordo de mia spirito!

Nun mi skribas Vin kun spirita gojego, tio ci estas grandega honoro por mi. Mi kredas ke tio kio mi skribas nun al Vi, alportas grandan gojon, spiritan povon kaj fortegon al mi. Mi petegas Vin ke, Ho mia Spirita Amanto, Vi ciam plunigu mian koron per amo, gojo, paco, spirita lumo kaj eterna espero. Donu al mi la fortegon por ke mi ciam povu ami miajn gefratojn, por ke mi povu labori por alportigi la eternan lumon al miaj karaj samsortanoj, tio estas blinduloj de Japanujo, car mi estas blinda por ke mi povu vidi Vian Belecon!

Dio sendu Lian Lumon, forton kaj benon al mi kaj miaj karaj Japanaj blinduloj. Tio ci estas mia prego kaj deziro al Vi, car miaj samsortaj geamikoj estas ankorau tute en malheleco, ambau en spirito kaj korpo, kiel Vi scias. Sed mi sentas, mi kredas ke la tagigo proksimigas al ni. Bo, ne sekigu la fonton de amo en mia koro. Gvidu nin kune kun Dio. Amu nin per Via Universala Amo, kaj beno nian belan tagigon!

Nia kara fratino, F-ino Aleksandro, visitis antau kelkaj tagoj kaj rakontis min pri Via granda Instruo, kaj donis al mi sian personan influon per kiu mia koro estas sankigita. Si gvidis min en spirita eterna lumo kaj guo, fratine. Mi scias ke Via instruo estas granda lumego por tute homaro. Mi volas penadi per disvastigi tinu ci bonegan sciigajon speciale inter miaj samsortoj, se tio etsus eble por mi. Uzu min kiel Vi volas kaj donu al mi spiritan povon kaj forton por batali en la milito de la universala paco!

Mi kredas ke mi povas ricevi de Vi forton kaj Benon. Estigu akra mian animon por ke mi povu audi Vian Vocon! Mi nenion havas por diri al Vi sed pregon kaj petegon al Vi. Tamen, mi scias ke Vi goje permesas min kaj Vi donas eternan lumon kaj spiritan forton.

Via malgranda servisto

Tokujiro Torii

In an article published in the Bahá'í World Vol. IV, Mr. Torii wrote of his spiritual experience thus: "It was a day in August, 1916, that I found the Eternal Light which I had sought and sought with a longing heart for a long time . . . At that time I was living in a town by the seashore . . . There came a messenger of the Kingdom of Abhá and lifted up the veil of my soul. . . . Since that bright morning of my spirit, everything in the world has changed for me."

For the sake of God, I went to Ejiri and He used me for His purpose. Of all the trips I have taken in Japan that one brought the greatest blessing and joy which extended and increased throughout the years spent in that country. It was the door which opened to the blind of Japan Cause of God, bringing them Eternal Life.

Tokujiro Torii was twenty-three years old, and like Mr. Eroshenko, lost his sight when he was three years old from fever. His soul was so ripe that it only needed a touch to set it aflame. In a letter of September 12, 1916 I wrote: "Mr. Torii is ready to do anything he can for the Cause and is already translating from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's words into Japanese. He learned English by listening at an English class for the sighted, but had no English books in Braille. He has no one to read English to him now. His little wife can only spell the words to him, but in this way he reads and translates. As we are planning soon to print a small book of the Bahá'í teachings in Japanese, we will also do the same in Braille for the blind. The donation for this work comes from a dear American brother."

In Tokyo I wrote for Mr. Nakamura the article, in the form of a letter, to the blind women, telling them of the hope and joy they would find in the Bahá'í Message. Mr. Nakamura translated it into Japanese Braille, and published and sent it out from his school. He said that usually the letters from the blind young women were very dull, but after they had read of the Bahá'í Message they became full of life. Several young women wrote of the light and consolation they received from the Bahá'í teachings. Mr. Nakamura kindly translated their letters to me. One of the young women especially found great inspiration and for a time we corresponded. This Braille booklet was not only the first of the Bahá'í teachings to be circulated among the blind in Japan but also the first pamphlet to be published in the Japanese language.

I wrote, "So the spiritual Dawn is surely drawing near for those people."

According the Google Translate, the text of this letter reads as follows...

Lord of my spirit!

Now I write you with spiritual joy, this is a huge honor for me. I believe that what I write now to You brings great joy, spiritual power and strength to me.

I beg you, O my Spiritual Beloved, you will always make my heart wake up with love, grace, peace, spiritual light and eternal hope. Give me the fortune so that I can always love my siblings, so that I can work to bring eternal love to my dear self-esteem, that is blind from Japan, as I am blind so I can see Your Beauty!

God sends His Light, strength and blessing to me and my dear Japanese blinds. This is my prego and my desire to you, since my same friends are still completely in darkness, both in spirit and body, as You know. But I'm sorry, I think the migration is coming to us. Bo, do not dry the source of love in my heart. Lead us together with God. Love us with Your Universal Love, and bless our beautiful dying!

Our dear sister, Miss Alexander, visited a few days ago and told me about Your great teachings, and gave me his personal influence through which my heart was sanctioned. If you guided me in spiritual eternal light and guo, sister. I know that Your teaching is a great light for all humanity. I want to try to spread you with a good news, especially in my case, if this may be possible for me. Use me as Thou wilt, and give me spiritual power and strength to fight in the war of universal peace!

I believe that I can get from you strength and blessing. Let my soul be sharpened so that I may hear Your Voice! I have nothing to tell you but prayer and supplication to you. However, I know that You gently allow me and You give eternal light and spiritual strength.

Your little servant

On February 12, 1913, 'Abdu'l-Bahá' had addressed the Paris Esperanto Society where he stated "everyone of us must study this language and make every effort to spread it so that each day it may receive a wider recognition, be accepted by all nations and governments of the world and become a part of the curriculum in all the public schools."

'Abdu'l-Bahá's February 12, 1913 talk to the Paris Esperanto Society, was reported in the "Star of the West" magazine...

Praise be to God, that Dr Zamenhof has created the Esperanto language. It has all the potential qualities of universal adoption. All of us must be grateful and thankful to him for his noble effort, for in this matter he has served his fellowmen well. He has constructed a language which will bestow divine benefits on all peoples. With untiring efforts and self-sacrifice on the part of its devotees it gives promise of universal acceptation. Therefore everyone of us must study this language and make every effort to spread it so that each day it may receive a wider recognition, be accepted by all nations and governments of the world and become a part of the curriculum in all the public schools. I hope that the business of the future conferences and congresses will be carried on in Esperanto. In the future two languages will be taught in the schools, one the native tongue, the other the international auxiliary language. Consider today how difficult is human communication. One may study 50 languages and yet travel through a country and still be at a loss. I, myself, know several of the Oriental languages, but know no Western tongue. Had this universal language pervaded the globe, I should have studied it and you would have been directly informed of my thoughts and I of yours and a special friendship would have been established between us.

Please send some teachers to Persia, if you can, so that they may teach Esperanto to the young people. I have written asking some of them to come here to study it. I hope that it will be promulgated very rapidly - then the world of humanity will find eternal peace; all the nations will associate with one another like mothers and sisters, fathers and brothers, and each individual member of the body politic will be fully informed of the thoughts of all

This talk was also covered in J.E. Esselmont's book Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era quotes 'Abdu’l-Bahá in the chapter entitled Universal Language:

At an Esperanto banquet given in Paris in February 1913, 'Abdu’l-Bahá said:—

Today one of the chief causes of the differences in Europe is the diversity of languages. We say this man is a German, the other is an Italian, then we meet an Englishman and then again a Frenchman. Although they belong to the same race, yet language is the greatest barrier between them. Were a universal auxiliary language in operation they would all be considered as one.

His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh wrote about this international language more than forty years ago. He says that as long as an international language is not adopted, complete union between the various sections of the world will be unrealized, for we observe that misunderstandings keep people from mutual association, and these misunderstandings will not be dispelled except through an international auxiliary language.

Generally speaking, the whole people of the Orient are not fully informed of events in the West, neither can the Westerners put themselves in sympathetic touch with the Easterners; their thoughts are enclosed in a casket—the international language will be the master key to open it. Were we in possession of a universal language, the Western books could easily be translated into that language, and the Eastern peoples be informed of their contents. In the same way the books of the East could be translated into that language for the benefit of the people in the West. The greatest means of progress towards the union of East and West will be a common language. It will make the whole world one home and become the strongest impulse for human advancement. It will upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity. It will make the earth one universal commonwealth. It will be the cause of love between the children of men. It will cause good fellowship between the various races.

Now, praise be to God that Dr. Zamenhof has invented the Esperanto language. It has all the potential qualities of becoming the international means of communication. All of us must be grateful and thankful to him for this noble effort; for in this way he has served his fellowmen well. With untiring effort and self-sacrifice on the part of its devotees Esperanto will become universal. Therefore every one of us must study this language and spread it as far as possible so that day by day it may receive a broader recognition, be accepted by all nations and governments of the world, and become a part of the curriculum in all the public schools. I hope that Esperanto will be adopted as the language of all the future international conferences and congresses, so that all people need acquire only two languages—one their own tongue and the other the international language. Then perfect union will be established between all the people of the world. Consider how difficult it is today to communicate with various nations. If one studies fifty languages one may yet travel through a country and not know the language. Therefore I hope that you will make the utmost effort, so that this language of Esperanto may be widely spread.

In the past, Bahá'ís were more active in learning and encouraging the learning of Esperanto, and the links between Esperanto and the Bahá'í Faith are numerous.  Ehsan Yarshater, the ex-Bahá'í founder and editor of Encyclopedia Iranica, notes how as a child in Iran he learned and taught Esperanto and that when his mother was visiting Haifa he wrote her a letter in Persian as well as Esperanto. L.L. Zamenhof's daughter, Lidia Zamenhof was a convert to the Bahá'í Faith. At the request of 'Abdu’l-Baha, Agnes Baldwin Alexander became an early advocate of Esperanto and used it to spread the Bahá’í teachings at meetings and conferences in Japan.

Due to the failure of Esperanto to gain significant traction, however, 'Abdu’l-Bahá's statements have been backtracked, such that Shoghi Effendi said

Regarding the subject of Esperanto; it should be made clear to the believers that while the teaching of that language has been repeatedly encouraged by 'Abdu’l-Bahá, there is no reference either from Him or from Bahá’u’lláh that can make us believe that it will necessarily develop into the international auxiliary language of the future. Bahá’u’lláh has specified in His Writings that such a language will either have to be chosen from one of the existing languages, or an entirely new one should be created to serve as a medium of exchange between the nations and peoples of the world. Pending this final choice, the Bahá’ís are advised to study Esperanto only in consideration of the fact that the learning of this language can considerably facilitate intercommunication between individuals, groups and Assemblies throughout the Bahá’í world in the present stage of the evolution of the Faith.