Peface
Peface
The present author expresses his thanks to the Head of Department of Literature, Pajajaran University, Bandung, who kindly presented the authentic copy of Carita Parahiyangan (the original Sundanese and modern Indonesian versions), when a request was conveyed by courtesy of Prof. Cynthia Radiman, Bandung Institute of Technology. He also thanks to Prof. Naohiro Matsunami, Department of Philosophy, Gakushuin University, a specialist of the Chinese and Indian philosophies, for giving advice for the interpretation of Chinese literature. Special thanks are due to Prof. Emeritus Kohji Tashiro, Toyota Technological Institute , for discussing on the geometrical calculation of latitude from the shadow of gnomon. He also contributed a Foreword for this book and kindly checked the final manuscript. The present author should add that he owes much to Prof. Emeritus Malcolm R. Mackley, Cambridge, who kindly edited the text from the front matter to Chapters 5 to bring it up to be smoothly readable as English.
Dr. Masatoshi Iguchi, born in 1938 in Nagoya, Japan, had finished the Graduate School of Tokyo Institute of Technology, awarded a doctor of engineering in 1966. He served most of his career time for a governmental research institution under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Japan, to work in the area of polymer science and technology until retired in 1999. Then, he obtained a fellowship from the Science and Technology Agency, Japan, and worked at Bogor Research Station for Rubber Technology, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, for three years. After retired from full-time occupations in 2002, he became interested also in the history and culture, viz. of Indonesia. He published the following books in the category of history and culture.
(1) Marquis Tokugawa, Journeys to Java - translated by M. Iguchi, ITB Press, 2004.
(2) Marquis Tokugawa, Perdjalanan moenoedjoe Djawa, diterjemahkan oleh Ririn A, dan Aprianti I. , Penerbit ITB 2006 (Retranslation to Indonesian from the above English translation).
(3) 井口正俊,ジャワ探究 − 南の国の歴史と文化, Maruzen, Tokyo 丸善, 東京 2013 (Masatoshi Iguchi, Java Quest: The History and Culture of a Southern Country , Maruzen, Tokyo 東京 2013
(4) Masatoshi Iguchi, Java Essay: The History and Culture of a Southern Country, Troubador, Leicester, UK 2015.
(5) Masatoshi Iguchi, Gutta Percha: A Journey, With Appendices on Xylonite (Celluloid)/Amber & Copal, Amazon.com, 2021.
(6) Masatoshi Iguchi, The Identification of "Holotan Country" recorded in the Chinese Book of Sung with reference to the Wangsakerta Manuscripts, Japan E-book Technology Dissemination Association, 30 April 2024
Designed by the present author with the image of The Old Book of Tang Vol. 197, Biography Series 147, South Barbarians, West South Barbarians, 訶陵國, reproduced from the website of Chinese Text Project (中國哲學書電子化計劃): https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=75815&page=83
Designed by the present author with the original 300 dpi image of Queen Shima (Sima) by a modern artist, Mr. Wasikendedes (Muhammad Farihul Wasi), as that shown in the website: https://www.deviantart.com/wasikendedesartwork/art/Ratu-Shima-700069391
Chapter
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