Photo: Tiputini / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ko Tazawa is one of those people who makes you stop and think about the roads not taken. Born in Yokohama in 1953, he somehow ended up at the University of Barcelona studying Catalan philology — not exactly the obvious move for a kid from Kanagawa. He spent his life as a translator, philologist, and author, quietly building bridges between Japanese readers and the Spanish-speaking world at a time when that kind of work was genuinely rare and painstaking. The Sant Jordi Cross he received from Spain in 2003 tells you everything: this wasn't a guy chasing fame, it was the Catalan cultural establishment saying "hey, this person actually matters to us." He passed away in September 2022 at 69, just two days after his birthday, which feels weirdly poetic for someone who dedicated his whole life to language and the weight of words. The quiet ones leave the deepest marks.
Overview
Ko Tazawa (1953–2022) was a Japanese translator, philologist, and author born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He studied at the University of Barcelona, where he developed deep expertise in Spanish-language literature and philology. Over the course of his career he served as a cultural bridge between Japan and the Spanish-speaking world, earning the Cross of Sant Jordi, a prestigious Catalan cultural honor, in 2003. He passed away on September 24, 2022, at the age of 69.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ko Tazawa
- Name (Japanese)
- 田澤耕
- Reading
- たざわ こう
- Born
- September 22, 1953 – September 24, 2022
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Snake (巳)
- Origin
- Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Occupation
- Translator / Philologist / Author
2. Background
- High school
- Yamate Gakuin Junior & Senior High School
- University
- University of Barcelona
Awards & achievements
- 2003 — Cross of Sant Jordi
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%B0%E6%BE%A4%E8%80%95
Frequently asked questions
When was Ko Tazawa born?
September 22, 1953 – September 24, 2022.
Where is Ko Tazawa from?
Ko Tazawa is from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
What does Ko Tazawa do?
Ko Tazawa works as Translator, Philologist, Author.
Translator — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.