Edward Seidensticker, 86; translated Japanese books

TOKYO -- Edward Seidensticker, a leading scholar and translator of Japanese literature including the epic "Tale of Genji," died Sunday in Tokyo after slipping into a coma from a head injury suffered in April, said Tetsumi Yamaguchi, a longtime associate,

A native of Castle Rock, Colo., Mr. Seidensticker introduced English-speaking audiences to modern literary great Yasunari Kawabata, who received the 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature for his austere, subtle prose in "Snow Country" and other works.

Mr. Seidensticker won the National Book Award for Translation in 1971 for his work on another novel by Kawabata, "The Sound of the Mountain."

A prolific translator, Mr. Seidensticker was most widely recognized for his literary translation of "The Tale of Genji," an 11th-century epic by the courtesan Murasaki Shikibu chronicling the romantic adventures of a good-looking prince.

Mr. Seidensticker first traveled to Japan in September 1945, a month after the end of World War II, to serve as a diplomat during the US occupation of Japan.

He later taught at Sophia University in Tokyo, Stanford University, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan.