Warabite display ivory mei????

[Lindus]

Would be very interested if any can translate this small Ivory plaque,imbedded into a wood bowl along with a Warabite relic and other items

http://collectorsloot.homestead.com/Coupe.html

{See Dr.Turks comment}

Help would be most appreciated.

 

Roy

[Henry Wilson]

It looks a bit like this

 

造乾

市谷

 

but a quick websearch on these kanji do not yeild much sense!

[Lindus]

Thanks Henry,was an off chance as it will be some obscure artist working early 20th century.

Cheers

Roy

[Baka Gaijin]

If it helps Roy

 

Based on Henry's observations and using top right down to top left down within the cartouche:

 

乾 On reading - Kan, Ken or Gen ( ? ) Kun reading - Kawaku ( ? )

 

谷 On reading - Koku or Yoku ( ? ) Kun reading - Tani (Valley)

 

造 On reading - Zo ( ? ) Kun reading - Tsukuru (Make)

 

市 On reading - Shi (City) Kun reading - Ichi (Market)

 

乾谷 shows up as a place called Inuidani, which is east of Osaka

 

 

Cheers

[Henry Wilson]

You are indeed correct. Concerning the first one:

 

乾 Read as "ken" it means heaven, read as "hoshi" it means dried, read as "inui" it means northwest. (according to my dictionary.) It probably has more readings too as it is often seen in Japanese as 乾く "kawaku" which means to get dry.

 

喉が乾いた　nodo ga kawaita can translate as "I am thirsty"

[Baka Gaijin]

Good evening Henry,

 

I have found quite a few Hanzi combinations containing 造市 "zàoshì", they mostly seem to relate to factories and similar places of production.

 

Having spent some idle time checking through Nelson, I wonder if "Zoshi" 造市 or something close to it, was a Meiji period term for a factory or a workshop?

 

Also Roy, have you tried a magnet on the warabi?

 

Just curious

 

Cheers

[Nobody]

The last character might be 帀 (so/meguru).

[Henry Wilson]

I couldn't find that kanji so thanks for including Nobody. I think that is correct compared to 市。

For those who don't have a Japanese dictionary in there browser, 帀 means "to turn around" if that is of any help.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning Henry and thank you Moriyama san for your valued input.

 

The 造帀 combination shows on quite a number of Hanzi sites and generally seems is used to describe something that is made.

 

So I wonder if "Zosō" 造帀 was the Meiji term for something that was made or manufactured?

 

 

Cheers

[Lindus]

Also Roy, have you tried a magnet on the warabi?

 

Just curious

 

Cheers

 

Yes Malcolm,it is attracted but not strongly. More rust than metal I suspect.

 

The thoughts on this would seem to be about right,made/assembled in a workshop,Meiji period. Would have been nice to have had a name but I suppose it would have been impossible to find the man.

 

Thanks all

[k morita]

Hi,

Last Kanji means "stamp" 印

 

Inuidani or Kenya ia a family name or place name.

乾谷造印

 

So this stamp means "Made by(in) Inuidani/Kenya".

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning Morita san

 

Thank you very much for your input on this.

 

Would it be correct to think of the last kana "印" being something like the "aratame" stamp on Woodblock prints, the Meiji equivalent of our current trademark or copyright symbols?

 

How would it have been pronounced?

 

May I also ask you what is the source of your illustration showing the kana in its varying forms?

 

Is it an on-line resource or a book?

 

Morita san, if I might be even more inquisitive, would I be correct to read the 俗 above each varient as Jōyō, Na or Zoku, and does this mean a kana for common use?

 

Roy, searching Inuidani as a place, there are three in Kyoto prefecture and one in Hyogo prefecture.

 

I couldn't find a Kenya...apart from where the coffee beans come from...

 

Cheers

[Lindus]

Morita san & Malcolm

That is splendid stuff,thank you for your efforts.

Regards

Roy

[k morita]

Although Kanjis of the Zoku mark were not formal, people generally used it at the old time.

 

I used [Nan-Ji Tai-Kan]難字大鑑 as a reference book. :D

[Baka Gaijin]

Thank you for the information Morita san.

 

I've found a few references to it:

 

Nan-Ji Dai-Jiten

 

by Yamada Katsumi

 

Published: Kashiwa shobō, 1976 or 1979

 

 

Cheers