Cloisonne Kanji Translation Help Please

[hddennis]

Just found this vase which looked like many others until I noticed the column of kanji engraved down one side. I've never seen this before and wonder what it says. It has 2 kanji on top with a space followed by 6 other kanji

 

Thanks,

Howard Dennis

[SteveM]

記念　日本放送協會

 

Kinen Nihon Hōsōkyōkai

 

NHK (Japanese national broadcast company) commemorative item. 

[Fuuten]

Note that most creator marks or signatures are generally on the bottom. When and if there is an inscription like yours on the side it is generally a statement or commemorative/celebratory object.

[hddennis]

Thanks, I appreciate the help. Any guess as to why this would have been made? As a gift to someone connected to NHK, retirement or  marking the founding of NHK?

 

Howard Dennis

[SteveM]

A retirement gift would have a different phrase on it. "Commemoration" is a pretty broad phrase, so it could be a generic gift that was made in some quantity (although not necessarily factory made) to be given out in a variety of circumstances: gift for an important visitor, important guest on a show, corporate sponsor, someone who contributed to a program, etc...

 

It could also be a gift related to a ceremony that marked the foundation of NHK, as you said. 

 

The writing uses the old kanji variant of 會 (会 is the modern form, used from sometime in the 50s onward). The kanji for 送 is also an old variant. So the writing could possibly date from the middle of last century. But occasionally you still find these old forms being used when people want the writing to reflect a certain formality, so the old kanji characters aren't necessarily a guarantee of age. In any event, a nice-looking vase.