Translation of old document

[Yves]

Can someone translate what this text says? 

[Bazza]

Hmmmm - is it a kofuda??

 

BaZZa.

[Yves]

Apparently this is Italic Japanese or something, called Kuzushi-ji

[Bugyotsuji]

I guess BaZZa is asking for some context.

[Yves]

Oh, black seal document presumably from Tokugawa Ieyasu

 

[SteveM]

You have a better shot of the seal? Ieyasu's name should be in the middle of the black seal. 

 

It looks like his handwriting. Dated August 26th, but no year indicated. 

[Yves]

2 hours ago, SteveM said:

You have a better shot of the seal? Ieyasu's name should be in the middle of the black seal. 

 

It looks like his handwriting. Dated August 26th, but no year indicated. 

Sorry, no, the seal looks a bit faded. Importantly though it seems to also say Osaka. This would mean it's probably from between Sekigahara and Ieyasu being officially named Shogun and moving his seat of power to Edo. 

[SteveM]

I don't see any Osaka on there. It looks like its possibly his seal #8 below, particularly the part in the red circle. The seal was in use c.1602-1607 (according to the site at the link below, from which I've snipped the photo of the seals). 

 

Many fakes in the world of Japanese antiques, so always best to keep your guard up.  

 

 

 

 

https://raisoku.com/5863

 

 

 

 

[Yves]

1 hour ago, SteveM said:

I don't see any Osaka on there. It looks like its possibly his seal #8 below, particularly the part in the red circle. The seal was in use c.1602-1607 (according to the site at the link below, from which I've snipped the photo of the seals). 

 

Many fakes in the world of Japanese antiques, so always best to keep your guard up.  

 

 

 

 

https://raisoku.com/5863

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that Steve. Any idea what the text says?

 

[SteveM]

If I had to take a slightly wild but slightly educated guess, I would say it's an official order to a retainer/ally, notifying that ally of his new posting. The first letter is 就 which indicates its an order. The far left is the addressee, and I'm not sure but I think its 大嶋囗囗どのへ　(To the Honorable Mr. Oshima), and if I jump to conclusions I can imagine it is a letter to Oshima Mitsuyoshi, a longstanding ally of Tokugawa, who was a really, really old man by the time Tokugawa was Shogun, and Tokugawa I think awarded Oshima some cushy posting where he could live out his days in comfort. 

[SteveM]

Ōshima Mitsuyoshi

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/大島光義

 

Only in Japanese, but Google can probably do a decent job of translating it. 

I don't know if the letter is actually addressed to Oshima Mitsuyoshi, but as often happens when translating, once a thought enters your mind you kind of fall into a confirmation bias loop from which it is hard to escape. 

So, that's the long way of saying I could be wrong. 

 

In this person's case, 大嶋 = 大島. Both are Ōshima.

 

[Yves]

Thank you very much Steve. Interesting, but the value is debatable I think.