Photographs Illustrating the Wearing of Japanese Guntō

[Bruce Pennington]

*Note to self - don't automatically assume poorly aligned diamonds in ito means poor post-war re-wrap*

Good eye, John.

[Nazar]

From the local internet auction. Dated by August 10, 1914 if I read the date right.

 

 

 

 

[Hiro]

↑ It’s photographed very beautifully!

The text in the first image reads:

“MAINICHIKEN” (毎日軒)

（Address: ）Osaka Sennichimae大阪千日前, just west of Nankai-dōri南海通西入.
(This would be south of Osaka Castle, around the present-day Namba Station area.)

when I hear the word ‘ken’ (軒) today, I tend to think of a restaurant, but at that time it may actually have been the name of a photography studio.

 

The third image reads:

大正3年8月15日 August 15, Taishō 3 (1914)
歩兵 第８総隊 Infantry 8th Regiment Headquarters
陸軍中尉 服装 Imperial Japanese Army First Lieutenant’s Uniform
（NAME）瀧澤繁信 Takizawa Shigenobu

 

I think August 15 would have been a holiday period back then as well (the Obon season). I wonder whether the photography studio was open…？

Edited Tuesday at 07:25 PM by Hiro

[Nazar]

Thank you for translation and explanation, Hiro!

[Hiro]

I’m amazed that photographs from the Taishō era could survive in such beautiful condition.

Thank you very much for sharing them here!

[Hiro]

I would like to make a partial correction.

I previously translated 「聡隊」 as “総隊,” but in the military organizational terminology of that period, they may have referred to different units.These were probably pronounced the same (sōtai).

 

“Sōtai” (聡隊) is said to have been a colloquial designation or unit title referring to an internal formation within an infantry regiment, particularly a battalion-level unit. Rather than forcing an uncertain translation, I would prefer to leave the term untranslated and defer to those with greater expertise in historical military terminology. 

Edited Wednesday at 02:32 PM by Hiro