Nutty nut

[Bugyotsuji]

Nut Netsuke, but cannot make out the reading. Any ideas/pointers welcome.

 

Piccie file was too big; coming in a minute!

 

[k morita]

Hi,

As for the meaning, a worldly man like me doesn't understand the meaning though I think that it is wisdom of Zen maybe.

[Bugyotsuji]

Morita sama, this is very kind of you to take the time to read this.

 

Would you say "Man-moku-hi-rin-yo", and would the meaning be something like "Wherever I look, I see a world that is not in accordance with spiritual law" (?)

 

Is that Daruma on the right, and could this be what he was thinking when he sat down in the cave for many years? Is that why he shut his eyes, perhaps?

 

Many questions, but the last one is how to read the Mei. Would you think it might be Sho-sen-to To?

[Bugyotsuji]

PS A friend has just sent me this. Does it add or subtract, I wonder?

 

I think the kanji of the netsuke is「満目非輪三十」。

「満目」means "as far as you can see"

But the meaning of「輪三十」is not very clear for me. I guess it may be related to the saying of Laotzu as I pasted bellow.

Virtually, it can read 「満目、輪三十に（は）非ず」。

I am happy if this can be useful for you.

 

PS:老子道徳経 11章

三十輻共一轂。

"Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub"

當其無、有車之用。　

挺埴以爲器。

當其無、有器之用。

鑿戸以爲室。

當其無、有室之用。

故有之以爲利。

無之以爲用。

[W K Clifford]

well, the discussion is getting profound here, man.

 

I suggest to put the punctuation in the middle: 滿目非，輪三十

 

but this sort of thing is meant to be vague...

[Bugyotsuji]

Quote: but this sort of thing is meant to be vague...

 

I like it! :lol:

 

(Although the carver probably knew exactly what he wanted to say!)

 

Can you provide an English translation of the words, YimuYin?

 

Oh, and lastly, does it look Japanese or Chinese to you?

[John A Stuart]

'If one isn't satisfied with what is seen, look 30 times.' My take on it, anyway. John

[Bugyotsuji]

'If one isn't satisfied with what is seen, look 30 times.' My take on it, anyway. John

 

Aaaarrrgggghhhh.......... I thought we were getting closer, and now I am all at sea again. Help! Thanks for the first offer of an English version, John!

[John A Stuart]

I apologise Piers. It just gives me the feel of nothing being seen at first glance, so keep looking. Probably wrong, :lol: John

[W K Clifford]

Oh, and lastly, does it look Japanese or Chinese to you?

 

In this sort of text I do not think there are perceptible differences between Japanese and Chinese. Grammars are based on ancient Chinese and contents are buddist teachings. it is not unlike the theological texts written in Latin by the monks in the middle ages in Europe.

 

I'd more or less agree with John's translation of 滿目非, but its subtext means that the world is in peril or in chaos. The 輪三十 part is hard. but it should not mean "look thirty times". it could simply mean, actually, pray thirty times, since 輪 or 法輪 has something to do with praying. Or it could mean have this peril or suffering over and over for thirty times. this makes sense since this is buddist teaching. or, maybe the Loatze reference above is what it aims at, since Zen does take strongly after Daoism.

 

what do you think?

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, I think the meaning will change depending on whether the last character should be read '30' or 'world'. I was hoping that Morita san might come back and offer his further thoughts. (A collector friend sent me this photograph and asked if I could help him decypher it.) My calligraphy friend is sometimes wrong, but Morita san is rarely wrong! :D (I hope that Morita san can be my friend too...) I respect both of them and their opinions, and I am still open to further advice.

 

I had imagined that the first two characters were a phrase on their own, and that a comma should go after them.

 

Then I was thinking that 非would go with 輪 or 輪世, because in both Japanese and Chinese the word 非tends to come before what it is negating.

 

I understand the text is probably old Chinese, and this was learnt all over the Orient, but I was wondering if the writing was more typical of Japanese So-script, or of Chinese calligraphy. Actually my gut feeling says Japanese, but the whole thing lacks a really old feeling to it.

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, egg on my face. I have just discovered that the Kanji for 世 and 三十 are just about interchangeable. They come up together in my etymological dictionary. '30 years' means (or meant) 'one human lifetime' or 'one generation', or 'the human world'.

[k morita]

Hi, :D

I got the meaning of the inscription and the carving.

We difficultly thought too much, about interpretation of the characters.

The meaning of the kanji-characters is the world on the surface of the nut seen from Daruma carved on the surface of the nut.

 

So,the meaning is,( Daruma said) "The world is not flat as far as the eye can reach".

(満目非輪世) is right.

There is a humour in carving this nut.

Because the surface of the nut is a curved surface. :lol:

[Bugyotsuji]

I had a funny feeling it was going to be something clever like that! Thank you so much, Morita san, that is brilliant!!!

[W K Clifford]

Brilliant!

 

This confirms what I have long suspected: Darma was a differential geometer!

[John A Stuart]

Amazed as always, Morita san. John