help with writing on saya

[Mark]

there is writing on the saya of a cane style sword. I can not make out the meaning. Thanks for the help

[Bugyotsuji]

Mark, as a first step I ran a search and found this written in 'Sakura Jinja' shrine in Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%9C% ... E%E7%A4%BE

 

About 1/3 of the way down is 天莫空勾践　時非無范蠡

and the explanation is:

厳重な警護をかいくぐり守護館の庭に単身潜入した児島高徳は、桜の木の幹を削って白くなった所に、次のような十字詩を刻んだ（「白桜十字詩」と呼ばれる）。

 

天莫空勾践　時非無范蠡

【書き下し文】天、勾践を空（むな）しうすること莫（なか）れ。時に范蠡無きにしも非ず。

【大意】天は、呉との戦いに敗北し捕らわれた越王・勾践を見捨てなかったように、先帝を見捨てることもありません。勾践に范蠡という忠臣がいたように、先帝を助け出す忠臣が必ず現れましょう。

[Mark]

Piers,

 

Thanks! I appreciate the search. I tried a translation program and got

 

 

"Chopped (called white cherry cross poems and) cross poetry as you snuck a patron hotel garden single penetrate tight guard Kojima takatoku furiously cherry tree stem white at.

 

Tian Mo empty goujian made at non-無范 Li

[書き下し statement] heaven, goujian 空（むな）し till that he (average) and. When Fan Li 無きにしも非ず.

[Drift] heaven is abandoned, and servile defeated in battle with the Wu and Yue King goujian never forsake the late Emperor did not like. Make sure 現れましょう is a faithful servant, was a faithful servant named hanrei goujian led the late Emperor"

 

So i think the program is not getting the meaning of the Japanese text. Can someone give me the meaning? I am thinking it is a poem or saying

 

thanks again

[Bugyotsuji]

Hi Mark, yes, that sure makes a lot of sense, not! :lol:

 

I can get the general drift of the poem, and it is an interesting story with a sterling sentiment, but it would take me quite a long time to get names and places in Japanese and Chinese history down accurately without getting ostrich egg all over my face. I'll hold off in case someone else can step in for you. If I get some time over the next couple of days and no-one else has helped, then I'll start playing with it.

[Mark]

Piers

 

Thanks! Maybe someone else will know what it is, it is an interesting research project. Thanks for the lead and pointing out the right direction.

[cabowen]

Here's what I gather....

 

it is a ten kanji classical poem written　by 児島高徳 Kojima Takanori that was written on a the white flesh of a shaved cherry tree branch that was taken from the garden outside of where the emperor was being held. He was attempting to infiltrate and rescue the emperor, if I understand the story correctly, and wrote this while pausing/hiding in the garden.

 

He was from Okayama and was from the early Nanbokucho period when there were two courts....

 

The poem itself is paraphrased from the Chinese into Japanese above in Pier's post. Heaven, emperor, loyalty, struggle, don't forsake.....you can get the drift.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Mark, yes, that sure makes a lot of sense, not! :lol:

 

I can get the general drift of the poem, and it is an interesting story with a sterling sentiment, but it would take me quite a long time to get names and places in Japanese and Chinese history down accurately without getting ostrich egg all over my face. I'll hold off in case someone else can step in for you. If I get some time over the next couple of days and no-one else has helped, then I'll start playing with it.

[Mark]

Thanks Chris and Piers.

 

That makes sense. The poem is on a cane sword made to look like a branch of a cherry tree with a section shaved off and the poem written there.

[cabowen]

Thanks Chris and Piers.

 

That makes sense. The poem is on a cane sword made to look like a branch of a cherry tree with a section shaved off and the poem written there.

 

makes perfect sense in this context......glad to have been of help....

[Bugyotsuji]

Kojima Takanori is a sort of hero in Japan. I have just found out some more information and I will include this with photos over the next day or three...

 

Here are two or three to start with, and then the mystery will deepen. (with any luck)

You can see him holding the brush in the ink drawing, and one of these pics purports to show him holding a brush in his right hand and sumi in his left. (?)

[Bugyotsuji]

The mystery will be a) what is in the box, b) who is the creator of the object in the box, and c) what is written on the 'hidden' paper?

 

Anyone ready to start?

[runagmc]

we're always ready for a good mystery

[Bugyotsuji]

Just about to have a bath & hit the sack... but you caught me!

 

Some of the answers are out there now. Kojima Takanori is the guy who wrote the immortal poem to Godaigo Tenno who was being carted off to exile on Oki, quoted on the saya at the start of this thread.

 

The next question is how to get the paper out of the base. I had a pick at it with a pointed bamboo Kushi stick but it is rock hard and wedged solid.

 

If no-one has anything to offer, I will post what little I know about the maker of the little bronze Okimono sometime tomorrow.

[runagmc]

you could try tweezers... gently...

[Mark]

thanks for the pictures! great to learn a little about history.

[Bugyotsuji]

The name Kudara on the little statue tells us it was made by the family of gunsmiths and cannon-makers of the castle town of Tsuyama. (The other day I posted a picture of a Kudara cannon guarding the front entrance to Osaka Castle central keep.) Near Tsuyama is In-no-sho where they kept Emperor Godaigo locked up and Kojima Takanori wrote his poem on the tree.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95% ... %BE%B3.jpg

 

The name 'Kudara' can also be read 'Paekche', a historical kingdom situated on the west coast or Korea, which suggests they were artisans brought over at some time in history from the K peninsula.

 

Apparently a statue was commissioned and made for Tsuyama, (can be seen in the gardens of a museum there) and at that time several small Okimono were made out of the remains of the bronze, one of which you can see above with the paper wedged in the base.

 

Now Ukita Hideie, the Lord of Okayama who was betrayed at the battle of Sekigahara, used the first character of the name Kojima as his battle standard. 兒島 The old version of 児 He traced his roots to a port by the sea, and there are suggestions that he himself was of Korean ancestry.

 

Now you have to wonder why the bronze cannon maker Kudara was commissioned to make a bronze statue of Kojima Takanori? Is there common Korean ancestry there? Or is there a much more prosaic reason, such as the fact that bronze casting cannot be done by just anyone?