KANJI WRITTEN ON A SWORD BOX

[Gilles]

Dear gentlemen,

 

I bought a long time ago a Koa Isshin sword with the logo of the South Manchurian Railway Company. The date use the zodiacal dating system, it is 1938 if I remind me well. This sword was stored in a box with kanji(s) on the lid. Can you help me translating them? Please see the photos.

For what I understand, it says that this sword was given to an Italian official........

[John A Stuart]

松岡洋右 Yosuke Matsuoka. John

[Gilles]

Dear John,

 

Thank you very much.

I think it is Yōsuke Matsuoka , (March 3, 1880 – June 26, 1946). He was a Japanese diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II. He was also vice-president and president of the South Manchuria Railway.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon Gilles,

 

If it helps, I get Paolo Bompardo from the literal katakana, but could that be Paolo Lombardo?

 

Cheers

[kunitaro]

Dear Gilles san,

It is written,

 

贈　パオロ　ホムパルド殿

Gift to Mr.Paulo Hompardo or Lombardo ?

 

満鉄製作　日本刀　

Mantetsu seisaku(made) Nihonto

 

松岡洋右

Matsuoka Yosuke

 

It is very interesting !

[Gilles]

Dear Kunitaro san,

 

Thank you so much for your help.

 

I am going to post some pictures of the nakago on Military Sword of Japan folder.

[Drago]

贈　パオロ　ホムパルド殿

Gift to Mr.Paulo Hompardo or Lombardo ?

 

Isn't this ボムパルド? (bo-mu-pa-ru-do)

But I seriously have no idea how to read that - Bompardo? Is that an Italian name? "Bompard" is a French name though.

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Tobias,

 

I reckon it's Lombardo.

 

Cheers

[Drago]

But wouldn'T they use "ロ" for the "lo" in Lombardo?

[Justin Grant]

Matsuoka and his famous League of Nations speech

 

http://www.historicfilms.com/tapes/1307

[kunitaro]

Yes ! ボムパルド　

Bompard(o) ???

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Tobias,

 

"But wouldn'T they use "ロ" for the "lo" in Lombardo?"

 

I'm not sure, I was thinking from the viewpoint of sometimes what we hear and how we turn it into a phonetic can be a matter of if the phonetic has been passed down the line a number of times; particularly so if the person writing the Katakana on the Hakogaki does not have a precise knowledge of western naming.

 

Conversely for example, in the very early 1960's before real instruction books were available, the Karate Technique Shuto uke was often written down as Sto kee, because when the Japanese Sensei visited and taught en masse, the inflective sound was 'Shtou Ke and thus became Sto kee, to us in South Wales at least.

 

Just a thought.

 

Cheers

[Jean]

Malcom,

 

For me Sto kee was soto uke and not shuto uke.

[Drago]

Hm... True.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good evening Jean

 

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

 

Cheers

[Jean]

Seventeen years of training in shotokan and wado ryu

[Kiipu]

On 4/8/2014 at 8:22 AM, Gilles said:

For what I understand, it says that this sword was given to an Italian official.

 

Paolo Bompard パオロ ボムパルド was part of the Italian PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista) Mission that visited Japan and Manchukuo in March and April 1938.

 

4. BOMPARD, Paolo. (Bologna 1887)

Doctor in Jurisprudence.

Director, Bank of Rome.

Commendatore, Order of the Crown of Italy.

Representative: Fascist Confederation of Insurance and Credit Houses.

 

Cross-Reference

koa isshin with the South Manchurian Railway Company logo

[Kiipu]

贈パオロ、ボムパルド殿　Oku Paoro Bomuparudo-dono [Gift to Mr. Paolo Bompard].

満鉄製作　日本刀　松岡洋右　Mantetsu seisaku　Nihontō　Matsuoka Yōsuke [Manufactured by South Manchuria Railway　Japanese Sword　Matsuoka Yōsuke].

 

Mr. Matsuoka was president of South Manchuria Railway at the time of the gift.

Yōsuke Matsuoka