Mei or what else?

[Roland]

Dear NMB members,

 

I found the following inscription on the nakago of a Wak of the Shinto or Shinshinto era which once (so my educated guess) was owned by a prominent member of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After several attempts to decipher it (using tools like the Nihonto Kanji Pages etc.) I'm still not able to translate it. So my hope is that the cumulative competetence of you all is able to solve the riddle of this Wak.

 

Any kind of help is highly appreciated...

[Nobody]

The inscription is not a mei but some kind of slogans at wartime.

I will show only the kanji for now FYI.

 

1st part;

 

æ­¦é‹é•·ä¹…

 

2nd part;

 

敵艦撃沈

 

[Roland]

Dear Koichi-san,

 

I appreciate your assistance very much. But please be lenient toward my awkward efforts to master the complexity of Kanji...

 

I read:

 

bu-(tatsu?)-cho-kyu = something like: military (success?) lasts (shall last, may last) forever

 

and

 

teki-kan-(???)-chin = something like: Sink (each, every, all?) enemy warship

 

Seems that more or less correct for you?

 

If so then this inscription sounds very patriotic indeed and in so far appropriate for a navy officer of higher rank during the WW1.

 

Again thanks a lot for your kind help.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Similar to the ones on Sakè cups...

 

Let's try...

 

 

(may you) sink (all/many) enemy warships

 

 

and

 

 

((I pray for your) lasting military fortune

 

[Nobody]

I read:

 

bu-(tatsu?)-cho-kyu = something like: military (success?) lasts (shall last, may last) forever

 

and

 

teki-kan-(???)-chin = something like: Sink (each, every, all?) enemy warship

The readings are "Bu-un Chokyu" and "Tekikan Gekichin".

And Carlo's translations are perfect.

[Brian]

Well done Carlo! Who says sake cups don't help with swords.

 

Brian

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I read a similar one on a Sensui (submarine) cup, rare item for obvious reasons.

I wonder if this is a regular length sword or

a short one. Any pic of the whole blade ?

 

EDIT : first post states it's a waki.

[pcfarrar]

Why ask for a translation when it is already given on the auction?

 

I would urge caution the ownership might be gimei. It does look to be a very nice wakizashi though..

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130212263404

[Roland]

Pardon, Peter,

 

but what's told on ebay and what's definitely true, are two quite different things. And moreover my Kanji know-how is quite rudimental :-) And especially when I did read the published translations with their quite partriotic meaning I was in doubt about their authenticity. Even when the source is an well known ebayer with good reputation like historian333.

[Stephen]

how can it be on Ebay UK?

 

Roland when we ask about items on ebay please place them in that fourm, and id harldy ever second guess Mike.