Plate Box Lid

[Stephen]

would appreciate any help

 

 

[Henry Wilson]

It is a classic example of characters written in cursive style （崩し字).  This website might help:

http://naruhodo.weebly.com/blog/introduction-to-kuzushiji

 

I have been pounding away at kuzushiji for a long time and never seem to get very far.  From experience, context seems to help to identify characters. 

 

I can see kanji 大平 (a possible family name) so I imagine the character afterwards is 作 or 造 (make/create).  Maybe. I can see date markers 一月吉日 so the kanji before could be one of the era names 平成　昭和　etc.  Possibly.  This could be verified (or not) by scanning and locating the characters in the cursive script tables.  The problem is that no one seems to write in the style the tables have listed!!! 

 

As for the rest it could well be down the rabbit hole.    At a guess the remainder might be a description of the plate.  Something like  龍図 平皿　(dragon design flat plate). The disheartening news is that if you ask a Japanese person (not trained in the art of reading cursive) they honestly don't have a clue either (sorry for the sweeping generalization).

 

The blacked-out bit reminds me of sword papers were the previous owner deletes their name as a way to protect their ID.

 

If you want to go all the way this might help too

https://www.nijl.ac.jp/pages/event/seminar/images/H27-kotenseki03.pdf

 

I hope someone can add more if possible and I hope these ramblings are of help.

[Stephen]

Thank you Henry!

[Henry Wilson]

My pleasure.

 

Still working on this bad boy

 

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/24675-translation-of-poems/

[Stephen]

Just noticed looking at the blacked out area, one can just about make out all the lower kanji, agree that it was prior owners name. 

[Henry Wilson]

A good read that is relevant to this discussion

 

https://markussesko.com/2018/02/26/challenges-of-translating-period-Japanese-sword-texts/

[Stephen]

I seen that on FB and thought of you Henry...tks

[Bugyotsuji]

Good link, Henry, so it's just around the next corner, then?

[Henry Wilson]

Good link, Henry, so it's just around the next corner, then? 

No, not even nearly BOO HOO...   I have a long way to go.  Hats off to Mr Sesko