Help in translation of an old Spanish manuscript

[IanB]

All, For many years I have been researching the diplomatic gifts of Japanese arms and armour to Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. I have by and large sorted out who received what and the subsequent movements of the gifts between various royal courts. Most of the armours were given to the Spanish throne, by the Tensho and Keicho missions. By the good graces of A. Del Campo, curator of the Real Armeria in Madrid, I have a copy of an inventory of 1585 that describes two of the armours and a copy of an instruction to transfer an armour from King Philip II's Treasure House to the Real Armeria. Both are in manuscript, written by clerks who used abbreviations and specialist terms. They also had the annoying habit of running words together which has proved confusing to a non Spanish reader like me. I have by and large translated the descriptions in the two documents, but several words and phrases so far defy all attempts at elucidation. Is there any member of this group, with a sufficient understanding of Spanish, who might be prepared to help me out? There are only a few words and one sentence that are really causing me trouble.

 

Ian Bottomley

[Stephen]

Ian

 

I have been helping a new member locate officers sword, he is member Javi from Spain, id contact him and see where it goes, hope he can help. Ill forward this thread to him as well.

[Javi E]

hey Ian,

 

as Stephen say, I´m from Spain, i can help you, the old spanish is very diferent to actual spanish also the writing, but sure i can help you.

just send me a email with your doubts.

[IanB]

Stephen and Javi, Thank you so much for the offer. I will scan in the relevant pieces of text this evening.

Ian

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Hi Ian. If you're interested also in the italian time of the Tenshō mission it might help to read

 

Dall'Isola del Giapan: La prima ambasceria giapponese in Occidente, by Yasunori Gunji, Unicopli publisher, Milano 1985

ISBN 88 7061523 5 .

 

Hardly more info on armor, anyway.

 

[IanB]

Carlo, Thank you for that. I have a couple of exhibition catalogues from Sendai Museum that contains several of these letters. Sadly they tend not to mention gifts. It is the surviving armours and inventories of European armouries that has proved most vauluable.

 

Stephen and Javi, I have scanned in the most important parts of the manuscript. The first is the instruction to move an armour and other things. I can read: ' Things to be delivered from the Guarda Joyas ? of China ?' I am sure I can read the number seven in the second line. I would like it to say seven armours but that is wishful thinking.

The second scan is part of the description of the armour. Again I can read:'A black morion of the same ?, a ( this word penache is almost certainly a crest) of gilded leather and in the centre a ?? of a cross ? pf black fur and ?? black and white' The cross makes sense since the armour is decorated with the Shimazu kamon. They have load wrong way around, but you will see which is which.

Ian

[Javi E]

Hi Ian,

 

this is what i can decifer quickly, i will try to decifer slowly with more time:

 

"Un Morrión Negro de lo mismo con su barrote* y un penacho de cuero dorado y en medio del un campo berde con dos cruces y delante dos colas Negras de pelo y unas barras blancas y negras"

 

"Las cosas Q se entregaron del Guarda joyas de su M, traydas de la china al M* Francisco berdugo* en beynte y siete de Honori* de Decy 1603"

 

I´m not sure with the words with *. You was right about the Guarda joyas. about the 7 you see, i think it´s the date, 27th of december of 1603. "veintisiete" in actual spanish.

 

let me know if you need a translation to the english.

[IanB]

Javi, Thank you so much. You have really helped. I suspect the word 'barrote' might actually be 'barbote' , the upright of the second b being missing. This I assume would be the face mask associated with the helmet.

Ian

[Javi E]

yes Ian!! you´re right, it´s barbote.

 

you can find a definition of the words here:

 

http://www.rae.es/rae.html

 

some words are old and doesn´t appear, for example

 

1.barbote: it´s a Small stick(wood) or bar of silver that, stuffed into the low lip, take as emblem some of Indians of the Argentina.

 

2.babera: Piece of the ancient armor that was covering the mouth, beard and jawbones.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Guess they had an hard time in describing a Menpo.

 

Hereunder a venetian "Barbuta", helmet with cheecks protections :

[IanB]

Carlo, That style of helmet is known in English as a barbute from its Italian name (most or all having being made there). Exactly why they get this name is not known, the commonest reason quoted being that it revealed the beard. A typical unlikely story. This example would have been made in the early 15th century and has been re-used during the 16th or early 17th century by the Venetians who added the gilded copper decoration. It would have had velvet or similar rich cloth glued to the surface during the refurbishment but this has obviously rotted away.

Ian B

[Stephen]

2.babera: Piece of the ancient armor that was covering the mouth, beard and jawbones.

 

where the word barber came from? Like Barber Rosa is red beard

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

2.babera: Piece of the ancient armor that was covering the mouth, beard and jawbones.

 

where the word barber came from? Like Barber Rosa is red beard

 

Guess it comes from latin Barbarus derived from greek Barbaros, "that speak a not

understandable language". Being in later times applied to persians and german populations,

with hostile meaning. Germans usually had beard but in sanskrit "varvaras" means "wooly hair"

so might be this played a role when the mix-up of the meanings begun in middle east.

[Bugyotsuji]

"Barbotte" in R Cotgrave's A Dictionary of the French & English tongues 1611, is explained in English thus: "The chinne peece of an helmet."

 

"Barboter" is "To mumble, or mutter words betweene the teeth."

 

Since this chin piece often had a piece of beard on it, and the Menpo caused a mumbling, then all worlds may come together happily here!

[Jean]

"Barboter" is "To mumble, or mutter words betweene the teeth."

 

It has been transformed during the ages into "marmonner"

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

"Barboter" is "To mumble, or mutter words betweene the teeth."

 

It has been transformed during the ages into "marmonner"

 

...and "barbottare" in italian. Same meaning.