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Subject:Translation text Man in boat pottery
Posted By: Crafter Tue, Jul 08, 2014 IP: 124.181.131.67

Hello,

This has been in my family for many years.I am looking for information regarding the text on this boat. And also wondering if it is a collectable item (Although I am sure that it is not, as I can not find anything else like it on the internet and it has no markings that I can see)

But I would to know what the script says in English.

Any help appreciated.

Crafter







Subject:Re: Translation text Man in boat pottery
Posted By: Bill H Tue, Jul 08, 2014

This is a Japanese character doll of a type called "Hakata", perhaps dating to circa the mid-20th century. Military personnel in Japan during the post-World War II occupation and ensuing Korean war were frequent customers for such collectibles.

I would speculate that the characters on the small boat are meant as a pun. They appear to read literally from the left as "Flower-transport boat" (華運丸 - Ka'un Maru), with "Maru" being a term that usually follows the name of a larger ship. (NOTE: I'm trying to read Japanese from a basis of having studied standard Chinese characters, called "kanji" in Japan, so must guess at the transcription "ka'un", though the two characters involved can be read literally as "flower transport".)

Best regards,

Bill H.

Subject:Re: Translation text Man in boat pottery
Posted By: Crafter Thu, Jul 10, 2014

Thanks for the reply Bill. However I have just been advised that you have misread the text. It actually translates as "good luck / good fortune".

Someone advised me that you have misread the first character as 華.

Thanks for your help anyway.

Crafter.


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