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Subject:Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Mikael Wed, Sep 17, 2014 IP: 62.116.234.64

Hello.

Im a teacher in art and has recently bought a sculpture depicting Kanzan & Jittoku. I wold very much appreciate some help with Reading/translating the text written on it. If anyone besides that could tell me anything about age and style it would also be helpful.

Regards

// Mikael.




Link :The sculpture on the auction site


Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Guy Thu, Sep 18, 2014

At the far right is the inscription of a date. I read it partially as 'Bunroku no Saru' (Bunroku, Year of the Monkey) which should correspond with the year 1596.
At the far left is a signature in cursive but not (yet) read.

Guy.

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Guy Thu, Sep 18, 2014

The first three characters at the left of the date read vertically 'Owari kuni' (Owari Province).
Owari is the name of a former province, now Aichi Prefecture, including Nagoya.

I tend to read the first two characters in cursive of the signature at the far left as 'Seishin' (青心).

Guy.

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Mikael Fri, Sep 19, 2014

Thanks a lot Guy. I suppose that the year is not a date of manufacture? (Seems very old).

I also want to declare that my interest in this sculpture lays in its educational qualities, not for profit or commercial purpose.

More for me to tell my students about this sculpture?

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Guy Fri, Sep 19, 2014

I guess that it could date from late 16th century indeed.
To know more, you'll have get in touch with someone who is really specialised in Japanese art from that older period. I see that you bought it in Uppsala, so maybe the university there has some useful contacts. Has the auction house any idea about the provenance of this piece?

Succes,
Guy.

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Mikael Sat, Sep 20, 2014

It would be very fascinating if the dating and the actual age correlate. Any one else with a opinion about that? I will check with the afro-asiatic institution at Uppsala university, but i doubt that anyone has the proper knowledge about this particular area there. Maybe Stockholm and the easter-asian museum has more to say. Its important for me to place the object in the right context when i use as a educational tool. It will be very interesting to hear my first-year-students analyze it. Most certain they will see them as some kind of witches with the broom, scroll and facial expressions.

So, again. As much information as possible is very welcome!

Thanks once more (Guy).

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: mikael Wed, Sep 24, 2014

The auction house didn't have much information at all. They had not tried to read the characters. Maybe because of the sculptures damages they didn't find it worth the trouble?

I will continue this discussion under a new topic.

Subject:Re: Japanese text/characters meaning?
Posted By: Mikael Fri, Sep 19, 2014

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