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Could someone please check my reading of the seal characters below, on the base of a Japanese bronze of the Peaches of Immortality, which I believe to be early 20th century.
Despite it having lost a single element (blossom?) from one of the vertical stems I think it quite a reasonable quality piece and worth recording the artist’s name in my records.
I am reading米田丙龍= Yoneda Heiryu ?

Many thanks to all who look.

Marking reads,
蟠龍　- either Banryū or Hanryū

With regards,
I.Nagy

Thank you I.Nagy,I was obviously over-thinking this and seeing complexity where there was none. Because of the equal spacing between elements I simply did not see that it was just two kanji!
I shall try to do better next time but wondered if you could recommend any useful books on translating from Seal characters. I have downloaded Markus Sesko's work and have just one other small Chinese book (attached).
Many thanks for your help,
LS Smith

Don't be discouraged by such missteps. With about 50 years of experience behind me, I've made some of these mistakes, too. The practice of seal engraving is the result of 2000 years of tradition and unlimited individual creativity.
Our knowledge and ability to read does not even reach the threshold of its complexity.
As I spend the summer months away from my home and library in Japan, I can only list a few
titles from memory with the help of my PC.
1, 服部畊石編　篆刻字林　三圭社　Japanese
2, 形でひく篆楷字典　丘襄二著　　Japanese
3, 篆書直査字典　陳立勇著　　　　Chinese　(Difficult to use)
etc.
If you contact me after September, I will be able to give you more titles from home.

With regards,
I.Nagy

Thank you very much indeed for these recommendations, which I shall follow up as soon as possible. I shall limit myself to Japanese books as I cannot pretend to have any experience of Chinese language per se (and at my age I think I have left it a little late to start).
Very much appreciated , thank you again
LS Smith

For what it's worth, if your focus is Japanese art, the Japanese texts I. Nagy mentions are likely to be more useful, in part because it seems that the Japanese developed a number of character variants that are rarely seen in Chinese sources, which therefore won't be of help.

Thank you for this comment. My focus is, and always has been, on Japanese art works - mainly metal works. I have, only under duress, taken some brief excursions into Chinese language but despite the sharing of many characters common to both Chinese and Japanese I have always been unsure of the intended meanings in Chinese, which often differ wildly from Japanese. As you say, on balance I will derive most benefit from the Japanese publications on the subject- and leave the Chinese ones to those whose familiarity with that language will always be greater than mine.
Thanks for pointing out this important point.
Best regards,
LS Smith

I understand entirely and feel on the other side of the same coin, viewing Japanese art and inscriptions from the perspective of a background in Chinese and finding that to be sometimes downright detrimental. Always more to learn...

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