Can anyone read this language?
 

Greetings,
I recently acquired a so called rice bowl from World War II. Can anyone read what is written?

Thanks,
Mike

I studied Japanese as an undergraduate. I can't read the Chinese characters, but I can tell you that they are in the archaic style (roughly analogous to Middle English). Possibly a maker's mark.

No doubt, you may already know that the star and anchor indicate the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but perhaps that'll give you a starting point.... Seems a bit shallow for a rice bowl. May be a sauce bowl (for wasabi or soy sauce, etc.)

ETA: I can read a portion of it, I believe it's the number "37". May be a date.

ETA2: I recall that traditionally, the Japanese dated things according to the reign of an Emperor.
For example, Hirohito, who was Emperor of Japan during WW2 was known as the "Showa" Emperor, and Showa 37 would mean 1962, which is obviously incorrect.
The Taisho Emperor only reigned from 1912 to 1925, so there is no such thing as a Taisho 37 date.
The best determination I can make is that the bowl in question is earlier than WW2, from during the reign of the Meiji Emperor. Meiji 37 would be equivalent to 1904.

Archaic Chinese, which is the style in which the characters on the bottom of the bowl, isn't commonly used in everyday life in either modern Japan or China. Highly educated types would be able to tell you more. I'm just "baka gaijin", at this point. My last Japanese class was almost 20 years ago!

Like 318, I can make out something that says '37' (3 characters) but my Chinese reading ability is limited to modern Traditional Chinese as used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. I do have some colleagues who teach Chinese history and had formal training so I could see if they could read it.

I always post questions like this on tha Japanese forum - good folks there

http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdis...The-Rising-Sun

Mike, I posted the pictures on the forum / hope you do not mind :)

Ed

I am no expert, but this looks like Korean to me.

reply on Japanese forum

I'd say that's definitive, no question that the date is Meiji 37, 1904.
To me, the bowl is even more interesting, dating from the Russo-Japanese war! The next year, the IJN fleet destroyed the Russian Baltic Sea fleet in the battle of the Tsushima Strait, which is still studied in Annapolis! Thanks for sharing!

more info

The Tensho style Kanji reads 明治三十七八年戦役凱旋紀念, and translates to "Victory Commemoration for Service at the Meiji 37, 38 War" and was given to vets from the Russo Japanese war.

Ed & others,
Many thanks for the help. Very interesting,

Mike