# An Old Document Written with Brush



## rtb1980

Hello.

This note was found inside the handle of an old japanese dagger that I own. I don't speak japanese and am wondering if anyone can help me translate the writting.

Here is where the picture of the paper is:

*dnlet.com/dagger5.JPG  *(just copy and paste it into your address bar)

I would post the pic but I am not allowed to as I have not posted 30 times yet. I'm sure I'll use the forum more.

Thanks for any help you can offer.
r


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## Captain Haddock

There's a Flickr group dedicated to sharing and deciphering difficult-to-read Japanese, I think. You might have more luck there.


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## rtb1980

Thanks Captain but I hope I can get a translation here.

I don't really want to join another group just for this translation.  I wonder if anyone knows of anybody else that I maybe can send this to for help, without having to join another group/club/forum....

Thanks,
R


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## palomnik

You may have a hard time getting an answer; it's written in "grass writing", a form of rather impressionistic penmanship that can be notoriously hard to read if you're not familiar with the person who wrote it, and their style. I would guess that it's pre-1945. it might not even be Japanese - it may be Chinese, since it appears to be written mostly if not entirely in Chinese characters (kanji), although I tend to think it is Japanese, since one or two of the symbols look like _hiragana_.

I can only read two of the characters: the first one is 相 (hoo) which means "mutual", "each other" and the fourth one is 百 (hyaku) which means "one hundred." I can guess about some of the others but I'd be stabbing in the dark. It's sideways in the picture, incidentally; the prominent, dark character is the first one, and it reads right to left, top to bottom.


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## rtb1980

Thanks for the help palomnik, much appreciated.

I flipped the picture, maybe that will make it easier for someone to translate.

Perhaps it is a bill of sale/reciept for the purchase of the tanto/dager..

here is a pic of the dagger if anyone is interested.
dnlet.com/dagger.JPG

Thanks again,
Rich


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## Qcumber

rtb1980 said:


> here is a pic of the dagger if anyone is interested.
> dnlet.com/dagger.JPG


I copied and pasted it in my Google bar ... to no avail.


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## rtb1980

Qcumber said:


> I copied and pasted it in my Google bar ... to no avail.


 
I don't know why it is not available for you? Here is where all of the photos are in a gallery. Maybe this will work better. 

http://dnlet.com/asian.htm

Thanks,
R


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## shiremono

It could be a fragment of a letter, including the beginning part. No more detail is clear. We could not make out some letters (＊).

It reads ;

拝啓 昨一日は＊＊　　_Haikei. Saku ichi-jitsu wa_ _＊＊_ 　　"Dear Sir [Madam]　Yesterday..."　
＊昨夕 御＊＊　　　　　_＊_ _saku-yu o_ [_on/go_]- _＊＊_　　　　　"... last evening _o-_..."


I asked my father via e-mail.


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## palomnik

rtb:

I suspect shiremono is correct, and you'd be better off following what he says.  拝啓 is indeed a standard, even fixed, phrase for starting a letter in Japanese, and I'm surprised at myself for not thinking of it.


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## rtb1980

Thanks again everyone for the help.

I thought I'de bump this thread thought just to get some fresh eyes on it and maybe somone else at glance can notice some other characters..

Also the photo can now be found here. 

h t t p:// s162.photobucket.com/albums/t241/rtb1980/Japanese%20Bone%20Tanto%20Dagger/

The other one is no longer there.

Thanks for all your help shiremono and palomnik.!!


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