Translation Requests

Discussions on all aspects of the Japanese Empire, from the capture of Taiwan until the end of the Second World War.
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hisashi
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Re: Translation Requests

#1201

Post by hisashi » 10 Apr 2014, 17:35

He did not write their rank. It suggests they were his classmates in war school or flight school.
No.1 Arita Haruo was killed in central China theater, during air transport to Japan.
No.2 Looking at white cloud
I miss the time
I was with those comrades of mine (tanka)
Np.3 Yamashita Taro
No.4 and No.6 Arita Haruo
No.5 Torii Sei-ichi

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photo-war
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Re: Translation Requests

#1202

Post by photo-war » 12 Apr 2014, 06:20

Hisashi-san many thanks for translation of this page. Another airfield shot with pilot-officers I guess (it seems to me Mr. Tori is here again) and soldiers. Please help to read and translate this.

Thanks in advance,
Alexander
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0042.jpg


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hisashi
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Re: Translation Requests

#1203

Post by hisashi » 13 Apr 2014, 07:39

No.1 Two shots on Piste

Piste(ピスト) originally meant 'airfield' in French. From unknown reason, both in IJA nad IJN, 'piste' meant a command post besides their airfield.

No.2 (from right) 2nd Lt.Tosaka, Lt.Hisamura or Kumura, Lt.Saito and Lt.Torii

No.3 (from right) minarai shikan Murakami, Sgt.Asakawa, Corporal Nishimura, Jotohei Sakai, Jotohei Kikuchi and Corporal Kurihara.

Minarai shikan was basically a graduate of army war school but not yet commissioned. After serving a few months he would be a 2nd Lt.
For aviation officer, it also meant a flight school student selected from graduates of senior high schools. This system was a shortcut program for officer pilot.
Jotohei was roughly a PFC-equivalent in the US armed forces.

teegee
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Re: Translation Requests

#1204

Post by teegee » 14 Apr 2014, 01:06

Here is another family photo I found in which I believe this gentleman is wearing a military uniform. If this is a military man - what branch of service does he represent ? What other information is available from this photo ? I think it was taken in 1939.

I have also included the back of the photo. What is written on it ? Thanks.
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j204a.JPG

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Re: Translation Requests

#1205

Post by hisashi » 16 Apr 2014, 05:40

The message on the back reads 昭和十四年八月五日うつし (taken in 5 Aug 1939).

I feel this date strange, because
1. He wear 2-to-hei ( in the U.S. system, private, pay grade E-1) rank sign. Usually after 3 months basic training any 2-to-hei became 1-to-hei (private, E-2) with two stars on his shoulder.
2. Usually new recruit joined their regiment in January.
3. Uniform of this type was renewed to German-style rank sign on the neck in 1938.
It seemed hard fight of 2nd Sino-Japanese War forced the army to accept additional wave of draftees and he inherited an old set of uniform from one of his seniors.
You see both side of his neck collar show the number 61. If he was an artillery man, right neck (left on the pic) would be a mark of gun barrel. Repeated number meant he was in 61st (infantry) regiment, based in Yakayama prefecture. They belonged to the 4th (Osaka) division.
In 1939 this regiment was in Manchuria, and moved to China theater in 1940. They participated in Philippine campaign 1941/42, and moved to defend Sumatra. After June 1944 they fought to keep Burma theater after the failure of Imphal Offensive.

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Re: Translation Requests

#1206

Post by photo-war » 16 Apr 2014, 06:22

Hisashi san thank you very much again for translation and details concerning my photos!

This is another page and photo was taken in Malaysia, what text here says?

Thanks in advance,
Alexandr.
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teegee
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Re: Translation Requests

#1207

Post by teegee » 16 Apr 2014, 22:30

hisashi san - domo arigato gozaimasu ! Very interesting information regarding this soldier's uniform. I believe he is a distant cousin to me, but still do not know his name.

Do you mean Wakayama prefecture and not "Yakayama”? I believe Wakayama perfecture or close proximity is where this photo was taken.

TG

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Re: Translation Requests

#1208

Post by hisashi » 19 Apr 2014, 12:43

teegee wrote:hisashi san - domo arigato gozaimasu ! Very interesting information regarding this soldier's uniform. I believe he is a distant cousin to me, but still do not know his name.

Do you mean Wakayama prefecture and not "Yakayama”? I believe Wakayama perfecture or close proximity is where this photo was taken.

TG
Oops. My typo.

Regiments are often called after a location name. Usually it was the location where they had their barrack, and the regimental district assigned to that regiment. The problem is that
The name of city/town where they had the barrack
The name of prefecture where they had the barrack
The name of city/town where they had the headquarter office of regimental district
The name of prefecture(s) the regimental district covered

could not coincide with. Also, it often happened that a regimental district only a part of two prefectures.

For the worst example, 15th infantry regiments;
Barrack: Takasaki city, Gumma prefecture
Headquarter office of regimental district: Maebashi city, Gumma prefecture
The name of regimental district:
1888-1941 Maebashi regimental district
1941-1945 Takasaki regimental district
Prefecture(s) the regimental district covered:
1888-1907 All Gumma prefecture and a part of Saitama prefecture
1907-1945 All Gumma prefecture

For 61st infantry regiment,
Barrack: Minato village (today merged into Wakayama city), Wakayama prefecture
Headquarter office of regimental district: Just beside the barrack, Minato village
Prefecture(s) the regimental district covered:
1907-1915 All Wakayama prefecture
1915-1925 Wakayama prefecture except Ito-county (NE part of Wakayama Prefecture)
1925-1945 All Wakayama prefecture

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hisashi
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Re: Translation Requests

#1209

Post by hisashi » 19 Apr 2014, 12:53

photo-war wrote:Hisashi san thank you very much again for translation and details concerning my photos!

This is another page and photo was taken in Malaysia, what text here says?

Thanks in advance,
Alexandr.
The man in Mito-Komon costume appears on the left end. The man with songkok had a plate; the last Japanese reads 'マレー新生の民', 'People of New-Born Malaysia'.

No.2 Nostalgic sound of Koto (Japanese harp)
Koto was a large thirteen-stringed instrument and did not appear in this pic. Somebody might offer the performance of Koto in this exhibition in Malaysia.

No.3 to 1
I remember that sound of koto
with those who fell, with those who went apart
All were in this pic

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Re: Translation Requests

#1210

Post by photo-war » 21 Apr 2014, 06:30

Hisashi san thank you very much again! Your help is priceless for me during the research of this album.

Another page with handwritings - photos form Ikeda unit celebration. Please help to read and translate this.

Thanks in advance,
Alexander
Attachments
0032.jpg

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Re: Translation Requests

#1211

Post by teegee » 21 Apr 2014, 07:20

hisashi wrote:
teegee wrote:hisashi san - domo arigato gozaimasu ! Very interesting information regarding this soldier's uniform. I believe he is a distant cousin to me, but still do not know his name.

Do you mean Wakayama prefecture and not "Yakayama”? I believe Wakayama perfecture or close proximity is where this photo was taken.

TG
Oops. My typo.

Regiments are often called after a location name. Usually it was the location where they had their barrack, and the regimental district assigned to that regiment. The problem is that
The name of city/town where they had the barrack
The name of prefecture where they had the barrack
The name of city/town where they had the headquarter office of regimental district
The name of prefecture(s) the regimental district covered

could not coincide with. Also, it often happened that a regimental district only a part of two prefectures.

For the worst example, 15th infantry regiments;
Barrack: Takasaki city, Gumma prefecture
Headquarter office of regimental district: Maebashi city, Gumma prefecture
The name of regimental district:
1888-1941 Maebashi regimental district
1941-1945 Takasaki regimental district
Prefecture(s) the regimental district covered:
1888-1907 All Gumma prefecture and a part of Saitama prefecture
1907-1945 All Gumma prefecture

For 61st infantry regiment,
Barrack: Minato village (today merged into Wakayama city), Wakayama prefecture
Headquarter office of regimental district: Just beside the barrack, Minato village
Prefecture(s) the regimental district covered:
1907-1915 All Wakayama prefecture
1915-1925 Wakayama prefecture except Ito-county (NE part of Wakayama Prefecture)
1925-1945 All Wakayama prefecture
Once again. Thank you Hisashi san.

TG

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Re: Translation Requests

#1212

Post by jeeplover » 21 Apr 2014, 21:20

I have these maps a friend is offering to sell them to me I do not want them if the are not military any help will be greatly appreciated.
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Re: Translation Requests

#1213

Post by jeeplover » 21 Apr 2014, 21:23

different map sorry so many pictures.
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Re: Translation Requests

#1214

Post by hisashi » 22 Apr 2014, 17:48

photo-war wrote:Hisashi san thank you very much again! Your help is priceless for me during the research of this album.

Another page with handwritings - photos form Ikeda unit celebration. Please help to read and translate this.

Thanks in advance,
Alexander
No.1 Unit anniversary day snapshots
No.2 Staffs in Oden-restaurant To-Hachi
Typical (modern) oden-restaurant
oden.jpg
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They prepare boiled vegetables and fish meat products in a large basin and serve them on request. They also serve alcoholic beverage.
No.3 diffecult to translate its nuance. The owner seemed not to know most of their name. 'Big lady' 'Small Lady'... I am not sure whether they were really called so face to face. A person not on this pic, 'Star', seems the owner of restaurant. His wife was on the right end, and a child on right-below was their son.
Perhaps the restaurant was for Japanese staffs nearby their base in Manchuria, so they were invited to unit anniversary.

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Re: Translation Requests

#1215

Post by hisashi » 22 Apr 2014, 18:11

jeeplover wrote:I have these maps a friend is offering to sell them to me I do not want them if the are not military any help will be greatly appreciated.
In small print, a footer reads '水路部長 小池四郎'. VAdm Koike Shiro (1886-1961) was the leader of Suiro-Bu from Dec 1937 to Jun 1941. Suiro-Bu was basically a hydrographic chart section of the navy, but along with survey mission, they also provided sea weather data.

The first one was a reprint of British map (perhaps civilian, in 1937) by Suiro-Bu for navy staffs' reference. Map itself was not prepared for military.
The second one was a 'secret' suiro-bu map from Taiwan to Hainan Island. Estimated Chinese air base and air route seems the reason of classification.
The third one shows a typical February wind at height 1000m. Classified.

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