Hello everyone!

This is my first post on this forum so I hope I'm going about it properly...my apologies if not.

I have a small plaque from WWII that contains writing that, as I understand it, is Kanji. I was hoping to find someone that is interested in translating it for me. Hoping this can be a learning experience for me and for others.

I have a picture of it that I could email to interested parties. I would just post it here on the forum but I haven't identified a way to post pictures...if there is a way please let me know and I will post it.

Thank you for your time!

Hi and welcome, Gorgosaurus!

Please upload the picture to imgur.com and then post the links here.

Here's a link to the picture...

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag14...thevkj.jpg

Thanks!

Looks like it's for a Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun tripod. Model 4. Made in Feb 1944 by some naval manufacturing firm.

right.. it was produced by the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. First line is the description, 2nd is 4th model, 3rd is Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, 4th is the serial number, 5th line is the production date. Shōwa year 19, month 2, so feb 1945? is that right? (edit.. oops it's 1944)

Saiga Wrote:Looks like it's for a Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun tripod. Model 4. Made in Feb 1944 by some naval manufacturing firm.

Very cool...and very fast! I tried for hours to make any sense of it and I couldn't get anywhere. Thank you for the information. So I would think the four-digit number is maybe a serial number.

Thanks so much for the information...that is such a great help for me! It's been driving me nuts!

[Katsuo]

Here it is in editable text in case you want to look any bits up. I replaced 號 with 号 which is a more common equivalent.

九二式七粍七機銃銃架三脚架
四型
豊川海軍工廠
豊製造番号2508
製造年月昭和19年2月


七粍七 refers to the cartridge size i.e. 7.7 mm (.303 inches). The weapon in question is a Japanese version of the Lewis gun.

Katsuo Wrote:Here it is in editable text in case you want to look any bits up. I replaced 號 with 号 which is a more common equivalent.

九二式七粍七機銃銃架三脚架
四型
豊川海軍工廠
豊製造番号2508
製造年月昭和19年2月


七粍七 refers to the cartridge size i.e. 7.7 mm (.303 inches). The weapon in question is a Japanese version of the Lewis gun.

Thank you for the additional info. The earlier responses had me wondering if the caliber was mentioned. I can imagine that it's a bit tough for "perfect" translations with stuff like this. I was hoping for the most accurate translation I could get as I'm writing a paper related to this subject matter...I probably should have mentioned that right away.

Also, if you wouldn't mind elaborating on how the last line tells the date...I don't quite understand how the stamped numerals are mixed-in with the Kanji text...how it comes out to February 1944.

Thanks!

It says "Showa 19", which means the 19th year of the Showa era (Hirohito's reign). That is 1944 (the 2 is the second month, i.e. Feburary)

[Katsuo]

九二式七粍七機銃: Type 92, 7.7mm machine gun
九二: 92
式: type
七粍七: 7.7 mm. (粍 means millimetres)
機銃: machine gun
銃架: rifle stand
三脚架: tripod

四型: type four

豊川海軍工廠: Toyokawa Naval Arsenal
豊川: Toyokawa
海軍: Navy
工廠: Arsenal

豊 Toyo
製造 manufacture
番号 number
2508

製造 manufacture
年月 date
昭和 Showa
19年 nineteenth year
2月 second month

(As mentioned above) Showa refers to the Showa period, i.e. the reign of Emperor Hirohito. To convert to the western calendar just add 1925, so in the example 19 + 1925 gives the year 1944.

Thank you, Katsuo !

I had no idea that's how the year system worked.

That's an incredible help for me, you're assistance is greatly appreciated.

Incidentally, I've never seen much use of the metric system kanji, so I had no idea that's how they did decimals. I wonder how you read that? Nowadays 7.7 millimeters would be ななてんななミリメートル, but it seems hard to read 七粍七 in that way. Is it just ななミリメートルなな? That seems odd too.

So, I found an additional piece that appears to have many of the same characters as the previous one that I posted.

In the top row, it looks like the first 13 characters speak of the "Type 92" again, based on the wonderful description provided by Katsuo. But I can't seem to match up the last 3 characters of that line with others previously translated.

In the second row, I can't seem to match up anything, not sure what any of these characters are. My apologies if I'm overlooking something, some of the characters seem close but I can't tell if it's a small modification on a character or if it's entirely new.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!!

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag14...3azcea.jpg

九二式七粍七機銃銃架三脚架四型用
環型照準器 (circular reticle)

[Katsuo]

Top row, third character from the end is another way of writing 四, i.e. four
四型: type four
用: use
環型: ring type
照準器 (gun) sight

Fantastic! That's wonderful news. That means that the two items that I had hoped belonged together do indeed.

I can't give enough thanks for all the assistance...I couldn't ask for more with the translations.

My sincerest thanks!!