# Little help with some Japanese text? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467 "2013-06-20T15:06:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/1 "2013-06-20T15:06:25Z")
This [watercolor](http://s290.photobucket.com/user/legendcity/media/IMG_0013_zps88b47de5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2) appears to have been made in post war Japan. Can anyone tell me what these say? I don’t know anything about the painting except that I like it. 🆒 I’ve had it about 30 years or so, fished it out of a junk box. [Text 1](http://s290.photobucket.com/user/legendcity/media/WC2_zpsc8cdc407.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0) [Text 2](http://s290.photobucket.com/user/legendcity/media/WC1_zps18ba4289.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1) Any help would be much appreciated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/2 "2013-06-20T16:21:26Z")
Until someone who can actually read Japanese comes along, I will offer a couple of observations: Note the different styles of the two sets of text. The one on the left is a hand-brushed style that is probably something added by the artist (perhaps the name of the artwork, or a description of the location). The one on the right is in a more formal printed style. The last character at the bottom might indicate that this is the name of a business, possibly the store where it was sold. And are you sure this isn’t a wood-block print, rather than a water-color? Roddy ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/3 "2013-06-20T16:39:51Z")
The print on the right appears to be _han moto watanabe hanga ten_, which translates to “published by Watanabe woodcut shop” I think the text on the left is the title, and appears to be “Meguro fudo-son”, which is the common name for the _Ryusenji_ temple in Meguro, Tokyo. I can’t find any info in English but [here’s the Japanese wikipedia page.](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%80%A7%E6%B3%89%E5%AF%BA) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/4 "2013-06-20T16:43:10Z")
[Found it!](http://www.jaodb.com/db/ItemDetail.asp?item=44228) In retrospect, it may have been faster to use Google Image Search. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/5 "2013-06-20T17:12:31Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > edit > > And are you sure this isn’t a wood-block print, rather than a water-color? > Roddy Er, yes, exactly. Thanks, I wasn’t coffeed up yet. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/6 "2013-06-20T17:13:40Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > [Found it!](http://www.jaodb.com/db/ItemDetail.asp?item=44228) > > In retrospect, it may have been faster to use Google Image Search. Thank you, good job! For some reason I’m an idiot at Image Search. Going to have to get with it here. Thanks everyone, off to look at this. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/7 "2013-06-20T18:09:41Z")
It’s a very nice print, I think. The sunlight and leaf shadows have a pleasing effect. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-help-with-some-japanese-text/661467/8 "2013-06-20T19:29:21Z")
Thanks, yes, I’ve always liked it. It may be a bit older than I thought. I’ve been re-framing most of my art and never new squat about this.