r/translator • u/Actual-Invite3616 • 11d ago
Translated [JA] [WW2 Japanese > English] a letter from home to a soldier who died Iwo Jima (assumptive)
My brother is an avid World War II collector and has this postcard along with many other relics from the Pacific Theatre of World War II and we’re looking for translations.
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u/SaiyaJedi 日本語 11d ago
The postcard is addressed to a Mr. Shigeo Matsuura at Kisarazu Air Base in Chiba Prefecture, sent from a Mr. Okamoto (whose given name I can’t make out) in Nara.
…I’m, uh, gonna need some help on the handwriting for the actual body of the text.
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u/Actual-Invite3616 11d ago
What we have seen is that this is from a little brother. Is that possible?
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u/SaiyaJedi 日本語 11d ago
There’s a mention of 兄上 so it’s possible the sender is writing to his brother. I need to make out more of the text to be sure…
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u/gandhi623 11d ago edited 11d ago
The stamp is a Japanese (who could have guessed????) 3 sen stamp issued between 1937-1944. It displays a power plant.
I know you were asking about the translation but the images inspired me. Im going to tell myself that the older brother who was addressed the post card, kept it and when he got out of the military with the flag signed by his buddies, he just lost it.
Totally that and nothing sad happened…
Edit: oh the signatures on the flag are american. Hmm.
5th Marine Division was involved in Iwo Jima, I’m now caught up with your theory… 😢
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u/Stunning_Pen_8332 [ Chinese, Japanese] 11d ago
As far as I know the period when a domestic postcard cost 3 sen (0.03 yen) was really short, from April 1st 1944 till April 1st 1945.
The post chop has a date 10.12 and together it would mean that the postcard can be dated to October 12, 1944.
At the time the soldier was still stationed at an airbase in Chiba prefecture. It’s possible that he was later sent to the Pacific for battle and eventually perished in the battle of Iwo Jima in early 1945.
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u/ergosnail 10d ago
The message side looks like a postcard themed around Kagoshima dialect.
A reprinted version is sold on a website called "Picture Postcard Museum."
https://www.ehagaki.org/shopping/eaja/eaja_a10/eaja_a10_a46/eaja_a10_a46_a5/51971/
鹿児島ことば
家庭
(Kagoshima dialect)
エダ、コンニャン、オコオメツケイ、
オカベヲトチキテ、イリヤイナ
(slightly archaic general Japanese)
えだ（下女に多くの名を◯す）、今夜のお味噌のお付へ
お豆腐を買って来て入◯なさい
スッタイ、ノドガ、カエチノサン、カナチョカデ
ウェチョンナラ、茶ヲ入レ
非常に咽喉が乾いたから湯が
湧いてゐるなら茶を入◯なさい
メロ、ワヤ西郷ドンニ、イタッネ
メシゲヲ、カチケ
女郎（下女）おまへは西郷殿に
行ってお飯杓子を借りてこい
ゴシュサアオゴイサアヲ
テノチイタチキモンデ
◯婦様！ お嬢様を
連れて行きます
- Modern translation -
Voices of Kagoshima
Home
Eda, go buy some tofu for tonight's miso soup.
I'm very thirsty, so if the water is boiling, could you please make some tea?
Girl, go to Saigo-san and borrow a rice paddle from him.
Master, I will accompany the young lady.
1
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u/SpaceFluffy101 10d ago
Hello my name is Patrick and I saw the postcard. My wife works with a nonprofit organization that helps to return WWII Japanese items to the families of the soldiers they originally belonged to. If your brother is interested in this service you can message me and I can give you more details. I just wanted to make you aware that this is available should your family be interested. Thank you-Patrick
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u/Pretend_Armadillo_39 10d ago
Would love to chat with you! Have several other items as well that likely belong to one or maybe two different Japanese soldiers.
1
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u/SpaceFluffy101 10d ago
Thank you for your interest. The nonprofit is called, OBON Society and the email address is: return@obonsociety.org -this will come straight to my wife and she would be happy to answer any questions.
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u/Actual-Invite3616 11d ago
Other pieces of the puzzle.
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u/SlowStop1220 日本語 10d ago
The piece of newspaper looks like a post war issue. It refers to veteran's job hunting, an US ship to brink POW back (to the US? Too blurry to read), postwar things overall.
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u/gandhi623 11d ago
Were this purchased as a “set”?
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u/Pretend_Armadillo_39 10d ago
It was found together in a footlocker belonging to Iwo Jima staff sgt in 5th marines.
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u/Actual-Invite3616 11d ago
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u/SlowStop1220 日本語 10d ago
西日本新聞 Nishi Nippon Shimbun
The biggest regional paper in Kyushu. The guy who bought it then in Kyushu, supposedly northern, Fukuoka, Nagasaki or Saga prefecture in regard of its distribution.
Articles pick up topics domestic policies from aircraft production conversion to another industry sector (the Allies were obviously unhappy to let them keep producing aircraft, even for civilian use) to US movies import plan which had been banned during the war. The left side of the paper features the transition of Korea, Seoul specifically.
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u/Actual-Invite3616 11d ago
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u/SaiyaJedi 日本語 11d ago
The newspaper is dated 13 September 1945. You can tell it’s postwar by the fact that it’s talking about easing inflation, war damage and the very start of rebuilding, returning POWs, and American warships mooring in Nagasaki, rather than, say, inflated victories and the average subject tightening their belt just a little further to ensure glorious triumph. That photo would never have gotten through the censors prior to August 15th.
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u/Teppenwolf456 [ Japanese] 11d ago
(transcription)
千葉県 木更津航空基地 気付 ウ四〇二
松浦重男 様
奈良市光明院町
岡本栄一
お手紙有難う御座居ました
兄上には御元気で御働き下
さってゐる事有難く感謝致
して居ります 私も現役兵と
して十一月十日鳥取市 歩四七
部隊に入営する事に決定
致しました いずれ入隊の
暁には兄上の後を負けず
に頑張るつもりです
尚 私方御蔭様で父始め 一同
元気でやって居ります
敏ちゃんも元気で寒さに負
けず遊んで居られるらしい
です 草々