Anyone read Japanese?

This is in a copy of The Art of Arranging Flowers by Shozo Sato. I assume (hope?) that the bit on the lower left, by the seal, is the author's name, but it could of course be something else....

 

The only person who volunteered for Japanese in the volunteer translators thread hasn't been back here in two years, and hadn't joined long before that. I know some people here know some basic characters, but haven't seen anybody who knows more. I will tag a few of them.

@Ce BCA
@Couch Potato Wannabe
@John Brassey
@Silver Wolf

If we don't find anybody to translate, one of my nephews who just graduated from college spent about six months in Japan a year or two ago, and had learned some Japanese even before that. So I might ask him if he would be willing.

 

Thanks for the tags & assistance!

 

Large Character 寿
https://www.linguee.com/chinese-english/translation/寿.html

 

昌三 = Shozo

 

Japanese is very tricky as it is three languages in one, here is a mix of katakana (syllabication for foreign sounds) and kanji, and it's handwritten in almost a signature style. I can pick out the odd character, but nothing that's going to help. If I was to guess the center line (before the final kanji) might sound something like 'jean paton'

 

Is this suggestive the script is a presentation then? Perhaps to a Westerner given the katakana below it?

 

As for the rest...

ジーン、パトン様

Not really sure I have that right or not, nor do I know what it means?

 

That's pretty much what I got, it makes out the sounds for 'Jean Pato' (followed by Mr) - it is the katakana for Westernised sounds

 

Thanks for the help. Could that be a katakanization of "Jane Poor"? (It can be tricky knowing which estate a book is from if several are combined at an auction!)

 

I guess it could be. There are standard interpretations for the sounds, but if the writer hadn't heard the name before they would interpret it as they heard it. This has potential for errors from hearing and pronunciation. An example here could be pronouncing it as 'jain' would be interpreted differently from someone pronouncing it as 'jay-en' as someone from the West Mids might.

 

Thanks, all. Seems enough to describe it as a presentation inscription by the author. He was, as it turns out, a professor at the University of Illinois, so not too surprising to find his signature around here.

 

Reported this boring spammer xx

 

It is pretty boring, isn't it Bou!

 

He managed to get it EVERYWHERE as well, every thread I think!