發翰來飴綴 (一般)

English translation: Communications file (general)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Japanese term or phrase:発翰來翰綴 (一般)
English translation:Communications file (general)
Entered by: Philip Ronan

16:52 Feb 11, 2005
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
History
Japanese term or phrase: 發翰來飴綴 (一般)
Someone showed me an old-style (rising sun) Japanese flag from World War 2. At one edge it has a label that reads:

發翰來飴綴 (一般) ... or in modern kanji: 発翰来飴綴 (一般)

I've checked the dictionaries and it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. According to Kojien, 来飴 means "送ってきた手紙". So presumably 発翰 means "送り出した手紙". And 綴 ... does that mean "stitched" or perhaps"patched" in this context? My Kanji dictionary says that this character can also mean 旗あし (the free end of a flag, apparently). Or maybe its meaning in this context is closer to 記録?

Any suggestions??
Philip Ronan
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:50
Communications file (general)
Explanation:
There are plenty of Google hits for similar documents (e.g. http://homepage1.nifty.com/murayan-no-hp/murayan-no-hp-kamba... http://www.normanet.ne.jp/‾sij-gifu/kaisoku.pdf), and I don't think the terms are so obscure that only 漢詩 experts would have used them. 翰 in Kojien is given as 手紙・文書 while 綴 is used for just about anything that is bound. Hence I'd guess that any bound collection of letters or other documents sent & received *could* in theory be referred to 發翰來翰綴 - and even though nowadays something like 通信記録 (or 受信トレイ/送信トレイ!) would be more common, note that the PDF above is dated 2003.

The first link above is however more useful, as the context is much closer to that of the question. For example:
発来翰綴 ... B5紙片面使用363紙 ... 1935年〜1938年までの、由比町軍友会が受領・発送文書の写の綴です。
[snip]
発来翰番号簿 ... A5紙両面使用56ページ ... 1943年〜1945年までの受領・発送の文書一覧です ...索引として使用できます。

This shows that military installations collated records of all(?) incoming & outgoing correspondence, and it seems likely that the label described in the question was originally attached to such a set of documents.

So what to call it in English? There are various options: book[let], log (as already suggested), record, register, chronicle, dossier? I think "file" works quite well. And although a wide variety of written items could be included within the file (as described in URL 1), the fact that they were all either sent or received limits the choice in my view to correspondence, messages, or the most "general" (particularly apt considering the 一般): communications.
Selected response from:

Ben Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:50
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone who responded. I'm giving the points to Ozaru-san for the helpful references, but thanks also to humbird for the historical perspective.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4dispatch log
Mikito Oki
4Communications file (general)
Ben Jones
3Come home safely
humbird


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
發翰來飴綴 (一般)
Come home safely


Explanation:
As I said, the flag was given to the soldier who is about departing to the oversea war front. On it all relatives, families, frinds and neighbors jot down there thoughts. Most of them are expression of Patriotic theme such as "Serve the Country", "Serve the Emperor" or something of nature. Because soldiers were supposed to give their lives to the country, those were officially accepted.
However his loved one secretly wished for his safe return, which is a natural thought even the war poses many hazards on his life.

In the backdrop of these situation, it is very possible someone with highly sophisticated 漢詩 knowledge secretely expressed his/her wish in the effect saying "Please come home safely".
When I saw these five characters 発翰来翰綴, first thing that came to my mind was "What left us 発翰 would come back to us 来翰".
Which in return "come home safely".
This is only my guess. Hope this helps you to find the right direction. By the way I have no idea what the last character means.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 59 mins (2005-02-11 19:51:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Typos:
frinds -- friends
there -- their
something of nature -- something of that nature

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 22
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
發翰來飴綴 (一般)
dispatch log


Explanation:
来翰(ライカン) = messages received
発翰(ハッカン) = messages sent
綴 = log

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs 51 mins (2005-02-12 01:43:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://jiten.www.infoseek.co.jp/

Mikito Oki
Japan
Local time: 21:50
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  humbird: Where's historical context?
2 hrs
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7 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
發翰來翰綴 (一般)
Communications file (general)


Explanation:
There are plenty of Google hits for similar documents (e.g. http://homepage1.nifty.com/murayan-no-hp/murayan-no-hp-kamba... http://www.normanet.ne.jp/‾sij-gifu/kaisoku.pdf), and I don't think the terms are so obscure that only 漢詩 experts would have used them. 翰 in Kojien is given as 手紙・文書 while 綴 is used for just about anything that is bound. Hence I'd guess that any bound collection of letters or other documents sent & received *could* in theory be referred to 發翰來翰綴 - and even though nowadays something like 通信記録 (or 受信トレイ/送信トレイ!) would be more common, note that the PDF above is dated 2003.

The first link above is however more useful, as the context is much closer to that of the question. For example:
発来翰綴 ... B5紙片面使用363紙 ... 1935年〜1938年までの、由比町軍友会が受領・発送文書の写の綴です。
[snip]
発来翰番号簿 ... A5紙両面使用56ページ ... 1943年〜1945年までの受領・発送の文書一覧です ...索引として使用できます。

This shows that military installations collated records of all(?) incoming & outgoing correspondence, and it seems likely that the label described in the question was originally attached to such a set of documents.

So what to call it in English? There are various options: book[let], log (as already suggested), record, register, chronicle, dossier? I think "file" works quite well. And although a wide variety of written items could be included within the file (as described in URL 1), the fact that they were all either sent or received limits the choice in my view to correspondence, messages, or the most "general" (particularly apt considering the 一般): communications.


    Reference: http://homepage1.nifty.com/murayan-no-hp/murayan-no-hp-kamba...
    Reference: http://www.normanet.ne.jp/~sij-gifu/kaisoku.pdf
Ben Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:50
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone who responded. I'm giving the points to Ozaru-san for the helpful references, but thanks also to humbird for the historical perspective.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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