Japanese "good luck" vest

[Alan M]

I got this vest recently , and any comments will be warmly received and any help with translation a real bonus , thanks Al

[António Fragoeiro]

Beautiful item, Alan.
Amazing

[Alan M]

Thanks for your comments Nuno , much appreciated

[tmys]

Will be glad to look at it in the next week or so. BTW, are the red stamps distinct? If so, closeups of them might enable me to identify the shrines or temples (my assumption) that gave their blessings.

Tom

[tmys]

My translation has gone as far as it can go for now and here it is:

(Large characters in the middle are the Nichiren Buddhism chant) Nam myoho renge kyo (I take refuge in ((I devote myself to)) The Wonderful Law of the Lotus Flower Sutra.

The smallest characters in the second and fourth columns say: Go fearlessly like the lion king.

(The right column's first two characters mean) second saint/holy (unable to decipher the rest and do not know the religious significance since I am not versed in Buddhism.)

(The left column's first two characters mean) second heaven (same problem with rest as with the right column.)

Hope this helps.

Tom

[Alan M]

Hi Tom , you have just made my day , i would like to say thanks very much for your time and effort , it is really appreciated and i will be eternally grateful . This has made the item so much more interesting for me . I will see if i can get better pics of the shrine stamps but i`m not sure if they will be clear enough . I `d love you to cast your eye over some of my other items in my collection ( Hinomaru Yosegaki flags and senninbari ) .........in your own time , of course
Thanks again
Alan

[tmys]

Glad I was useful and provided context for the vest. BTW, since it is a Buddhist vest, the stamps will be a temple's.

Plse post what you want me to look at. Will try to translate them as my time allows.

[Alan M]

Hi Tom , this is one of the Senninbari i got from a vet along with two Hinomaru Yosegaki flags which i would like to show you later , but i love this item and wondered if you can make anything out of it , of course everything is written in miniature , notice the small flag that has been made seperately and the stitched to the belt , a really unusual thing to see ! , and also note the image of Mt. Fuji stitched on , and of course the sen coin , thanks in advance , Alan

[tmys]

Alan,

I have almost all of the cloth with the meat ball translated, but am having trouble distinguishing the writing to the left and below that cloth. Could you take another photo of that area with the best focus possible. The wide weave blurred the writing and time has faded it.

Thanks,

Tom

[Alan M]

Hi Tom , they are not the best photos and i will try and take some in daylight . I was afraid the ink had bled into the fabric and blurred the Kanji to the extent that it would be unreadable . Looking at that area , it looks like the flag has been sown on over the top of some of the writings . Again , many thanks Tom , i really appreciate your time
regards Alan