War souvenir ID and translation

[jrauk]

Hello all

I'm here to learn about several souvenirs my grandfather brought home from Guam. He was a US Naval corpsman and went ashore during the US invasion in 1944. Among the souvenirs is a Japanese good luck flag and several drawings that were made by Japanese POW. They were supposedly traded to my grandfather for cigarettes and chocolate. They are all drawings of woman in various states of undress! There is a great deal of Japanese writings on them. I also have several mystery items. I hope to get help identifying them.

I've attached pictures of A drawing and the flag. Can anyone help with translation?

Is it best to create seperate threads for each item or post alll the pictures at once?

Thanks for reading!

John Rauk

[ghp95134]

This flag would have been a souvenir presented to a departing GI.

Top:
祈武運長久
Ki Bu'un Chokyu
Prayers for continued luck in the fortunes of war.

日米＊善
Japanese-American good [relation, etc?]
I cannot find that * kanji! Rats.

Right:
人はさくら木
花は武士
Hito wa sakura ki
Hana wa bushi
Man is like the cherry tree
Flowers are like the Samurai

a reversal of the traditional:
花はさくら木
人は武士
The cherry blossom is to the tree what the
Man is to the Samurai
Among flowers, cherry blossoms are the most beautiful; they bloom and die within three days. Amongst people, the most beautiful are samurai who, like the cherry blossoms, "bloom and die" soon. You often see this poem on sake cups of the period.

Left:
忠孝
Chūkō
Loyalty & Filial piety

Left margin:
荒川定子 Arakawa Seiko [a girls name]
東京都京橋区八丁目十六番地
Tōkyōto Kyōbashi-ku hachi chōme jūroku banchi

The rest are signatures of well-wishers.

--Guy

[ghp95134]

We really need Nick's help here ... but this stuff is not in his wheelhouse or interest, so if he helps it will be because he really feels sorry for you.
(^_^)

Top:
新妻、鐿
New Wife, Bright & Lusterous [archaic kanji 鐿 means Ytterbium (element), a bright and lusterous element]
**心ろの良人なら
＊＊ Becoming the heart of a good person
君はの花の妻
You are the flower of a wife
[perhaps from a song called 君は心の妻だから Kimi wa kokoro no tsuma dakara "Because you are the heart of a wife" a 1969 song .... but the expression might have older roots]

Right:
娘十六* こゝろ
Musume juroku .... Kokoro
Daughter of 16 ... heart/spirit/mind
["musume" also means young girl!]
[missing kanji is not 恋 lover, not 歳 years, not 夜 evenings, ... and not 悪 evil (similar but missing the 丶 on top)]

Bottom right:
慮女に涙教へた月は
清い眞球の夢の月
[I'm not certain I got these correct]
The prudent girl, tears taught by the moon
Pure world's monthly dream


Left:
まー はずかしね
Ma! Hazukashi-ne!
Oh! How Embarassing.


--Guy

[Nick Komiya]

Those are lyrics from the title song of a romantic 1940 movie (also remade in 1956), also some song phrases about tears of a maiden etc, etc, nothing really worth translating unless you're drunk and in need of a song to sing with other male company. Here's the movie song

Here's also the full maiden song, also from a 1940 film

[ghp95134]

Those are lyrics from the title song of a romantic 1940 movie (also remade in 1956), also some song phrases about tears of a maiden etc, etc, nothing really worth translating unless you're drunk and in need of a song to sing with other male company. Here's the movie song

Here's also the full maiden song, also from a 1940 film

GREAT~! Nick, that was exactly what I hoped you would do for us. Man ... I was almost in tears whatching the song. (Well, there's been a local fire and lots of smoke still getting through our filtering system ..... that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

Thanks!
--Guy

[jrauk]

Wow! Fascinating. Thanks so much. Here are a few more souveniers not. Are you able to translat the text on them? Also does anyone know what the bag and medalion are?

[Nick Komiya]

It is more of the same, which I won't bother to translate, but the two handkerchiefs talk about how girls develop with age. The first one was about sweet 16 and this one is about mature 18. The underlying theme is a Japanese proverb that says 鬼も十八、番茶も出花, which literally means "Even ogres at 18 and cheap tea freshly brewed", which translates to "Even gawky girls will bloom like a flower at 18, just as fragrant even cheap tea can be when freshly brewed". The pinups were presented to the GI by a Kato and Harada.

The metal plate signage says "intermediate position" (between stops of a lever switch, etc). The back of the photo of the woman says "inside the university clinic". The rubberized thing is an army gas detox kit. See here

All items except the detox kit are postwar US-Japan friendship mementos

[jrauk]

I cant thank you enough. Sound like the story of trades and friendship with Japanese are accurate.

[ghp95134]

EDIT: okay, I missed Nick's translation. I've cleaned mine up -- thanks Nick!
============
The girl in the photo. Her name is Sadako; I cannot see what her family name is. It was taken in the university hospital.

大学為院内にて
Daigaku naru In-nai ni te
At university hospital

--not certain how 為 [tame / for] is translated here. [aha! 為 = suru/naru] [[double-aha! ... it is *not* 為]]

〇〇貞子
〇〇 Sadako


And now, with Nick's correction in Post #10
大学病院内にて
Daigaku Byōin-nai ni te
Inside university hospital

--Guy

[Nick Komiya]

Guy, not 為 but 病 in cursive