Kanji Indicating Showa Era vs. Meiji Era: What Are They Stylizations Of?

[TracA]

Using my Internet search skills I find that the kanji indicating that the number coming after it is an ordinal is 第. Below is a picture of the first two characters of two, for example, Order of the Rising Sun case lids. The one on the left identified as a Showa period 4th class and the one on the right identified as a Meiji (and Taisho?) period 6th class. 

 

Here is my question: the first kanji below are to my mind different stylizations of the same kanji but are they stylizations of 第 or are they stylizations of a different kanji?

 

As always, all assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

Tracy

 

[No one]

Dear TracA,

 

"第" is actually very different. Better than long explanation, I hope this will help to understand :

 

 

" 勲 " : "merit" or "the class of an order of merit" (in our case)

" 勛 " : "merit" or "rank"

" 等 " : " rank, class, order "

 

" 第" : ordinal number marker, used before a number to make the number ordinal,

           often with affix 号 (第２号 / 2nd)

 

The first kanji is " 勲 / kun ". This " 勛 / kun " is just a variant, not used as much as the first, but it has the same meaning.

 

The ones I have with " 勛 / kun " :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I have this one without hallmark :

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

Edited March 19, 2023 by No one

[JapanX]

8 hours ago, TracA said:

The one on the left identified as a Showa period 4th class and the one on the right identified as a Meiji (and Taisho?) period 6th class. 

 

 

 

Right style of inscription was in use until 1930s (in fact even late 1930s) so it shouldn`t be automatically associated  with only Meiji/Taisho eras.

 

 

8 hours ago, TracA said:

the first kanji below are to my mind different stylizations of the same kanji  

 

Yes.

 

8 hours ago, TracA said:

are they stylizations of 第 or are they stylizations of a different kanji?

 

Different kanji. Kanji 勲 - merit; meritorious deed.

 

Best,

Nick

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

If I may : 勲四 等 and 勛六 等, not the same kanji, the second being a variant of the first one.

That's why the seals script (shōten) are different.

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[TracA]

Hello No One and JapanX,

 

Thank you both for all of the great information and clarification of the kanji issue related to my question, and Nick, thank you for the time coordinate information related to the Meiji/Taisho style vs. Showa style. I will certainly keep this in mind.

 

You have both helped me tremendously as I try to work through my case lid kanji questions. It is by no means easy and now I partially know why I dropped out of my fifth semester Japanese language class when I was in college, 36 years ago. 😃 On the other hand, perhaps I shouldn’t have dropped out of that class. 😔

 

All the best,

 

Tracy

[JapanX]

7 hours ago, No one said:

Dear Gentlemen,

 

If I may : 勲四 等 and 勛六 等, not the same kanji, the second being a variant of the first one.

 

 

 

 

Merit = 勛 = 勲

Traditional    勛
Simplified     勋
Japanese     勲
Korean          勳

 

Best,

Nick

 

[No one]

Dear JapanX,

 

I think (or I should write, "I thought") it's what I wrote : they are the same but are variant with the same meaning, that's why the seals script (shōten) are different. I was just trying to answer this question :

 

" Here is my question: the first kanji below are to my mind different stylizations of the same kanji but are they stylizations of 第 or are they stylizations of a different kanji? "

 

And I really thought I did answer the question. Well, I'm going to try to improve my English because it doesn't seem clear.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one