Chinese seal on a bronze censer

[GeoffM]

Dear Forum Members,

 

Please, can anyone help in translating this seal on a bronze censer.

 

 

This is an object that has been in my family for a number of years, and had been led to believe it to be Japanese.

I am sure the characters are infact Chinese.

 

I have tried to do a little translation of my own.

 

1st Character, has been drill (not by myself), but i believe it was an 'X', and am unable to translate.

2nd Character, i have no idea!

3rd Character, SAN, three

4th Character, YIN, seal

 

I'm not sure whether the seal represents a date, or is the a personal seal of 'Somebody' the Third.

 

Any help is gratefully received.

 

Geoff

 

[889]

五郎三印.

The mark of Kanaya Gorosaburo, but there's a long family line of bronze artists with this name, so you'll have to work to figure out just which one did this.

http://kagedo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/japanese-taisho-metalwork-kanaya-gorosaburo-xi-3.jpg

[GeoffM]

889,

 

Thank you for your translation.

To my ears it would be something like, Wulang San Yin

[889]

You're aware that Japanese names are written in Chinese characters, and read with Japanese readings (which sometimes reflect a Chinese influence)? In any event, I told you it was the mark of Kanaya Gorosaburo, not that that was the translation of the mark.

While Gorosaburo is written 五郎三郎, it's abbreviated to 五郎三 on the mark.

Like I said, you'll need to do some reasearch on this Japanese bronze working family, but researching Wu Lang San will get you nowhere.

[GeoffM]

Dear 889,

 

Thank you for the clarification.

 

I see that the seal mark is Kanaya Gorosaburo's. I will do some research on his family.

 

Your help is much appreciated.

 

Geoff