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Template:Infobox Japanese temples

{{Infobox Japanese temples}} is up for deletion as being unused. 65.94.77.11 (talk) 07:54, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

The last four parameters of {{Infobox Japanese temples}}, formalname, aka, amulets, and culture, seem to match the last four of ja:Template:日本の寺院, 正式名, 別称, ja:札所, and 文化財. Please add these, ja:寺格, 中興年, and 中興 to {{Infobox Buddhist temple}} before deleting it, and if possible, add similar parameters to {{Infobox Shinto shrine}}--Shinkansen Fan (talk) 16:17, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

Big change at high importance template Template:Infobox Chinese

For all those interested, there's a rather big change applied to this infobox (see last section talkpage) with removing and unhiding fields. --Cold Season (talk) 22:08, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Template:Infobox Chinese

Hello, I have a proposal I've made roughly 2 months ago at Template_talk:Infobox_Chinese#Get_rid_of_fields_under_Japanese_name concerning how the template adds Japanese information. I think there's a parameter bloat that could be cleaned up, but unsurprisingly I am biased in favor of the proposal. I think if we were to consolidate the romaji params to one, we could use a bot to clean it up. So far two users, myself, and one IP address have chimed in. Feel free to add comment. --Bxj (talk) 02:08, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Murasaki Shikibu Nikki Emaki

I am looking for some more images for the Murasaki Shikibu Nikki Emaki. I already found some which I believe are from that scroll(s), but am unsure which edition they belong to. So I'd be happy if somebody could confirm that the images correspond to the respective edition. With some I am not sure whether they belong to the Murasaki Shikibu Nikki Emaki or am not sure which scene of a given edition they show. Also, if you know of any other images of the emaki please let me know or upload them to commons.

1. [1] = [2]: Hachisuka edition (蜂須賀家本) which scene!?
2. [3]: 第3段絵 of Hinohara edition (日野原)(former Hisamatsu edition 旧久松家本); this is a guess based on matching the text in page 17 corresponding to the image on page 18 of this with the text in here (わた殿にねたる夜とをたゝく...) !?
3. [4] (second image): 第7段絵 of Hachisuka edition (蜂須賀家本); based on matching text with text in here (そのよの御まへのありさまいと...)
4. [5] Hachisuka edition (蜂須賀家本) 第1段絵 based on text on scroll (which corresponds to the scene after the painting compared to text here!?
5. [6] (right part of image only): 第4段絵 of Hinohara edition (日野原)(former Hisamatsu edition 旧久松家本); this is a guess based on matching the text/images in pages 19-22 of this with the text in here (二宮の御いかは正月十五日そのあか...) !?
6. [7] = [8] = [9] = [10] (the image with caption: 中宮彰子と紫式部（紫式部日記絵巻）)
7. [11]: Morikawa edition (private) based on [12] and amherst (search for "Murasaki Shikibu Diary")
8. [13]: Hachisuka ed. painting 6 text 4; based on amherst and matching the text with here

Thanks. bamse (talk) 00:54, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

As for #2, you are correct. It's an image of Fujiwara no Michinaga visiting Murasaki Shikibu and knocking the door in the night. I'll check other images later. Oda Mari (talk) 06:33, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. Any chance to extract image captions from the text in [14] if necessary (for some images I have English descriptions in other sources)? I would not need an exact translation, but maybe the names of people at least. bamse (talk) 09:51, 4 November 2011 (UTC) Found an English translation of the diary. bamse (talk) 03:00, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Image #1=#9. It's the scene of Murasaki Shikibu (on the right) lecturing on Bai Juyi's poems to Empress Shōshi (on the left). Oda Mari (talk) 07:06, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. I joined the two above, so there is no more #9. I believe the one which is for sale is a reproduction and the other is the original, right? bamse (talk) 09:26, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Yes, the one on sale is a reproduction. The linked page says 復刻版. [15] Oda Mari (talk) 14:41, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

As for #7, you are right. Oda Mari (talk) 15:20, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll be striking out those that I've already uploaded above. bamse (talk) 22:16, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Clan/family

Resolved

Is there a rule on how to translate 家 when speaking of ancestral heritage of pieces of art or writings. For instance, would 森川家本 be translated as Morikawa clan edition or as Morikawa family edition (or something else)? Would it make sense to use "family" for modern times (post Meiji restoration) and "clan" for before? bamse (talk) 11:25, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

First, I have to ask: are you sure it's not a name? Perhaps "Morikawa Iemoto"? If not a name, I might translate it to "house", as in "House of Morikawa" or since it's 本, like a "headquarters", it could be the "Morikawa Main House". I don't know what the conventions are (if any), but I usually use "family" for groups in which all members share the same surname, and clan if I am talking about the larger family affiliation that includes branch families, subordinate families (retainers), families of adoptees, etc. But, I know in medieval Japan there were several levels, and we really only have the 2 or 3 terms in English. Boneyard90 (talk) 12:35, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

I am basically sure that it is not a name, otherwise there would be lots of Iemoto's in here (Hachisuka Iemoto,...). I think I have seen 本 translated in such context as edition (as in: this piece of art belonged to the family/clan mentioned before 本), but don't remember where. Alternatively, maybe one could write: in possession of the Morikawa/Hachisuka/... house/family/clan, but for flow, I would like to refer to the set or artworks/writings that are in possession of a certain family somehow without writing: "the paintings that are in possession of the Morikawa clan" each time. bamse (talk) 16:00, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

I see you point about the name. If the kanji 本 can be translated as "edition", then it's a new one on me, but then art & literature aren't my strong points. I see that the website also uses han 藩, which I'm pretty sure is usually translated as "clan", when writers aren't using han. I think the word ie 家 is more often translated as family or house. The moto 本 is a little unusual here, I think, but in my experience is usually something like "main" or "headquarters". Hopefully someone else will weigh in. Good luck. Boneyard90 (talk) 22:52, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. I was looking for an English/Japanese source which has both the kanji and english translation, but without success so far. The moto not only appears with families or individuals but also with institution such as 金沢文庫本. "Headquarter" kind of fits, as in this piece of art has its headquarter (=is commonly located=is owned by) at Kanazawa Bunko. bamse (talk) 23:20, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

I think "clan" is not appropriate for this purpose, because it includes all the family tree. "家本" indicates a family which possesses the book regardless of whether it has been passed down for generation. How about using a word "collection" instead of trying to translate "家本"? See UM, History of Art Department collections.[16] Although I understand "Kebon" has an implied meaning of "edition" in addition to "possession", the word "collection" may also have an implied meaning of "edition". ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 01:44, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

I like it. "Collection" seems to fit as the best interpretation, whereas the translation has fallen short of the intended meaning.Boneyard90 (talk) 06:04, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

How about "version" as in this source ("Hinohara version")? bamse (talk) 15:41, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Please see the following Google book search results.

• "hinohara collection" | "Hachisuka collection" | "Morikawa collection" "emaki" OR "ekotoba" 288
• "hinohara version" | "Hachisuka version" | "Morikawa version" "emaki" OR "ekotoba" 1

I excluded "Okura Collection" because it produces a fair amount of spurious hits. I haven't examined all the entries, so spurious hits may still be included in above result. ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 23:24, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for the links, but as far as I can see it is used differently: "in the ... collection" vs. "painting from the ... version". I would like to refer to the scroll itself, not to the owner in order to write something like: "The Hachisuka version/edition/scroll consists of 8 illustrations and 7 sections of text." Can't see how to do this using the word "collection". bamse (talk) 00:28, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Hi Bamse, I think you should maybe try referring to them as the "Family name scroll", i.e the "Hachisuka scroll consists of 8 paintings/illustrations and 7 pieces of text". Hope this helps. Or you could refer to it as the "Family name fragment" because they are fragments of the whole. I.e. "The Hachisuka fragment consists of 8 illustrations and 7 pieces of text". Hope this helps. Truthkeeper (talk) 02:26, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

I like the idea. Prefer to use "scroll" since those are complete scrolls AFAIK. Will use "fragments" for the cut up scroll, i.e. Gotoh fragments,... bamse (talk) 08:13, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

GanghwaLanding.jpg

What does the caption (top centre) of this illustration say?

Hello from the Wikimedia Commons! We've received a request for the illustration on the right to be renamed. The requestor thinks that the file may be incorrectly named, but does not speak Japanese. Neither do I. Can someone please explain what the caption on the illustration itself says? Thanks. — Cheers, JackLee ^–talk– 14:53, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

The requester is correct. The caption is "雲揚艦の兵士等 韓島の永宗城を襲ふ”. It means "Soldiers from the Un'yō attacking the Yeongjong castle. The ja text use 城/castle, but actually it was batteries. Oda Mari (talk) 20:24, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Excellent. Thanks very much! — Cheers, JackLee ^–talk– 20:58, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks indeed. Does “韓島の永宗城” mean that the fort (永宗城) is on a Korean (韓) island (島), or is “韓島” just a variant of the proper noun 韓半島? I guess what's meant here is the latter because the former would probably not have on'yomi furigana for 島, right? On the other hand, I've never seen the term “韓島” before and would not have thought of understanding 島 as a superset of 半島, just like my concept of “islands” does not include peninsulas.

Oops! Sorry. I forgot to put the word in the en translation above. It means "an Korean island". Oda Mari (talk) 05:54, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Another thing that surprises me is the use of kan (韓) instead of chōsen (朝鮮). Do Japanese sources use kan frequently even before 1897? Were they freely interchangeable variants, or was there perhaps a reason for whoever wrote this in the 1870s to prefer kan over chōsen for the caption? Thanks in advance. Wikipeditor (talk) 02:25, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Nihonshoki used the word Samhan and there was the Seikanron in 1873 and the Ganghwa Island incident happened in 1875. I guess they were interchangeable then. I cannot tell why the woodblock artist preferred kan over chōsen. He might be a supporter of Seikanron or he might use kan without any specific reason. Oda Mari (talk) 05:54, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

So is the complete translation of the Japanese caption "Soldiers from the Un'yō attacking the Yeongjong castle on a Korean island"? — Cheers, JackLee ^–talk– 08:10, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Yes, or it might be "Soldiers from the Un'yō attacking an Korean island's Yeongjong castle". It's difficult to translate as ja do not have articles a/an and the. 韓島 is Korean island, 永宗城 is Yeongjong castle and 襲ふ is the verb attack. The name of the island is also 永宗島 Yeongjong. So translating the caption without repeating "Yeongjong" in natural en is difficult for me. I think the caption on this page is a good description, it's not the translation of the ja caption though. Oda Mari (talk) 18:14, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Shozo Fujita

I found this article with a proposed deletion tag on it, but contested deletion based on the fact the Japanese Wikipedia article (according to a Google translation) makes some claims of likely notability, and searches in English find some hints of notability. Could someone who can read Japanese check this out to see if notability can be substantiated? Phil Bridger (talk) 18:43, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

How old is this?

Resolved

Does anybody know how old this is? As far as I can see, it says date unknown, but I don't need an exact date. Just wondering whether it is public domain due to age and whether images can be uploaded to commons. Also, does anybody know what the rules are for uploading ukiyoe to commons under public domain licenses are? Which date counts in this case, i) the date when the drawing was made, ii) the date when the woodblock was created, iii) the date of the actual printing? bamse (talk) 21:48, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Anything written by Murasaki Shikibu would be in the public domain given the age (everything she wrote is over 900 years old, and some would be approaching 1000 years old). ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 07:14, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

I am not an expert in licensing, but this is how I understand it: Any text by Murasaki Shikibu is PD because of age (so I could publish a book with her text without paying her or her relative anything). However, the item in question is a reproduction of the Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki (original from 13th century). I understand that any photographic/scan reproduction of the Emaki is PD (see this for the reason). Now the item in question is not a photographic reproduction but an ukiyoe reproduction. As such it involves some non-trivial work (transferring the painting to a woodblock...). That's why I am not sure that the same reasoning as for scans of old 2D artwork can be applied here. So at the moment I can see two options for uploading these ukiyoe reproductions to commons:

1. The reproductions are old enough. Not sure what the cut-off date is here (author died more than 100 years ago, published before 1923,...). Hard to say since no author is known. The ukiyoe book looks like Meiji period to me, so those conditions might not actually be satisfied.
2. The reproduction is considered straightforward (simple) enough to qualify for the PD-Art license. Will ask about this the licensing experts at commons. bamse (talk) 11:14, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

It seems that they cannot be uploaded unless their age can be determined to be sufficiently old. bamse (talk) 18:40, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

According to ja:紫式部日記, the book was originally published in the 13th century, so that's certainly in PD. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 23:07, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

There are three items, i) the Murasaki Shikibu Diary from the early 11th century, ii) the Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki from the 13th century which is an illustrated (text+pictures) version of the diary and iii) a woodblock/ukiyoe reproduction of (parts of) the emaki, whose age is not known per this (I'd guess Meiji for the age). I know that "i" and "ii" are PD, but am not sure about "iii", since I don't know its age. bamse (talk) 01:35, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

If they are reproductions of a PD work, then they are also PD. If they are interpretations of a PD text, that is different. Which are these? ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 08:17, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

Well, they are ukiyoe, so rather interpretations, since it is not a one to one copy, but requires some artistic talent to carve the wood, etc. bamse (talk) 19:37, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

Move and merge of Ohōtsuku Subprefecture and Okhotsk General Subprefectural Bureau

I have just requested that the recently moved article Ohōtsuku Subprefecture be moved to Okhotsk Subprefecture to restore the widely-used official spelling "Okhotsk" rather than the romanized form "Ohōtsuku". I'm not too familiar with Hokkaido geography or politics, but there has been a lot of hasty article renaming to and fro in the past year or so following the official renaming of Abashiri Subprefecture to Okhotsk Subprefecture in April 2010, which also seems to have resulted in the creation of a parallel article, Okhotsk General Subprefectural Bureau, through a cut & paste move. This article has identical content to Ohōtsuku Subprefecture. I would be grateful if other editors can comment on the suitability of moving Ohōtsuku Subprefecture to Okhotsk Subprefecture and also merging the edit history of Okhotsk General Subprefectural Bureau. The move discussion is at Talk:Ohōtsuku Subprefecture. --DAJF (talk) 10:35, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

Y u delete my article??

Can someone help me with Nihon no Uta Hyakusen? Some guy I've never met before has marked it PROD, COPYVIO, and AFD in the space of about 48 hours. I don't know what his deal is but I don't like that it's a two-person argument so far and he is not communicating well. Shii (tock) 01:03, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

It is closed as keep thank to WP:Japan participants.[17] However I prefer the title something like "The best 100 children???????'s songs in Japan" than "Nihon no Uta Hyakusen" although I don't know any applicable guidelines. ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 09:58, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Rizana Nafeek and related nonsense on ja.wiki

Hi. I'm looking for help from someone who can write Japanese. I'm trying to resolve anomalies between the people considered alive on en.wiki and dead on other wikis. In the case of Rizana Nafeek, there's clearly a mistake on ja.wiki (ja:リザナ・ナシカ) which for some reason states that Nafeek has been dead for three years. That statement is not sourced and this isn't surprising since Nafeek is still very much alive and in the news [18]. I'd really appreciate it if someone can fix the ja.wiki article. Thanks, Pichpich (talk) 02:05, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

Fixed ja article and explained in the talk page. --Kusunose 09:19, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

That's great, thanks. Pichpich (talk) 17:14, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

Portal:Baseball in Japan nominated for deletion

A portal related to this topic, Portal:Baseball in Japan, has been nominated for deletion. Please see the discussion, at Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Portal:Baseball in Japan. Thank you for your time. Cheers, — Cirt (talk) 04:16, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Requested moves

I posted two requested moves:

• Cuteness in Japanese culture to Kawaii at Talk:Cuteness in Japanese culture#Requested move
• Nihon no Uta Hyakusen to The best 100 Japanese songs at Talk:Nihon no Uta Hyakusen#Requested move

Please participate in the discussions. ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 10:03, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

Lyudmila Pavlichenko

• Lyudmila Pavlichenko (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

Hello, Wikiproject.

In Lyudmila Pavlichenko, several users/IP's have tried to remove one sentence and reference - e.g. [19] (and many others; see history)

Timothy Perper (talk · contribs) has repeatedly undone the change as 'vandalism'.

I have investigated the claim as best I can, and it seems to me that it is an inadequate reference to say she achieved popular recognition in Japan as a heroine. I believe the sentence should be removed. I do not believe that the edits removing it should be called 'vandalism'.

Please could anyone help resolve that issue; please see/respond on Talk:Lyudmila_Pavlichenko#Japanese_Material_on_Pavlichenko.

Many thanks,  Chzz  ►  15:11, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

Akira Ryō or Akira Ryo

The article is currently titled Akira Ryō. It was previously on Akira Ryo and was moved 4 years ago citing WP:MOS-JA as the reason. However, I can't find anything on WP:MOS-JA that specifies we have to use "ō" in the article title. Since, Akira Ryo is commonly used in English-language sources, should the article be moved to Akira Ryo per Wikipedia:Naming conventions (use English)? — MT (talk) 10:02, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Because en WP uses Hepburn romanization. It is mentioned in WP:MJ#Romanization. Most English-language sources do not use correct romanization as macroned letters are not common and they are not easy to type. So it is not necessarily right to say "Ryo" is the correct and common spelling in en. Besides, I'm afraid Akira Ryō is not so notable in general. Oda Mari (talk) 10:34, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing me out to Hepburn romanization, I never knew that. Anyway, what about other person with macroned letter in their surname but their wikipedia articles are not using the macroned letter as the title (such as: Shinichi Ito, Daijiro Kato, Takuma Sato). Also, WP:MJ#Names of modern figures mentions that "Use the form personally or professionally used by the person, if available in the English/Latin alphabet". Doesn't this mean that English alphabets are preferred? — MT (talk) 11:22, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

It really depends on which is in common usage in reliable sources. If the non-macronned version is more common, then it should be moved back to that version. If the macronned version is more common, or no most common version can be determined, it should remain where it is. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 16:47, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Hmm. It's too tough for me to say which is appropriate. Personally I prefer to use macroned letters as it is the precise way to romanize ja. Native Japanese can easily know it's the surname 伊藤/いとう/Itō when they see Shinichi Ito. But just "Ito", not in a sentence nor with Shinichi, puzzles people. Romanized "Ito" cannot be Japanized いとう. It would be いと and there are two different いと in ja. 意図/intention and 糸/thread. It is interesting to see the article name of those three driver/racers in other languages. Some use macron, some use other letters, and some use Ito, Kato and Sato. Oda Mari (talk) 16:57, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Wow guys this is really confusing for me. Well I agree with Nihonjoe, since it can't be determined, it should remain where it is. I personally prefer macroned letters, since it's more accurate. Similarly, in German-related articles wikipedia uses the letter "ß" instead of "ss" and in Spanish-related articles wikipedia uses diacritics letters. I just hope that in the future there could be a consistent naming convention in Japan-related articles. Thanks for the explanations.

One last thing, I recently moved Shinichi Itoh to Shinichi Ito, based on the commonly used spelling in the media. I hope it's a correct move. — MT (talk) 03:51, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

I would also favour the use of the macron unless there is an explicit rejection of it in particular cases. Using Commonname as grounds for removing diacritics is problematic, as it's not clear if the absence of a macron is the result of typesetting obstacles. (It's not just native Japanese speakers who benefit from the extra information, but generally people familiar with Japan topics. Compare the names Yuki and Yūki, for example.) VsevolodKrolikov (talk) 04:07, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

The recommendation of Jimbo Wales is not to use diacritics if most English language sources do not use them. But though MOS:JA recommends Hepburn, the most common form found in English may not even be Hepburn, it could be something else (particularly, IMDB doesn't use Hepburn, for example) and even in Japanese sources where some names/terms are in romaji/romanized, there's a lot of non-Hepburn as well. 70.24.248.23 (talk) 04:47, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

Actually, the IMDb recommends use of Hepburn, but as you can see, many people ignore that. Michitaro (talk) 05:36, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

If you use IMDB, I haven't seen Hepburn being used, whatever they recommend. 70.24.248.23 (talk) 08:15, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

The recommendation of MOS:JA is to not use diacritics if most English language reliable sources do not use them. Jimbo's opinion in this matter doesn't matter anymore than that of anyone else here. In this case, though, he's recommending exactly what MOS:JA suggests. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 08:46, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Just a quick point here, but I don't think you can compare the use of macrons when writing Japanese to the use of diacritics in other languages, because it's fairly rare to see macrons used with romaji in Japanese contexts. For example, I don't remember ever seeing macrons used in Japanese stations, or on the covers of Japanese books or albums, which often use romaji.--Rsm77 (talk) 07:53, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

East Japan Railway Company correctly uses Hepburn romanization. Probably other JRs too. See this and this signboard. Oda Mari (talk) 09:10, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Clearly my memory is playing tricks on me! I still don't remember any macrons used on book or album covers, though you might say my memory has been discredited...--Rsm77 (talk) 09:17, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm sure I made a vow once never to get involved in a discussion about macrons.--Rsm77 (talk) 09:19, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Kanji of a person

I would like to know the kanji of Shizuka Saeki of Look Japan. The article she wrote that I got from the resource exchange doesn't state what kanji her name uses. How would one find it? Also Look Japan seems to have been discontinued, so I cannot contact them WhisperToMe (talk) 22:05, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

Using Japanese Wikipedia as a reference / Japanese sources in general

I just want to double-check something here about sources. Sometimes I see articles with banners that say something along the lines of 'This article could be improved with information from the Japanese Wikipedia article', but sometimes it seems that editors don't accept anything that doesn't have a source in English. Is there a firm policy on this matter? If I use information from a Japanese Wikipedia article I have usually in the past just made a note on the talkpage, but is there a better approach?

I was looking specifically at maybe doing something for the Aka Manto article, and here there's the further problem that the Japanese article 赤マント has references from books which I won't be able to check easily. Can I assume good faith? Once again, is Japanese Wikipedia considered a reliable source for English articles? Should I cite? If yes, how should I cite? Cite the article or the references given? OK, I seem to be repeating myself.--Rsm77 (talk) 07:47, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

It's fine to include things from the Japanese Wikipedia, but you should definitely try to find sources for anything you translate over. If you don't, it's possible someone may come along and remove it or question it due to lack of sourcing. If the Japanese article has sources, you can assume they are correct and use the same sources as references for the material here. Do not cite the Japanese Wikipedia article as your source, though, but rather the sources it uses. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 17:05, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for your reply. I will bear this in mind when making future edits.--Rsm77 (talk) 21:40, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Collaboration of the Month for December 2011: Pachinko

The article Pachinko badly needs work, especially sourcing. Since it is based on the ja.wiki version of the article, and most of the sources will be in Japanese, it could obviously use some help from someone who knows the language. Basically, the article has a lot of information, but virtually none of it is sourced. It has some suspect "information" in it (I removed most of the blatant WP:NOR and WP:NOT#HOWTO violations), and it is also missing historical information prior to around 1920. — SMcCandlish Talk⇒ ʕ(^Õل^ō)ˀ Contribs. 09:29, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

RfC on Senkaku Islands

There is currently an RfC on Talk:Senkaku Islands, a page that is marked as being of interest to this WikiProject. We would like to invite comments from other users at Talk:Senkaku Islands#Request for comment: Article naming. Qwyrxian (talk) 04:30, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Only 28 un-geocoded Japanese railway station articles left

As of today, there are only 28 Japanese railway station articles left that need geocodes: see User:The Anome/Japan railway stations missing coordinates for the list. Unfortunately, most of these are disused stations, but they are still of historical interest, and worth geocoding. Would any railway enthusiasts with Japanese knowledge be interested in filling in the coordinates for these last few articles? -- The Anome (talk) 23:42, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

Added coordinates to four stations. Will keep on searching. Could somebody copy coordinates from ja-wikipedia for the stations which are on the Miki Railway Miki Line? bamse (talk) 08:29, 15 December 2011 (UTC)

Done with the Kabe line. Thanks for posting. I actually quite enjoyed looking at pictures of old abandoned tiny stations. Taking a break now. Will take a look at the remaining few stations if nobody else locates them before. bamse (talk) 19:32, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

All of them on that page appear to be done now. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 21:55, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

What constitutes the revised Hepburn romanization?

User:Unnecessary stuff has found publications by the Library of Congress that do not use the form of Hepburn romanization that User:Mujaki claims is what is in reality the "revised" or "modified" system of Hepburn romanization. Discussion on how we should deal with Hepburn romanization is welcome on its talk page.—Ryulong (竜龙) 09:45, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

1503 reproduction of Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki

Does anybody know of a reproduction of the 13th century Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki from the year 1503? I am asking since the original depicted in the image is from 1503 according to the source. Unlike other images of the same scene, this image has a fold running through Fujiwara no Michinaga. Could this fold be from a folding screen or is it a book fold (likely not from a book from 1503 but from a recent publication). Basically what I am asking is, what is this 1503 reproduction of the original emaki? bamse (talk) 14:29, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

I emailed the source (Yale University) and they told me that the image is a scan from a this recent book which explains the fold. They'd need to re-check whether the date (1503) is correct or not. bamse (talk) 20:46, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

RFC on coordinates in highway articles

There is currently a discussion taking place at WT:HWY regarding the potential use of coordinates in highway articles. Your input is welcomed. --Rschen7754 01:35, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

Names of first ascenders of Manaslu?

Hello. I’m trying to add first hand accounts of the first ascents of 8,000m peaks to the mountains’ articles. Most sources I’ve seen list Yuko Maki as the leader of the expedition for the first ascent of Manaslu, however this site [20] claims it was Aritsune Maki. Aritsune Maki also wrote this book. Could Yuko Maki and Aritsune Maki be the same person?
Similarly, this site [21] lists Takayoshi Yoda as the cameraman of the expedition, while the author of the photo essay here of the first ascent is Yoshinori Yoda. Are they the same person?--Wikimedes (talk) 05:49, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

Yes, it looks like it is the same person. The kanji of his given name 有恒 could be read "Yūkō" or "Aritsune" - it's the difference between the on'yomi (Chinese reading) and the kun'yomi (Japanese reading) - see Kanji#Readings for details. If most sources use Yūkō, then that is probably the one we should use. His article at the Japanese Wikipedia says that both are used, but it lists Yūkō first. Hope this helps. — Mr. Stradivarius ^♫ 06:42, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

As for Yoda, Yoshinori seems to be an error. Take a good look at the cover of the book. It says Takayoshi. Oda Mari (talk) 15:01, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

FYI, the National Diet Library treats Aritsune as the official reading: see here. Michitaro (talk) 16:08, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

But the Sendai city treats Yūkō as the official reading. Maki was born and raised in Sendai and he is an honorary citizen there. See [22]. Oda Mari (talk) 17:02, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

As we all know, different name readings can be used by different groups. Having worked in a library, I tend to use what the Library of Congress or NDL authority file says, since it is their job to get the name right (but in rare cases sometimes even those can be mistaken). By the way, the US Library of Congress Authority File--which dictates using Aritsune--says they confirmed the reading using the colophon of two of Maki's own books. When the author page says it is Aritsune, libraries tend to go with that. Michitaro (talk) 19:04, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, that clears everything up. I added a mention in the article that Yuko Maki is also known as Aritsune Maki and added the books to a further reading section.--Wikimedes (talk) 03:40, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

Seibun

Please have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&limit=500&target=Seibun This contentious user is making unilateral moves without discussion, having been admonished several times now about doing so. There is no hyphen in Japanese, it is not natural to put it in transliteration. Should I take this higher, what say you all?--Kintetsubuffalo (talk) 17:03, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

I follow the ALA-LC Romanization Table, which actually only allows hyphens in a few cases (mostly having to do with adding a prefix or suffix to a proper noun, such as in Nihon-teki). So jidaigeki should be without hyphen (even though I recognize there are some texts that use one). Seibun seems to argue that dictionaries do it his/her way, but Kenkyusha (the standard) definitely does not (it uses hyphens not because that is the rule in romanization, but in order to "clarify the constitution (kōsei) of the word"). Michitaro (talk) 19:14, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

I don't have a problem with hyphens. They separate parts of unusual compound words or connect particles to the affiliated noun. Makes romaji easier to read; better than separating all particles, or worse, when several words and particles are written as one long word. I must not be the only one, take "Ukiyo-e", for example. On the other hand, changing the title of an article should be discussed beforehand, on the article's talk page. Boneyard90 (talk) 19:24, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

Japan at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics

Hi I am trying to expand this article but do not understand a word of Japanese. Can someone that understands the language list all the athletes competing on the article please and thank you. The list I believe could be found here: [23] Intoronto1125TalkContributions 02:37, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

Indeed that is the page. Do you also need the coaches/team leader/supervisors? Do you also need the age of the people and their origin (sports club)? Shall I drop the translation here or somewhere else? bamse (talk) 07:23, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Just the list of athletes something like what is listed here would be great. No coach names are needed but preferably the number of coaches and officials on the team would be great. Also if possible can you list the athletes here as the subject already has an article already. Thank you!! Intoronto1125TalkContributions 13:27, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

I started. Is it OK like that? I added the names in Japanese since the names in transcriptions could have various spellings in Japanese. Also, I did not create red links, since I am not sure if they will ever get wikipedia articles. bamse (talk) 17:03, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

I think they should be left with the red links, as likely they will compete at future Olympic games which warrant an article. I don't think the Japanese writing is necessary though. Thank you!! Intoronto1125TalkContributions 00:30, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

I think the Japanese writing is essential to avoid misunderstandings (see for instance the discussion "Names of first ascenders of Manaslu?" above) at least until they get their own wikipedia article (where the Japanese spelling should appear in those article). I'll redlink all names. bamse (talk) 09:20, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

If you think so I really can't say anything :) I was just going on past experiences when nation articles were created for Japan (see for ex. Japan at the 2010 Winter Olympics) Intoronto1125TalkContributions 14:28, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Glad you like it. :) I'll remove Japanese script for blue linked names. At least the Japanese text fills up the empty space a bit ;-) bamse (talk) 14:55, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Operation Locker

Operation Locker, which aims to provide comprehensive coverage of all ships lost during the period 1939-45 has been launched. Assistance from members of this WikiProject in achieving that aim is welcome. Please discuss this project at the relevant talk page. Mjroots (talk) 15:47, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

Very wobbly

This morning's odd discovery: "Konnyaku Bridge". This is, shall we say, problematic. However, I am not a civil engineer or similar. -- Hoary (talk) 00:46, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

I tried to make it a little sturdier (the article, that is). Michitaro (talk) 02:14, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you, and Nihonjoe too. -- Hoary (talk) 07:01, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

Chosokabe Clan Status?

Are any descendants of the Chosokabe Clan alive today or were they all killed by the Tokugawa Shogunate or some other event? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.226.155.147 (talk) 07:06, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

As this question isn't about an article, it's better asked elsewhere. -- Hoary (talk) 03:44, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Wall Scroll Question.

Does anyone know the name and/or have a picture of the old Japanese Wall Scroll that showed a Samurai holding a smoking cannon? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.226.155.147 (talk) 03:46, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

As this question isn't about an article, it's better asked elsewhere. (See the response to your earlier question, close above.) As is any other question that you or anybody else may have about Japan. -- Hoary (talk) 05:58, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

As long as they don't get out of hand, I think it's fine to ask the occasional question here. If we get too many, perhaps we'll have to make a reference desk page for it. I don't see that happening any time soon, though. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 08:10, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

I don't know any such thing, but am curious. What is a Japanese Wall Scroll? bamse (talk) 09:35, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Kakemono, I presume. -- Hoary (talk) 11:10, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Yes, that, thank you. I'm looking for the one that has a Samurai in front of it holding a smoking cannon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.226.155.147 (talk) 11:22, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Maybe look through the ones here. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 06:21, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Coach

I am translating the names of participants of Japan at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics on request (see above). The official site uses both, 監督 and コーチ, see here. How shall I translate those titles, both as "coach" or is 監督 something else? bamse (talk) 09:58, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Manager? [24] and [25] Oda Mari (talk) 10:27, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Sounds good, thanks. bamse (talk) 11:51, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Now, in ice hockey they have "総務". Any idea on how to distinguish the three (総務, 監督 and コーチ) in English? bamse (talk) 15:19, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

I would use "manager" for that as well. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 06:18, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

I did translation professionally back in the old days and in a case like this I would find rosters of other nations and see what terms they would use. But 総務 here is probably unusual because, if the roster page is right, Japan is only sending two hockey players, not a team. "Manager" might work, but in the sense of a tarento manager. Michitaro (talk) 13:25, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

True, but in hindsight it would be better to use different terms. Intoronto1125TalkContributions 13:39, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Why would it be better to use a different term? It pretty much means "manager" in this context. The only other reasonable translation would be something like "director", but that doesn't really make sense for a team. ···日本穣^? · 投稿 · Talk to Nihonjoe · Join WP Japan! 06:17, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Not sure whether it gives any insight, 総務 is used for snowboard and ice hockey here and 監督 for speed skating. bamse (talk) 15:26, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

I called JOC. They say there is little difference among the three words. I mean what they actually do is the same and they are just using different nouns. Ha ha ha. JOC's suggestion in en was コーチ would be coach, 監督 head coach, and 総務 manager. But IMHO, just coach is enough. Oda Mari (talk) 07:14, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Utane bread

Hello,

There is a bread called "Utane" at T&T Supermarkets in Vancouver BC. It claims that "'Utane' is a superb Japanese baking technique, with dough mixing into warm water before cooling it within chill environment. Utane bread is extra soft and spongy with fresh taste." (Picture here.) I haven't been able to find any information about it online except on blogs talking about the T&T one. Is this a real Japanese type of bread? It is very good. InverseHypercube 02:56, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

It looks typical of the bread that is commonly sold in supermarket chains and in mom & pop bakeries in Japan. I didn't know there was a specific name for the recipe/technique, though it doesn't surprise me that (1) there is a name for it, or (2) I never heard of it. Now that I read back, I guess my reply isn't very helpful. Hopefully other editors will have more insight. Boneyard90 (talk) 03:35, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

I suspect strongly that it's not a baking technique, just poor English use of the word "is" (probably translating the particle 「は」 as "is"). I'm guessing "Utane" is a brand name (it's what the kanji in the logo says, after all: "hot water" and "seed" (which would just mean the wheat "seed" the flour is made from)), and that it uses (rather than "is") the technique described in the text (which may or may not have a name to it). CüRlyTüRkey^Talk_Contribs 03:43, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Here is a link to the relevant Japanese article ja:湯種. The English word would be rendered "Yutane", and it uses the same kanji shown on the wrapper in the photo you provided. Another editor might provide a more accurate translation, but it looks like it says stuff similar to what you quoted above, and that starch is added to the flour. The term was coined by the Koubeya Company (of Osaka), and was picked up by a couple of other companies (Okumoto Co. and the Shikishima Baking Co.). Hope this helps. Boneyard90 (talk) 03:51, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Actually, it says that Koubeya sells a bread with the "Yudane" name on it, but the patent for the process is owned Okumoto Co., the Shikishima Baking Co. and a number of other companies. Either way, it's a patented process, which suggests strongly it's not traditional, or used at all outside of industry. CüRlyTüRkey^Talk_Contribs 04:00, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! That is probably what it is. InverseHypercube 04:13, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

種 in 湯種 is not "seed". It's "dough" and the word literally means "hot water dough". Yudane is a dough made with boiling water. Boiling water changes the β-starch in flour into α-starch and it makes the starch sweeter. See starch gelatinization. You have to make it hours before you bake bread. Wrap the dough and put it it the refrigerator. About 1 to 8 hours. In other words, wait till the dough is cold enough. All you have to do is add/mix the dough to the ordinary dough when you bake bread. Yudane bread tastes good and the taste lasts longer than the standard bread. See a recipe site page translated by Yahoo (G translation) and [26]. There is a ready made flour mix for Yudane bread sold in Japan. [27] And this is the Kobeya page. Oda Mari (talk) 09:00, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

My dictionaries say that 「種」 refers to the leavening agent, rather than the dough (it translates "dough" as 「練り粉」). Could we get an elaboration? Also, given that there are recipes for the bread online, does this mean it's commonly known? I wouldn't have thought a patented recipe would be available online.