Book Review: Kawari kabuto - Katchū no bi - Rare Kabuto The beauty of Japanese Armors by Ryō Kobayashi

[Jo Anseeuw]

Title: Kawari kabuto - Rare Kabuto The beauty of Japanese Armors
Author: Ryō Kobayashi
Publisher: Musashiya Co. Ltd., 2007
ISBN: 978-4-9903669-0-2
Language: Japanese and some English
Illustrations: Color pictures
Other: 119 pages, 26 cm by 18 cm, softcover
Topics: Kabuto
ID: B0360

Interesting book about kawari kabuto.

[Uwe Sacklowski]

I think, I don’t have it….

[Piers Dowding]

‘Rare’ is an extremely polite way of translating ‘kawari’.

If you call someone ‘kawari-mono’ or ‘kawatteru’, though, you imply that they are strange, unusual, or eccentric. Deviating from the norm. A sea-change has taken place.

Perhaps also ‘exotic’ ‘fantastic’ or ‘weird and wonderful’ could be some other good words to play with, in the absence of any fixed or definitive expressions. (?)

[Jo Anseeuw]

Piers

Yes indeed, strange translation. But I need to put up my umbrella here, it is the translation made by the publishers/writers, not me. I will prepare a complaint ticket in your name. I'm sure it will be handled soon. Will follow up!

Jo

[Piers Dowding]

Jo, tell them my name is Sreip Gnidwod.

[Uwe Sacklowski]

[Jo Anseeuw]

Piers

I have send them a fax with the complaint (with my hanko, and the one of my wife to show them it was approved correctly) with your name as you suggested. But they faxed me back to say that they can't write your name in katakana, hence you must not exist in real life. So they asked me to shred the original fax and your complaint is now void. (They stressed they are working on a digital, online system to get and process complaints, but lost the floppy drive with the original code, and are now aiming for a 2030 launch - sorry about that).
Anyway, case closed.

Jo

[John Wee Tom]

[Uwe Sacklowski]