Need Japanese Translation ID

[shadytrake]

I bought this "Dendrobium" today and Dr. Lehr from New World can't remember what the translation is for the orchid ID.

Can some of our Japanese experts chime in and assist?

I posted a pic of the plant and both sides of the tag.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

First off, you can also ask people whom you know who also are able to read Chinese as to what the approximations of the meanings are. The Japanese written language was at one point influenced by the Chinese written language. While there are differences in the Japanese and Chinese written languages over all, the Japanese kanji (Chinese characters) are essentially written the same way as Chinese characters. The differences in the Japanese kanji and Chinese characters usually stem from the Japanese kanji either being the shorthand written form of a Chinese character, a more antiquated Chinese character that doesn't necessarily appear in modern Chinese as much anymore, or a character that appears in both cultures up till modern times but the Japanese meaning of the character is usually the more antiquated definition and concept.

With that said...

I only know how to read a few of the characters. I was raised mostly here in the US, so my knowledge of Chinese is rather limited.

I can translate the 1st three characters on the top row from the second pic out of your 3 pic lineup.

The first character means "big". If you look at it in terms of a pictograph - interpret it in terms of a child drawing a stick figure of a human being. The person is stretching its arms and legs out as if to make itself appear larger. Hence why it symbolizes "big".

The second character is an example of a character that shows up in both modern day Chinese and Japanese, however, the Japanese definition of the character is closer to that of the antiquated Chinese definition of the character. While in modern Chinese, it is used a tiny bit differently than it was originally. It really carries with it the concept of "light" or "illumination". This character is a compound pictograph. It really has 2 characters combined into one. The pictograph on the left symbolizes the sun. The pictograph on the right symbolizes the moon. The reason why it doesn't resemble the sun and the moon to many modern day people is because modern day Chinese/Japanese kanji is actually a stylized and angular way of writing these pictographs. In ancient China, the pictograph for the sun is a circle with a dot in the middle. While the pictograph for the moon in ancient Chinese would be a crescent moon with two dashes in the middle. The 2 dashes in the middle of the crescent moon is a depiction of the "face of the man on the moon", if you will, in western cultures. The symbolism here is that the 2 astral bodies portrayed provide light that illuminate the land. One during the day. One during the night.

The third character symbolizes "stone". Imagine a stone block falling off a cliff overhang.

The fourth character is undecipherable, as it has been partially obscured by that ink blot.

[lambelkip]

the line Philip tried to translate appears to be a description, not a name.

the second line on that side of the tag is the name (read top to bottom, when the tag is vertical in the pot)

it says Tancho 'Zuru' (which refers to the red-crested crane)

the back of the tag appears to be information about the company that grew it.

[shadytrake]

Awesome! Thanks. It has moniliforme, nobile, signatum & heterocarpum in the background.

Weird how the canes look like pears. At least I know the care. Dry winter rest and intermediate temp good light. I'm thinking a Japanese style raft.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I did a Google translate on the English words "red crested crane" into Chinese. Sure enough, when read from top to bottom, (the traditional Chinese and Japanese way of reading manuscripts), the characters that are on the "bottom row" roughly translates into Red Crested Crane. So Kip's translation is verified.

The literal, translation:

Character #1 = an adjective form of the word red

Character #2 = top or apex

Character #3 = crane

Since the etymology on these characters are rather complicated, I will not attempt to explain it.

As verification, "Tancho Zuru" is the Japanese way of saying Red Crested Crane.

[msaar]

Dendrobium Tancho is a nobile-type hybrid, registered by Yamamoto, the current king of this type of orchid. The photos I can find are of white flowers with a very dark maroon center. Culture would be the same as any other nobile hybrid.

[shadytrake]

Originally Posted by msaar

Dendrobium Tancho is a nobile-type hybrid, registered by Yamamoto, the current king of this type of orchid. The photos I can find are of white flowers with a very dark maroon center. Culture would be the same as any other nobile hybrid.

I am unable to locate a picture in my research. Can you post a link to one?

[Fuukiran]

Hi folks - sorry for the confusion.

These plants are variegated Dendrobium speciosum `Tanchouzuru'

The person writing out the tags in Japan put the quotations in the wrong spot.

Grow these in as bright a light as you can!
Otherwise the leaves may turn green.

[shadytrake]

Thanks so much for taking the time to look it up for me Dr. Lehr!

I'm so excited for the blooms.

[msaar]

Never mind!