Volunteering on a Translation Project

Recently my time has been divided a little more than normal. For over a month, I’ve been volunteering my service at “The Hidensho Project”, and helping with a Classical Japanese translation project that’ll sure to please those who have interest in historical military subjects of Japan.

The site “The Hidensho Project”, which is run by Randy McCall, is host to some ancient Japanese scrolls and documents that have been acquired over the years, each dealing with various topics. These are made public in their original form, alongside with Japanese-to-English translations by many translators all with the purpose to share the contents of these documents. The works done and the viewing of these documents are for non-profit, so anyone can visit the site.

Snapshot of the front page of “The Hidensho Project”.

The project I’m currently working on is a section from the Heiho Yukan, a famous manual of strategy on different matters of warfare once used by the Tokugawa shogunate. It is challenging work, for it is handwritten in an old-fashioned Japanese, so not only is some research required to understand some terminologies not used today, but the handwritten isn’t the most neatest in certain areas, so some deciphering is required. It is an ongoing project I will continue to spend some time on even when it’s completed. I have a few more pages to work before it’s complete, although what’s presently done is already up for viewing.

Please show your support and head over to “The Hidensho Project” here:

http://hidensho.com/

To go directly to the section with Heiho Yukan (the one I am presently working on), you can access it here:

http://hidensho.com/1854-heiho-yukan-manuscript/1854-fortification-background/
I will get back to regularly updating my blog, the earliest by the start of this weekend.

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