ドイツ大使への手紙（英文）

今日は、祖父の書いた英文書簡。

February 9th 1939 Tokio
Ambassador Ott,
German Embassy, Tokio

Your Excellency,

I have the honour in writing this letter to you for asking your kind assistance in the matter of co-cultural movement I am taking for The Gutenberg Museum at Mainz.
During my stay in Germany in 1937 on the way to Paris, where the Grand Exposition of Paris held then, I visited the said Museum to fulfil my long cherished desire to see the monumental works of Great Gutenberg, by whose invention of typography about five hundred years ago civilization of the world has made a leap and stride.
As a printing engineer I could not forget the pages in my diary of the days spent at Mainz. I looked at the old typographical prints exhibited at the Museum with great interest and the collection contained the most valuable literatures gathered from almost all parts of the civilized nations in the world.
However, I regretted then very profoundly that the museum has not a "Japanese Section" in it. Japan imported typography in the 16th century and the art of printing has laid a foundation-stone for civilization of Modern Japan. At my interview with Dr. Ruppel, the chief of the Museum, I expressed my heart-felt regret for his negligence to overlook Japan in their collection. And to make the collection perfect I promised him to donate a collection of the old typographical prints of Japan after returning home. And this promise was warmly accepted by Dr. Ruppel.
After finishing exhibition of my "Kurba Gravo Process Machine" , which belongs to my invention for printing on the curved surfaces of various articles, with good success at The Grand Exposition of Paris I came back to Japan at the end of the year of 1937. Soon after coming home I consulted the matter of the donation of our old typographical prints to the Gutenberg Museum to the committee of the Society of Printing Technology of Japan, to which I belong as a member, and my proposition was unanimously decided by the support of the committee. The movement has further been financially assisted by the Society for International Cultural Relation of Japan and we have opened a joint meetings several times with the directors of the both associations for selection of the prints and compilation of the catalogue for the prints collected.
Your Excellency, I am now filled with overwhelming joy for the success of my movement, by which I sincerely hope to be able to unite not only the hands of the old typographists of both nations but also to show to the contemporary of Japan and Germany how we were tied in this phase of the cultural life far in the past. Before sending the collection of our old prints to the Museum I wish to have an approval of you excellency of this memorable enterprise.
I recently received an invitation from Dr. Ruppel to visit Germany again next year to attend the Five Hundredth Anniversary of Great Gutenberg and his hearty thanks was kindly extended to me. And I perceived this soon as one of the fruits of my movement, of which success I reported to Dr. Ruppel two months ago. And what a joy it will be for us that visitors to the Museum will appreciate the Japanese Section in it!
Your Excellency, give your finishing touch to this memorial work to the Museum by your kind words of introduction to your public which will perfect the donation itself.
In closing this letter I wish to extend to Your Excellency my best compliments and regards, I am, Your Excelleny,
Very truly yours,
Japan Kurba Gravo Laboratory

Ichiro Hakogi President