help with kanji under the habaki

[Mark]

I have a mumei katana, I noticed kanji scratched on the blade under the habaki. I am thinking maybe information put there by the polisher? Or maybe owner info? One side is looks like a number, it was hard to photograph so I took 3 shots

 

any help appreciated

 

Thanks

[Nobody]

I think that was scratched by one of previous owners.

 

美津夫 - Mitsuo

一九二三 - 1923 (unsure about the last character)

[Jean]

Congrats Moriyama sama, I was just able to decipher the numbers :D

[Mark]

Thank you, it is interesting to imagine where these have been

[Peter Bleed]

Let me agree with Jean, NICE call Moriyama-san! But I wonder if we should called this a "scratch." Could this be a burnished inscription added when the sword was polished?

Peter

[Dr Fox]

See Nihonto/Polishers marks/June 2012.

 

Denis

[Mark]

Denis

 

Thanks, can you post a link? I tried searching but did not find the thread

[Jim P]

Hi Mark, This is what you are looking for viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13134&p=113512&hilit=Polishers+marks#p113512:D

[Brian]

I think Moriyama san is basing his call on how crudely these are done. A polishers mark is more gracefully done. This looks scratched on and not burnished on.

There appears to be polishers marks underneath the scratching though.

 

Brian

[Mark]

thanks Jim

 

The writing is on the spot where the polisher sometimes leaves a set of lines as shown in the thread mentioned. The kanji may be scratched or put there with a burnishing rod, hard to tell but they are not written as wee (or clearly) as some in the other thread.

[Peter Bleed]

Let me dip into my vast but uncatalogued library of forgotten lore to say that I have seen kanji inscribed as under habaki "polsiher's marks." I recall asking a Japanese dealer at one of the Chicago shows about this. He dismissed them saying, "country polishers did that sort of thing." I think he did buy the sword, tho.

Peter