IDEOGRAMS ON WOODEN HANDLE - JAPANESE WEAPON OR TOOL???

[Bazza]

Dear All,

 

A friend has sent me photos of a tool/weapon asking if it is Japanese. Scratched into the wooden handle are two ideograms that could be crude characters. I can't recall seeing anything like these - does anyone have any idea what the "characters" are, and what this object might be??? It appears old and well-made and may well be a Japanese fireman's tool. I can't imagine it being a weapon (?)

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

[Stephen]

MY vote fireman's tool also.

[John A Stuart]

It looks like 奈 Nara 余 surplus ??; not sure of this in this context. John

[Kai-Gunto]

Tobiguchi. Firemans tool.

[watsonmil]

Dear Barry,

It is indeed a Japanese fireman's tool called a Tobiguchi ... used for pulling down the light wooden and paper constructed homes of Edo Japan.

See: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/23643966765127133/

 

Another picture attached :

[Nobody]

It is indeed a Japanese fireman's tool called a Tobiguchi ... used for pulling down the light wooden and paper constructed homes of Edo Japan.

..................

Another picture attached :

Actually, the tool in the attached picture is rather a Tekagi (手鉤 - Cargo hook) than a Tobiguchi.

Ref.

http://www.hicho.co.jp/t_tekagi-e.html

http://web-Japan.org/nipponia/nipponia4 ... vel01.html

 

The characters in question look 奈 and simplified 糴. But I do not know what they mean.

[watsonmil]

Dear Sir,

I stand corrected, ... you are obviously correct. Thank you for this as I had been assured it was Tobiguch, but I can plainly see this was incorrect. It is a Tekagai.

 

... Ron Watson

[John A Stuart]

At least it isn't the claws commonly called tekagi the ninja used. John

[Bazza]

Gentlemen All,

 

Thank you for your comments and knowledge. However, I'm a little confused. The attachment in Ron Watson's post above is clearly, as Moriyama san has identified, a TEKAGI, whereas my OP photos show a differently formed tool, one with a straight haft and a less murderous looking "hook", being more of a blunt, "prodding projection" reinforced along the haft, rather than a pointed hook more simply attached to the haft. So, are these one and the same but my OP tool being a much older variant, or is my OP tool indeed a TOBIGUCHI???

 

Thanking you all,

 

BaZZa.

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi BaZZa,

 

This page should answer your question:

 

http://www.pinterest.com/worldantiques/ ... ku-and-eq/

 

It can be written as とびぐち or 鳶口

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

[Brian]

Bazza,

Yours is definitely a tobikuchi. I have a similar one. Signed Masamune patriotically it seems.

Late Edo/Meiji.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAMURAI-ARMOR-K ... 27e61478b9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAMURAI-ARMOR-K ... 27e61462ee

 

Brian