Type 0 ( TYPE 3 ) Fuchi ' markings ' or scatches

[robinalexander]

Hello, 

 

Was maintaining a Type 0 (Type 3) and noticed some scratches on the face of the fuchi.  On closer inspection it looks very much like kanji?

Strange place to have writing unless some IJA Officer decided to put his own mark or message on the face of the fuchi (unlikely ?) More likely to be something I am just not aware of yet.

 

One particular long line (scratch ?) seems to go from the 'kanji' right around the top of the fuchi and then finish with an arrow head.  Really no idea but they just seem too deliberate to be scratches, thus my post. Two angles tk try and get the 'message' across.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.....and no hurry, I will have it for some time :-)

 

thanks Rob

 

 

[DTM72]

The top pic is upside down.

Starting from the top left of the bottom pic.

Ichi =1

Shi = 4

San = 3

Go = 5

 

Can't really tell what the bottom right is. Basically the numbers are an assembly number.

 

Follow the link below to understand the numbers.

http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kanji/nengo.htm

 

[robinalexander]

Thanks Dan, much appreciated.

Rob

[george trotter]

that character looks like the katakana (phonetic) sound 'a' as in Australia

[Bruce Pennington]

Rob, do any of the other fittings have that same number?

[robinalexander]

Hi Bruce, 

 

Now that you mention it, I recall some markings just inside the tsuka and will have another look at those tmoz....apart from that no other markings.

 

Strange though,  (in my limited experience) that the above markings were seem to have been crudely scatched into the outside surface.

 

Will get back to you.

Rob

 

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

3 hours ago, robinalexander said:

 crudely scatched

I have seen several others, like you say, crudely scratched; some with numbers some with kanji.  No way, so far, to pin down who did the scratching, whether at the fittings shop or by the owner of the sword.

[robinalexander]

Hi Bruce, 

 

Well as luck would have it, this may answer your question as to who put the numbers/scratchings on it. Seems the fitting shop would be my best guess.

 

There are identical (pencil) markings/numbers on the end of the tsuka and directly under the numbers on the koiguchi. 1435 (tks Dan C.) ....so it appears to me to be assembly numbers as Dan C. said.  Pretty crude manner of marking though....maybe they were in a hurry to get them out the door and into the field! ( blade is a Nobumitsu, Showa 20th year, 3rd month (Mar. 1945)).

 

 

George,

The other character (katakana) is still a mystery (albeit a very small one now).  I dont quite follow your lead with phonetic 'a' sound in terms of it relationship here...it dosnt appear on Tsuka though. I (nievly) thought it was an arrow with a large tail pointing in a specific direction for mounting purposes???....but unfortunately I can easily see such simple signs in real kanji and that just makes it harder for me :-)

 

Rob

 

 

SORRY IT WONT LET ME LOAD 1 X PICTURE 2.9 mg SO WILL TRY TO SEND IN ANOTHER FOLLOWING MSG.

 

 

 

 

[robinalexander]

[Bruce Pennington]

Here's your "a" Rob, top left corner:

 

[george trotter]

You beat me to it Bruce.

So Rob. These kana are usually used to make the sounds of foreign words....kanji and hiragana being used for Japanese.

RJT and other military tangs and mounting fittings are often seen with various marks and numbers and the Type 3 I've seen have often had a katakana and a number.

Yours has what I think is "a"1435  (as in A number, B number, C number etc., for us).

Regards,

[robinalexander]

Many thanks Bruce and George....all clear now.

Rob