Help with one kanji, please.

[John C]

Hello:

Is this one kanji a word or letter? (not sure if I have asked this already. If so, sorry for the repetition).

Thank you,

John C.

[Mikaveli]

Is it 勉 ?

[John C]

Not sure. Google translates that character as "studying." 

John C.

[OceanoNox]

I think it's 地五九.

[John C]

"land" or "earth"

Thank you both. I'll see if I can figure out what the smith meant.

John C.

[Brian]

That's not the smith. That's arsenal rack or identifying numbers. Military rack numbers.

[mecox]

As Brian notes painted characters are typically assembly numbers for racks or to match the fittings.  Yes  looks to be  地五九.  which could be  地 5 9, where  地 is "Ji" could mean "earth".   But if the three read together,  sounds like "ji go ku"  which could mean "hell".    But when i looked online also suggests "Also named the sexagenary cycle or  the stem-branch cycle, the Chinese 60-year calendar cycle is based on the combinations of a cycle of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.  But maybe date does not fit.  

[Bugyotsuji]

池 might also be possible, part of a coding system?

[John C]

Thank you all. I realize these are "assembly numbers" as I am tracking them looking for patterns (have about 100 so far). I misspoke when I used the term "smith" and should have used the term "assembler" or whoever actually paints the numbers on the nakago.

I will post the results of my study for anyone interested when I get everything logged in.

John C.