Kikumitsu?

[Bruce Pennington]

I have a couple Kikumitsu on file, but this one seems a bit different.  Is it something else?

 

[Stephen]

Nori?

Aki?

Kado?

[SteveM]

Kikumitsu, but it's very confusingly inscribed into the tang. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Looks strangely like 関 Seki...

[Bruce Pennington]

29 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Looks strangely like 関 Seki...

I thought about that too! But I don’t know of any World War II smiths that had a name starting with that kanji.

 

on the other hand, we do have a known RJT Smith, by the name of kikumitsu.  I think I will file this one that way.

[Bugyotsuji]

The only way it would work is if there was another character after Mitsu, e.g. Seki Mitsu-something, but despite the messiness there, it doesn't look like it. The top two characters are cut so clearly...

[John C]

The assembly numbers are 2779, however there is another character above the Japanese numbers. Is that a zero or katakana?

 

John C.

[John C]

30 minutes ago, Bruce Pennington said:

we do have a known RJT Smith, by the name of kikumitsu.  I think I will file this one that way.

It does have the star stamp just above the mekugi-ana.

 

John C.

[Conway S]

Could it be Seki Mitsu… Nobu?
 

Conway 
 

 

[SteveM]

Hmm. Now I'm doubting myself.

But has the "nobu" been completely (expertly) erased? Why erase the nobu and leave the star stamp?

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

10 hours ago, Conway S said:

Could it be Seki Mitsu… Nobu?
 

Conway 
 

 

Dang!  Conway got it!  I saw those faint strokes below the Mitsu earlier, but then dismissed them.  I think it is 'nobu' and the seller didn't powder it like the other 2 kanji.