Dear All, I have numerous Koaisshin Mantetsu's in my collection and one of these has some unusual markings applied to the Saya (please see pictures). There is a two character script and the two symbols shown in the photographs. The symbols and script are, I believe, totally contemporary as this example came directly from a prisoner of war some 20 odd years ago. Can anybody shed some light on these symbols? They are painted on in an enamel type paint and very interesting. I look forward to any and all ideas and comments. Kind regards, Neil
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kamon
I think the symbol is likely a KAMON (family crest).
Note: A lot of folks think it is like a European crest, where there is a fairly specific name that goes with it. In Japan, any given kamon can be used by various families, and it also varies by region. So, there's no point in trying to figure out the name, unless maybe you have some specific info to go with it, such as the name of the village that the person came from.
Also note that until recently (the last 150 years or so), only important/wealthy families were likely to use a kamon at all.
Pete
Markings
Hi Pete,
Thank you for the information - that sounds reasonable and the most likely meaning.
Many thanks,
Neil