鑿 Nomi (Chisels): deciphering the kanji of different makers
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:19 pm
In this forum I plan to post pictures of various chisel maker's marks, mei, which are generally stamped into the lower neck of the chisel. Then we can examine the kanji for that mei clearly, along with their meanings. In time this will grow into a database of makers an their marks and will become a sticky. If you don't know who made your chisel, this will be one place to figure it out!
I'll start with an alphabetical index, posting makers and examples of their work. I will not bother translating the chisel maker's names, and chisel blades otherwise are not generally named, unlike plane blades. As per Japanese practice, 'll be giving the smith's name in the 'last name first' order. For the immediate future I'll be loading names and pictures into the thread, and filling out the details later.
A.
B. 梵字 Bonkaku
C.
D. 太進 Daishin
E.
F.
G. 元寿舟弘 Genjū Funahiro, the work of the celebrated blacksmith Funatsu, Yuji (船津祐司), hailing from Echigo-Yoita, a traditional craft center in the village of Yoita in Niigata Prefecture.
H. 左市弘 Hidari Ichihiro. There's some curious history to the Ichihiro brand name. Early on it was called 'tsuki-ichihiro' (月市弘), the prefix tsuki (月) meaning moon. The maker's mark, or mei (銘) featured a gourd-outline with the characters stamped within. An example of that mark is found among the pictures below. Also you will see, above or below the mei, another registered stamp, which is the mark of the Tōkyō Guild of Blacksmiths.
Along the way, apparently, Yamazaki forge work was in such high esteem that another company in the late 1940's - Natori Trading - registered the brand name 'ichihiro' (at a point before Yamazaki had thought to do so) and produced inferior knock-offs. So Ichihiro, unable to register his name 'Ichihiro', registered 'hidari Ichihiro' instead - the left ichihiro.
To further distinguish his brand, the mei which was stamped into the tools was in mirror image - see the stamp shown in the second to last picture below. This mirror-imaging is a bit confusing for those not entirely savvy with looking up Japanese characters - unless you recognized the mirror inversion of the kanji, one would have an impossible time looking up the characters in a dictionary.
At the top there's a picture of the blacksmith and some of his work. He is most famous for his white steel chisels, however his planes are pretty awesome too. Then a couple of illustrations of his makers marks, first the moon then hidari, and an example of Yamazaki's mei from a few chisels. Now that Yamazaki has passed on, his work commands among the highest prices of any blacksmith, alive or dead.
五百蔵 Iyoroi
左信正 Hidarinobumasa
左新作 Hidari-shinsaku
Simply a brand name. The smith's name for that brand is Miyawaki, and the chisel is likely more than 65 years old. Likely to be White Steel #2.
弘正 Hiromasa
弘幸 Hiroyuki
久次郎 Hisajiro
久国 Hisakuni
左久作 Hisano
I. 市芳 Ichiyoshi
J.
K. 啓寿 Keiju
菊弘丸 Kikuhiromaru Hitachi White Steel #2
菊王 Kikuō
国慶 Kunikei Smith's actual name is Ikeda (池田慶郎).
M. 正道 Masamichi
正よし Masayoshi These are some 'chunky' chisels!
宮永 Miyanaga
I'll start with an alphabetical index, posting makers and examples of their work. I will not bother translating the chisel maker's names, and chisel blades otherwise are not generally named, unlike plane blades. As per Japanese practice, 'll be giving the smith's name in the 'last name first' order. For the immediate future I'll be loading names and pictures into the thread, and filling out the details later.
A.
B. 梵字 Bonkaku
C.
D. 太進 Daishin
E.
F.
G. 元寿舟弘 Genjū Funahiro, the work of the celebrated blacksmith Funatsu, Yuji (船津祐司), hailing from Echigo-Yoita, a traditional craft center in the village of Yoita in Niigata Prefecture.
H. 左市弘 Hidari Ichihiro. There's some curious history to the Ichihiro brand name. Early on it was called 'tsuki-ichihiro' (月市弘), the prefix tsuki (月) meaning moon. The maker's mark, or mei (銘) featured a gourd-outline with the characters stamped within. An example of that mark is found among the pictures below. Also you will see, above or below the mei, another registered stamp, which is the mark of the Tōkyō Guild of Blacksmiths.
Along the way, apparently, Yamazaki forge work was in such high esteem that another company in the late 1940's - Natori Trading - registered the brand name 'ichihiro' (at a point before Yamazaki had thought to do so) and produced inferior knock-offs. So Ichihiro, unable to register his name 'Ichihiro', registered 'hidari Ichihiro' instead - the left ichihiro.
To further distinguish his brand, the mei which was stamped into the tools was in mirror image - see the stamp shown in the second to last picture below. This mirror-imaging is a bit confusing for those not entirely savvy with looking up Japanese characters - unless you recognized the mirror inversion of the kanji, one would have an impossible time looking up the characters in a dictionary.
At the top there's a picture of the blacksmith and some of his work. He is most famous for his white steel chisels, however his planes are pretty awesome too. Then a couple of illustrations of his makers marks, first the moon then hidari, and an example of Yamazaki's mei from a few chisels. Now that Yamazaki has passed on, his work commands among the highest prices of any blacksmith, alive or dead.
五百蔵 Iyoroi
左信正 Hidarinobumasa
左新作 Hidari-shinsaku
Simply a brand name. The smith's name for that brand is Miyawaki, and the chisel is likely more than 65 years old. Likely to be White Steel #2.
弘正 Hiromasa
弘幸 Hiroyuki
久次郎 Hisajiro
久国 Hisakuni
左久作 Hisano
I. 市芳 Ichiyoshi
J.
K. 啓寿 Keiju
菊弘丸 Kikuhiromaru Hitachi White Steel #2
菊王 Kikuō
国慶 Kunikei Smith's actual name is Ikeda (池田慶郎).
M. 正道 Masamichi
正よし Masayoshi These are some 'chunky' chisels!
宮永 Miyanaga