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oh no, who made this ono??
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 11:25 pm
by everythingsings
just bought this axe from a collection of many incredible tools, wondering if someone can pull a name off of it??
ono? oh yes.
Re: oh no, who made this ono??
Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 8:49 am
by Chris Hall
Ah, nice to see clearly legible kanji for once, and not in a cursive style so they are relatively easy to read.
This is what you have:
本則弘
That's read hon-norihiro
'Hon', 本, in this context, generally means the 'main~', the 'genuine~'
Norihiro seems to have made a variety of adzes, hatchets and axes, but I haven't been able to find any solid info on the smith or his history. His name appears in Volume 6 of a series from the Takenaka Carpentry Museum in a listing of axe and hatchet makers. It appears the smith was active in Niigata in the early Shōwa period, but information is scant otherwise.
Re: oh no, who made this ono??
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:12 am
by everythingsings
thanks Chris. always exciting to find out the kanji on a pre-owned tool doesn't say, "Generic Tool."