# Kanji Help



## Zyxtmurf (Feb 19, 2022)

I got some damaged knives to practice sharpening, reprofiling, etc. It's been a lot of fun, but I'd like to know what steel I'm working with, just for reference. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

#1








#2 




#3




#4


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## Atso_J (Mar 29, 2022)

#1 Pretty sure it says 東...弘 (Azuma ... hiro) on the blade.

#2 堺...守 (Sakai ... mori). The middle kanji looks very simple but I can't find 100% positive ID for it.

#3 正広別作 Masahiro bessaku (that's should be good stuff right there).

#4 The one in the middle is definitely the hiragana よ for "yo" and it appears to be inside ひ for "hi". Above them appears to be ん for "n" with と for "to" written on top of each other can kinda merging together. This is a massive guess that it says とんよひ "tonyohi". The kanji above that is your good old "registered trademark".

It could be that ひ is actually a really stretched out し, which would make it とんよし "tonyoshi" and that actually yields a hit with a search.


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## Pisau (Mar 29, 2022)

Atso_J said:


> #2 堺...守 (Sakai ... mori). The middle kanji looks very simple but I can't find 100% positive ID for it.



...武... Take-mori 



Atso_J said:


> This is a massive guess that it says とんよひ "tonyohi".... ひ is actually a really stretched out し, which would make it とんよし "tonyoshi"



Or yo could be the modifier of the shi = sho ... so ninsho? Meaning certified


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## Zyxtmurf (Mar 29, 2022)

Thanks! That's very helpful.

(I've spent more time trying to decipher these than I'd like to admit. The crash course in how written Japanese works had been cool/humbling, but I didn't figure much out).


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## Atso_J (Mar 29, 2022)

Pisau said:


> Or yo could be the modifier of the shi = sho ... so ninsho? Meaning certified



Oh yes! I first thought it was the small "yo", but didn't think of the characters being the other way around so it didn't make sense! And now that you mention it, the upper mishmash could totally be にん fused together.


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## Zyxtmurf (Mar 29, 2022)

Atso_J said:


> #3 正広別作 Masahiro bessaku (that's should be good stuff right there).



This one is now waiting for a houseguest to show any interest at all in knives. I think I improved the heel from when I got it, and it may serve as a gateway knife for someone.


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## Zyxtmurf (Mar 29, 2022)

By the way, Google thought the top characters of #4 said "green," does that make any sense?


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## Atso_J (Mar 29, 2022)

Zyxtmurf said:


> By the way, Google thought the top characters of #4 said "green," does that make any sense?



It does in a way that 録 in 録登 for registered trademark can be interpreted as 緑 for green by AI. You'll find the pair 録登 or 登録 on plenty of knives, if not most (at least the popular brands).


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