Japanese plane ID

[Bobdemers]

Hello

I got this Japanese plane for a few years now, have made fluffy shavings with it, but im very curious as to its maker.
Can anyone help me ID it from the ideogram on the blade?
Or tell me anything else about it from the pics?

Any help would be appreciated Thanks

Bob

[Sheets]

Hi Bob,

My best guess (as I'm not Japanese nor fluent in the language) is the main characters (center) read "Tsugu Hiro". This could be a name or have some other meaning which I can't tell you. I could (and most likely am) be wrong.

I think the two characters to the right read "tokusen" (the detail is not sharp, so again I could be seeing it wrong) meaning special selection - perhaps referring to the type of steel used or the level of quality in the workmanship? It is a fairly common inscription on kanna.

The characters on the lower left are quite cryptic - not the usual kanji, so I've no idea what they say.

I can't really tell you anything specific just from the pics other than its a common hira kanna (flat plane used for smoothing - as I'm sure you already know).

So, all in all, I've not really told you anything definitive (which means I'm living up to my usual standard for here on the forum:):(

But I at least wanted acknowledge your post so you don't feel ignored. It may take a while longer, but someone with more info should help answer you question.

Steve

[Bobdemers]

Thanks Steve
Your info could be wrong like you said, but its a lot more than I had before so..:;

Lawrencetown NS heh! Indeed its a small world. That plane came Annapolis Valley NS by the way, from a friend I met thru my ex carving club, the Annapolis Valley Woodcarvers, by the name of Klauz (forgot his last name) perhaps you know him?

We both knew Warren, AKA The return of the toy maker in Digby, who has a wonderful small shop with lots of pedal powered machinery where kids could make little wooden project. I myself being a kid at heart could never resist playing with his wonderfull toys in there :U

Im in the Airforce and was stationed in Greenwood for many years. I plan to retire around the valley someday soon, my wife is from Bridgetown.

Well well its a small world after all
Ill try to post a better picture of the blade later

Thanks again Steve

Bob

[Sheets]

Hey Bob,

Small world, eh? I don't know the people you mentioned, but I'm ex-Airforce (Sea Kings based at Shearwater for a looong time). :2tsup:
Since you've got the plane in your hand, there are some online resources for looking up the kanji if you're so inclined (certainly much faster to have someone who speaks and reads Japanese tell you what it says - saves frying your eyes looking for a match).

Steve

p.s.,

where are you stationed now?

[Bobdemers]

Hi Steve
Im currently stationed in Bagotville, working on CF18s.
I never worked on seakings but spent lots of time in Greenwood on Argus and Auroras.:2tsup:
Im an old crusty MWO (as if there were other kinds :;)

OK so i'll bite what is 'looking up the kanji??'

Bob, who once was an young man in NS (first arrived in march 77)

[Sheets]

77! You're almost as crusty as me. I was going to say "Argus!" - now that is going back a few years. They were still around when I was posted to Summerside in eek, er..., '73. Love the sound of those radials, eh? You could hear them from downtown (the base was five miles away).

Anyway, lest we bore to tears any others who may be reading:-

If you search "kanji", which is the type of written (or chiseled in this case) characters used on your (and the majority of other tools, if they are marked) kanna, you will find sites with most, if not all, the kanji (there are quite a lot of them, I'm not sure how many in total) used in this form of the written Japanese language. You just peruse them until you see the ones identical (or as near as possible - often there are variations and similarities) to what you have. It can be daunting and not exactly exciting.
For instance: tsugu 序 (a variation which looks to me similar to the first main character on your blade) and: hiro 紘 (also close, but... ). You can see how it is, for a non speaker/reader, difficult to be sure. You are wise to ask and hope to get a response from someone who really knows.
As far as what it means or translates to, even knowing how to read the kanji doesn't necessarily mean (the literal translation) it is what the writer means. Again, a fluent Japanese language user will be able to say if anyone can.

I'm certainly no expert - I guess I just have the time and energy (sometimes) to make the search. Safer than menacing my digits with sharp tool edges, although I still occasionally face certain injury and give it a go.

Steve who retired in 2006. Tools and time on your hands man, there is nothing better.:2tsup: