Need help identifying this edged weapon

[JPMH1860]

I am trying to help someone figure out what this is. I am no expert when it comes to this stuff which is why I am seeking your help.  As you can see from the picture, it is about 27-28 inches long.  It also has a character stamped/etched into the blade.  The character appears to be Japanese or maybe Chinese, but that is just my guess.

 

I apologize that the photo is not higher resolution. This was the best I could get.

Here is a pretty good close up of the character.

[JPMH1860]

I'll take any wild guesses or suggestions of a better place to try to get this item identified.  I'm leaning toward the character being Chinese, but am not sure.

[Mr. Bushido]

Hello.

 

This character is, as you might guess, a kanji used in China or Japan.

 

The letter "東" stands for east as a direction, but is often used in personal names as well.

 

In my opinion, in the case of swords, it is the name of the craftsman.

[JPMH1860]

On 6/3/2023 at 7:57 AM, Mr. Bushido said:

Hello.

 

This character is, as you might guess, a kanji used in China or Japan.

 

The letter "東" stands for east as a direction, but is often used in personal names as well.

 

In my opinion, in the case of swords, it is the name of the craftsman.

 

Thank you for the reply. I did end up getting an opinion from someone who was from Japan. She said the character looked to be for the word "east" as you stated. However, she added it looked like it was written by someone who didn't know how to write Japanese characters.

I know virtually nothing about Japanese writing, but the character on the sword does vary from the character you posted. Is it common for Japanese names to be a modified form of a character, as it appears to be in this case?

 

By the way, I would like some input from someone who can confirm whether this sword could be of Japanese origin and/or what type of sword it is.

[Mr. Bushido]

I will explain the kanji character a little more.

 

I was actually thinking the same thing as her.

However, I could not rule out the possibility that the characters were written by a Japanese person.

 

The first problem is that kanji characters may have different shapes depending on who wrote them.

There is a standard for writing "東", and after writing the central " | ", write the lower left "／". So sometimes the two parts are connected or simplified.

So it's possible that the underside looks like an 'M', like the letter on your sword.

This is similar to how "hello" is written as "𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸", for example.

 

A second problem is that "east" may not be common in Chinese.

Note that this may not be correct in some time periods or regions.

However, as far as I know, there are many examples in Chinese that use "东" rather than "東".

 

What I have said above may be quite strange to those who live outside of Asia.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

 

Sorry, I can't give advice on swords.

[JPMH1860]

On 6/12/2023 at 7:52 AM, Mr. Bushido said:

I will explain the kanji character a little more.

 

I was actually thinking the same thing as her.

However, I could not rule out the possibility that the characters were written by a Japanese person.

 

The first problem is that kanji characters may have different shapes depending on who wrote them.

There is a standard for writing "東", and after writing the central " | ", write the lower left "／". So sometimes the two parts are connected or simplified.

So it's possible that the underside looks like an 'M', like the letter on your sword.

This is similar to how "hello" is written as "𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸", for example.

 

A second problem is that "east" may not be common in Chinese.

Note that this may not be correct in some time periods or regions.

However, as far as I know, there are many examples in Chinese that use "东" rather than "東".

 

What I have said above may be quite strange to those who live outside of Asia.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

 

Sorry, I can't give advice on swords.

Thank you very much for that response. I am not surprised that it is not a simple "yes" or "no" answer. Even English writing has many variations depending on regional, generational, or individual writing styles. So, your explanation makes complete sense. I had been leaning toward this sword being "fabricated" based on the previous opinion that I had received.  Now, I am not so sure.  Hopefully, someone will be able or willing to provide an opinion as to the sword itself.  Again, thank you Mr. Bushido. You have been a great help.