Hey everyone. It's been a while since I've posted anything new on here but I haven't been finding a ton of great stuff lately. Anyway I've been meaning to post this here but other endeavors made me forget about it. A few shows back a friend of mine who usually gets tables to sell some of his milsurps had to leave early for a family event so I staid behind to watch his table for the rest of that day's show (Saturday). On Sunday when I came to the show to hang out with him he brought in this mess kit and after talking about it with him for a while he said he wanted me to have it since he wasn't going to get heavy into Japanese gear and he wanted it to go to someone who could use one in a gear collection like mine. From what I can gather it has all the parts to it and aside from wear on the bottom and a few scuffs here and there it's in pretty good shape. Also he told me that the manufacture marking puts it being made in 1942 but I'm not familiar with a lot of manufacturer markings so any help would be appreciated. Also there are these scratched symbols on the outside of the kit and I was wondering if they mean anything or if they're just gibberish. Thanks again for taking a look at this piece and I hope you guys like it as much as I do.
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Here are the markings I've found on the kit. The same manufacturer's mark is on every piece of the kit as well. -
It's a nice complete mess kit made in Sho 17 (1942) so that's all good.
I'm not sure the name Tanaka isn't post war added. Generally, before and during the war things were written from right to left, top to bottom. The top kanji on the mess kit body is Ta followed by naka, on the lid it's written from left to right in post war style. It's just an observation but I would have guessed Nakata if I'd only seen the lid and anticipated a war time inscription.
RodComment
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Unusual in that a "kao" [stylized kanji signature] is added after the name.Comment
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Lots of paint on it with often missing tray which is a real plusComment
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Thanks everyone on the comments. I think the markings on the outside are weird to say the least. I want to say that it looks like it was done by two different individuals, the one who scratched it on the lid copying what was on the kit body. Also my friend who gave this to me told me that he remembered this exact kit mentioned in an article done online about Japanese mess kits that was published about two to three years ago but he couldn't remember. I'll try googling for Japanese mess kits again and see if that article pops up again.Comment
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Okay I think I found the article I mentioned:
https://messkits.wordpress.com/2014/...ss-kit-hangou/
In the picture of the three kits stacked mine is the one on the bottom leftComment
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No, same hand as especially indicated by the 花押 "kao signature".Originally posted by burb1989 View Post
Many artists/calligraphers use a kao. Here's the kao of my late swordsmanship teacher, Nakamura Taizaburo, at the bottom of line 51:
Here's a chart of some famous signatures:
--GuyComment
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Wow that's impressive Guy. Is it unusual to find these kind of signatures after a name on items like mess kits?Originally posted by GHP View PostNo, same hand as especially indicated by the 花押 "kao signature".
Many artists/calligraphers use a kao. Here's the kao of my late swordsmanship teacher, Nakamura Taizaburo, at the bottom of line 51:
Here's a chart of some famous signatures:
--GuyComment
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Yes, unusual ... which is why I think it was applied post-war (plus, the scratched area looks newly done).Originally posted by burb1989 View Post
Not everybody uses kao, and I don't know how they are developed ... probably self-developed. I just now found this note while searching:
--GuySome politicians, traditional artists, celebrities and persons of note use Kao even to this day in place of a signature or autograph. Kao collectors scour antique shops and markets seeking new and interesting Kao of Japan’s historical figures.
SourceComment
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Interesting. Thank you for all the help Guy.Comment
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As Jareth says nice to have the tray.Here is one of mine (A little well done) to illustrate a variation of the suspension system.Regards,GeoffComment
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