<p>Here's a clearer image (taken from <a href="http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/group/whadjafind/forum/topics/japanese-kanji-katana-samurai-sword-i-d-help" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/group/whadjafind/forum/topics/japanese-kanji-katana-samurai-sword-i-d-help</a>?)</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/34pUa.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/34pUa.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>The text is verbatim:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ImDyA.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ImDyA.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>張武傑</strong> (seal of a person called 張武傑). Maybe this is supposed to suggest that 張武傑 was involved in the manufacturing.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>联合刀具</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The name of a company called <strong>联合 cutting tools</strong>. 联合 should not be translated into <em>union</em> here, but treated as a proper noun. It might be in imitation of an American company originally called <em>Union Cutlery Co.</em>, now called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka-Bar" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Ka-Bar Knives., Inc</em></a>; this company's Chinese name is frequently rendered as 联合刀具.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>特殊鋼</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Special steel</strong>. According to <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%89%B9%E6%AE%8A%E9%92%A2/949706" rel="nofollow noreferrer">baidu</a>, this is a non-standardised grade of steel, so it doesn't really mean anything.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>In terms of orthography,「联」is normally <strong>only</strong> used in Mainland China, while「鋼」is normally <strong>not</strong> used in Mainland China. The structure of「联」, simplified from「聯」, is exactly analogous to the simplification of「關」to「関」.「関」is now normally only used in Japan.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-13T23:20:31.367Z
Parts of this was also replicated on [the History SE question](https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/50607/what-language-is-this-and-what-does-it-say/50610). Apologies for the duplication ~
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-13T23:19:31.667Z
2019-01-13T23:38:04.080Z
2019-01-13T23:38:04.080Z
dROOOze
<p><a href="https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/50607/what-language-is-this-in-my-sword-and-what-does-it-say">I was asked if the letters of the image are Japanese or not.</a></p>

<p>I answered they must be Chinese since Japanese does not have the first letter.</p>

<p>What would the first 4 letters stand for?</p>

<p>Thank you for your help in advance!</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/IjwZp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/IjwZp.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-13T21:46:00.820Z
See https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/61332/need-help-reading-old-hand-written-japanese/61333?r=SearchResults#61333 联 may not exist in Japanese now, but it was used as a shorthand form of 聯. Japanese no longer uses it, and replaced it with 連. Also, if you manage to get a clearer picture of the seal on the left, that may give more clues.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-13T21:49:39.377Z
Thanks! I did not know even if I am a native Japanese. lol.
Kentaro
<meaning>
What do the first 4 letter stand for? Are they company name that made the tool or something else? ( From history )
# What do the first 4 letter stand for? Are they company name that made the tool or something else? ( From history )

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-13)

[I was asked if the letters of the image are Japanese or not.](https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/50607/what-language-is-this-in-my-sword-and-what-does-it-say)

I answered they must be Chinese since Japanese does not have the first letter.

What would the first 4 letters stand for?

Thank you for your help in advance!

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/IjwZp.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/IjwZp.jpg)

**Tags:** meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: See https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/61332/need-help-reading-old-hand-written-japanese/61333?r=SearchResults#61333 联 may not exist in Japanese now, but it was used as a shorthand form of 聯. Japanese no longer uses it, and replaced it with 連. Also, if you manage to get a clearer picture of the seal on the left, that may give more clues.  
> **username_0**: Thanks! I did not know even if I am a native Japanese. lol.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-01-13. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Here's a clearer image (taken from <http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/group/whadjafind/forum/topics/japanese-kanji-katana-samurai-sword-i-d-help>?)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/34pUa.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/34pUa.png)

The text is verbatim:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ImDyA.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ImDyA.png)

> **張武傑** (seal of a person called 張武傑). Maybe this is supposed to suggest that 張武傑 was involved in the manufacturing.

联合刀具

> The name of a company called **联合 cutting tools**. 联合 should not be translated into *union* here, but treated as a proper noun. It might be in imitation of an American company originally called *Union Cutlery Co.*, now called [*Ka-Bar Knives., Inc*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka-Bar); this company's Chinese name is frequently rendered as 联合刀具.

特殊鋼

> **Special steel**. According to [baidu](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%89%B9%E6%AE%8A%E9%92%A2/949706), this is a non-standardised grade of steel, so it doesn't really mean anything.

---

In terms of orthography,「联」is normally **only** used in Mainland China, while「鋼」is normally **not** used in Mainland China. The structure of「联」, simplified from「聯」, is exactly analogous to the simplification of「關」to「関」.「関」is now normally only used in Japan.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Parts of this was also replicated on [the History SE question](https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/50607/what-language-is-this-and-what-does-it-say/50610). Apologies for the duplication ~  

---

