Page 315 - Japanese marks and seals on pottery, paper and other objects.

LACQUER, ENAMELS, METAL, WOOD, IVORY, ETC. 277

Bronze Mirror. Bronze Dragon. Wood Carving.
TSUKURU (SAKU).
Made by or the make of.
Another word, having the same meaning, is frequently
found upon ancient iron sword-guards, from which the follow-
ing examples are taken :

V ’Ty
SEISU.
Made by.

Occasionally the characters Kore 0 tsukuru appear upon
metal and wood, as shown below, but the seal-form, as
illustrated in the second example, is very seldom used.

Bronze. I rood.
ROUE O TSURURU. RORE O TSURURU.
Makes this. Makes this.
When a workman is about to cast an important
bronze, he appears to select a lucky day for the operation,
and, when the object is finished, he engraves upon it the
words signifying this, together with the month and the year
in which it occurred.

XJ
d

RICHI NICHl. RICHI SHO NICHE
Lucky Day. Day of Lucky Omen.