銘 MEIKnife Engraving Archive

Blade engraving investigation · Case 001

Who forged
this blade?

Upload a clear photograph of the engraving on your Japanese kitchen knife. Mei examines lettering, engraved stroke shapes and pictorial emblems to help you identify the maker, brand or sharpener behind the blade.

⌁ Image recognition + private character reading ◎ Sources on every match 57 identities in the casefile 151 inscription forms 0 retailer catalogs cross-checked
01

Start here

Photograph the maker’s engraving

Uploaded knife engraving preview Drop one or both blade sides here Choose up to two camera-roll photos at once, or take each side separately

Match the shape, even when the words cannot be read.

Search reference engraving patterns on this device. Include both blade faces to compare their evidence. Similarity scores are experimental, not probabilities.

Reveal faint grooves with lighting
  1. Keep the knife and camera still. Fill the frame with the engraving and focus on its strokes.
  2. Photograph it with a light to the left, then move the light to the right and take a second photograph. Avoid direct reflections into the camera.
  3. Select “Same engraving, different lighting” above, upload the two views, and box the same inscription in each.

This checks contrast, clipped glare, and approximate alignment. It does not reconstruct a 3D surface.

Saved photo references

Save a known maker for the selected photo. Exact-photo recall is separate from OCR and does not authenticate a knife. The saved fingerprint and label stay in this browser; no photo is stored or uploaded.

Labels remain owner submissions until reviewed. Export a labeled reference with your tracing for a future training review; no automatic training occurs.

To search altered copies and similar engraving shapes, also enroll a visual reference. Multiple references per maker are supported. Box an emblem separately and enroll it under the identity you have checked.

The engraving is the starting point

Recognize the engraving.

Look for the identity behind the lettering, the chisel strokes, and the emblem. Upload a photo above and box the complete engraving, then choose how to examine it.

AI image recognition · cloud

Read the whole engraving.

Use the internal reader, or opt in to ask Google Cloud Vision for text and matching web images and OpenAI vision for an independent reading of the strokes and emblems. Unavailable services are skipped and disagreements stay visible.

The internal reader receives each selected crop. The optional services receive crops only when you select the consent box above. Google Cloud Vision is not Google Lens. Full photos stay on your device; Mei does not save identification images. Provider data policies apply to cloud analysis. Private OCR stays on your device.

Checking reader availability…

Compare directly in Google Lens or ChatGPT

Download the selected engraving crop, then upload it in either service. These links open the consumer apps; they do not send your image automatically.

Open Google Lens · Open ChatGPT

Image comparison · on your device

Compare the stroke shapes.

Look for visual resemblance when the lettering is difficult to read. This private comparison can suggest an engraving style without inventing a transcription.

Experimental: 31 reference marks cover 30 identities, usually with only one example each. Current testing supports near-duplicate recall, not reliable recognition of a different knife by the same maker. A resemblance is not a confirmed identity.

Private OCR · on your device

Start with the characters.

Try a private transcription first. If the text does not support a maker, Mei also tries image comparison. Your photos stay on this device.

Japanese specialist reader: first use downloads about 55 MB. Detection and reading run on your device.

Best for legible lettering. Correct uncertain characters before using the result.

Scores rank candidates; they are not calibrated probabilities of correct identification. Results appear below. Compare the suggested identity with the actual engraving; worn strokes, glare and unfamiliar marks can remain unresolved.

Best result · Fill the frame, turn off direct flash, and let light rake across the engraving from the side.

Full photo stays on this device
02 / EXAMINE THE RESULT

Recognition results

Check the engraving evidence.

Japanese knife inscriptions may be chiseled, stamped, laser-marked, diagonal, vertical, or worn. Cloud vision reads lettering and pictorial emblems using the whole crop, magnified sections, and complementary lighting and contrast views; private in-browser OCR reads the characters and, if that fails, an experimental image model compares engraving shapes locally. Image resemblance is shown separately from a verified reading. Confirm the proposed characters before relying on a match.

No photo analyzed yetUpload above, or enter the engraving manually.
Ranked comparison

Most likely identities

Compared with the full maker engraving casefile.

Important: a engraving can identify a brand, wholesaler, workshop, or smith. Mei does not authenticate age, steel, or resale value from a photograph.

Source-backed reference

Knife Engraving Archive

A practical index of frequently encountered Japanese kitchen-knife inscriptions. Every record separates the visible engraving from the entity it actually names, grades the evidence, and links matching examples from 0 specialist retailers. Add a known knife →

Community casefile · Case 003

Add a known knife.

Help improve the reference archive by pairing a clear maker’s engraving with evidence of the knife’s known identity. Every contribution enters a private review queue; it never becomes a match automatically.

Private reviewPending records are not public Evidence requiredKnown identity, not a guess Human checkedNo automatic database changes
Known knife intake 1–2 blade photos
01 Show the engravings

Add one or both faces of the same knife. Camera-roll upload and a separate camera button are both available on mobile.

Side ARequired · close engraving photo
Side BOptional · reverse face

When you use these controls, your browser compresses the photos and removes location metadata before upload. They are then stored privately for moderation. A close engraving photo is strongest; use the second slot for the whole blade or reverse face. Pending records expire after 30 days unless approved. Identification photos submitted above are still never saved.

02 Name the knife
03 Show how it is known

Official and retailer sources require a link. For other evidence, add a link or describe in at least 20 characters how the identity is known.

Before photographing paperwork, cover addresses, order numbers, phone numbers, and payment details.

Withdraw a pending contribution

Your receipt includes a private code. You can withdraw pending or approved photos. This removes them from future reference lookups and deletes their stored photos; the withdrawn receipt is cleared within seven days.

Read with context

The engraving is a clue,
not a certificate.

Knife identification is strongest when the inscription, region, construction, packaging, and purchase history agree. A convincing kanji match alone cannot prove who forged or sharpened a blade.

01

Separate place from maker

堺 means Sakai and 越前 means Echizen. They locate a tradition or production area; neither is a maker by itself.

02

Remove boilerplate

登録 means registered, 作 means made by, and 御料理庖丁 simply means cooking knife. The distinctive name usually sits between them.

03

Respect divided labor

Sakai’s traditional system divides forging, sharpening, and handle fitting among specialist workshops. A branded knife can therefore have several makers behind it.

Close view of a Japanese knife inscription from Takefu Knife Village
Reference image: Takefu Knife Village

Field guide

Photograph both faces.

One side may carry the brand; the reverse may name a smith, steel, production region, or line. Include the whole blade in one photo, then add a close, square-on detail of each inscription.

  • LightTurn off direct flash. For a shallow stamp, move one lamp to the side so highlights and shadows cross each stroke.
  • AngleKeep the blade face parallel to the camera; the inscription itself can run in any direction.
  • ScaleInclude the heel, spine, and handle junction.

Evidence desk

Inside the knife workshops.

Explore forging, heat treatment, grinding, sharpening and the people behind Japanese kitchen knives. These regional links lead to knife workshops, manufacturers and dedicated craft records. Each description tells you what you can learn before you open the source.

Reading the engraving: the Kitchen Knife Forums kanji lexicon ↗ adds community interpretations. The archive also uses 0 retail catalog correlations for labeled product-photo comparisons; maker pages and craft records provide the primary evidence.

Photo checklist

Give the engraving a fair chance.

  1. Wipe, don’t polish.Remove oil and fingerprints, but leave patina intact.
  2. Use raking side light.Turn off direct flash. Move the light, not the camera, until stamped grooves show both a bright and a dark edge.
  3. Shoot square-on.Keep the blade face parallel, fill the frame, and tap the engraving to focus. The writing may be diagonal.
  4. Capture both sides.Brand and smith clues may be split across the blade.