I posted this one a while back in BRL's forum with the hopes of ID'ing the maker or gaining some additional knowledge, but didn't come up with much, so I thought I'd give it a go here.
The knife came out of a Northern California collection and and was likely made in the late 1980's to about 1992. It is very well made and the fit & finish are excellent. The handle peg is of ivory and the handle and scabbard were made from the same piece of wood. Great care was taken to ensure a continuous grain pattern from handle to scabbard. The name on the tang looks like it could be "Joe" if read in the traditional manner, although it looks like it could be Japanese if read vertically.
Any thoughts or comments?
The knife came out of a Northern California collection and and was likely made in the late 1980's to about 1992. It is very well made and the fit & finish are excellent. The handle peg is of ivory and the handle and scabbard were made from the same piece of wood. Great care was taken to ensure a continuous grain pattern from handle to scabbard. The name on the tang looks like it could be "Joe" if read in the traditional manner, although it looks like it could be Japanese if read vertically.
Any thoughts or comments?