Need a little japanese assistance...

[Nick]

I collect helmets from World War II. I have quite a collection with genuine helmets ranging from US M1 helmets to Camouflage patterned German M42 and quite a few in between.

I bought a helmet from Japan almost 6 months ago. It is an American front seam M1 helmet made by Schleuter. It looks pretty weathered and has a large dent on the crown possibly from a rifle butt, there are some mud residue on it as well. The seller says it was dug up, but since no battles were on the mainland of Japan I still have no idea were it originates from. It could be as simple as being an old throw-away from a US military base or, hopefully, a bring back by a Japanese soldier from the Pacific Campaign.

Curiosa:

1) It is a front seam helmet, thus the early model which were replaced by the rear seam just before end of the war.

2) It is a Schleuter with a really low heat treatment number which gives it an early to mid 1943 date, or even possibly a late 1942. Alas it is an early M1 helmet

3) It looks like is a combat helmet, hard to describe but when they have seen action there are a lot of nicks and dents on them. When you handle the stuff you get a feel for it, I could be wrong (happened before!) but some of my helmets ooze of it while others don't. This one does.

So to cut to the chase:
What I need help with is to identify a possible Japanese sign written inside, it is smeared out somewhat but perhaps someone who is fluent in the Japanese way of writing can decipher it? It could just be a stain, I don't know...

I have attached the picture from inside the helmet with this post.

Thanks!

//Nick

[kbeir]

Hmmm you got me, I have a few friends that speak/read Japanese. I can ask around.

Also interesting you collect helmets thats pretty gnarly. Kinda goes along with my reenacting bit (M1, M1C, M1917A1, "M40" Stahlhelm, FJ Helmet). I'll see what I can turn up.

[Quinn]

I don't pretend to be able to read japanese, but that doesn't look like any katakana that I've seen. I think it's just a discoloration of the metal.

Kurosaki would know.

[Nick]

Yeah could very well be.

//N

[Quinn]

My GF, who is ex-U.S. Army, says it does look like a color discoloration, but that it could have been caused by a brush stroke. So she says do some research on kanji, katakana and other japanese writing to see if it would make sense.