Japanese Type I

[Patrick Chadwick]

1) Please do NOT remove that finish. I think it might be original urushi. I.e. genuine Japanese lacquer, not the stuff that you buy in d.i.y.shops.

My reasoning:
The finish follows the wood ripples, dents and dings, and you have discovered that it also lies beneath the oil/grease layer in some places. A later finish would hardly be applied over the greasy patches, and would tend to fill the depressions. Please take a closer look with a watchmakers eyeglass. If it really is usushi, it will be very hard and unaffected by alcohol.

2) The scratched symbol does not look to me like a 7, but rather a Kanji 941 "Katana" = sword. About 2 inches to the left there might be another symbol - or, of course, a random scratch. Please look closer.

LATER:

OK, I just saw the later posting, and I'm too late. I just hope that I was wrong and you did not destroy an original finish. Probably not - if it had been urushi you would have found it devilish hard to get off.