I don't want to modify this interesting thread, devoted to a
wonderfull and mint Astra into an Oriental linguistic debate, so this posting will be my last contribution on the problem. Even if the subject of the thread is precisely "Close-up picture of "Made in Japan".
Postino,
Sorry, the 3 Hanzi on your Mauser M1930 mean: "Made in Germany" (De-Guo-Zhi) as pictured on the photo below, and not "Chinese contract".
Alwin,
I agree with the first part of your reasonment, but not with the last one. As you know, the Hanzi "ri" is historically the traditionnal name of Japan in Chinese writting (and I believe in Japanese writting too) as pictured on the second photo below. It is unbelievable that they took precisely this historical Hanzi to translate the word "Spain" for... the Japanese market !
I note that Germany and Spain had two different stamping logics here:
The Mauser M1930 has the stamp "made in Germany" since
Germany is easy to translate in chinese (De-guo).
The spanish Astra is stamped "Japanese contract" (and not
"made in Spain") precisely because "Spain" is too long and difficult to translate in chinese or japanese, as you said (see picture 3 below). No more, no less.
Also, is Schroeder a reference in Oriental languages ?
christian