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I have several silver cups that I recently purchased. The seller said they were brought back to the US during the Korean war, most likely in the mid 20th century. I was told that the mark is most likely hanja. I would like to learn more about the history of these pieces and any help translating the mark would be greatly appreciated.

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  • It's written in 초서(草書), or cursive Hanja. There are few people who can read it in Korea nowadays. The first character is 長. You'll get a more accurate answer if you post it on a chinese language forum.
    – MujjinGun
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 10:46
  • I think only those professors researching old Korean history could read this... Koreans don't write or read hanja that much anymore.
    – fosinsight
    Commented Oct 24, 2021 at 6:14

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This isn't Korean, it's Japanese. The characters are 「長翁齋・장옹재」 , pointing to the given name of an Edo Period Japanese metalsmith/artisan named 「鈴木長翁齋」 (Japanese: 「鈴木長翁斎」, Suzuki Chō'ōsai).

If you Google image search "鈴木長翁斎", you can see some of his silverwork (and his son's work, who is self-styled as Chō'ōsai the Second, 「長二齋」 or 「二代鈴木長翁齋」). For example,

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