Featured Japanese Bronze Grumpy Kitty/Lion- Chop ?

Here's 6" tall bronze Japanese (Meiji ?). It looks like a bookend,but...is filled w/ something sandy (which is either for weight,or weirder-some creatures ashes ?-i know i have a bizarre imagination). It's bronze & semi-hollow w/ a sheet of bronze solder to the base.
Here's that age old question-can anyone out there ID the signature/chop ? Google Lens gives me nothing (we don't have total AI yet). Thanks.
PS-Didn't know if i should post this to Art or Metalware ?

 

Chap seems a bit grumpy !

 

Possibly hangry. He's looking at a piece of Mouseman furniture and thinking "lunch".

 

Now that is a very fine antique pun ! After I give him some catnip I'm going to have him sniff me out some of that furniture (of course my lovely lady won't want to part with it).

 

Kawamoto Masukichi II maybe?

 

JunkshopJ- I'll check out Kawamoto Masukichi II.Wish i had a bigger brain and knew 6 or 7 languages like some folks (not that those geniuses pi@# me off !).

 

I just did a Google image search on the signature and the one I've posted looks like similar characters. Cant find much bronze by him though.

 

Junkshop- Great pottery,no bronze though.Thanks for the research.

 

Google Translate recently added Japanese ! Oh boy-work to do.

 

He’s pretty neat! I just sold a smaller than that Japanese bronze animal for real good money. I wasn’t able to identify mine either. Hope you can do the same! It has a unique enough look that someone’s sure to pony up on it.

 

Thanks J Dag-I just downloaded Google Translate Japanese,we'll see how it works ? He's really grumpy but darned cute-will report signature (as long as Translate works). He' actually smoother than the pics-I over-amped the image w/ too much hyper detail/contrast.

 

Google Japanese came up with 3 or 4 diff translations-none of which make any sense.What's the best way to get this translated by someone with a human brain ?

 

Tag one of the new members here...........

 

Maybe @Kyoto1975 can help with translation.

 

Thanks Holly-I hate to impose on members,but I could politely ask.Thanks again !

 

can't figure how to cut/paste a URL when I do direct communication to a member.

 

Kyoto1975 has been tagged,when they see the notification they may reply to your question.

 

Thanks big time Holly !