Dating Made In Japan Marks

[Yiraika Daimaru]

TheGold Imari logo is a trademark of the Yazaemon family kiln founded in 1804. After many ups and downs including fires, bankruptcy, and name changes, it became the Arita Busson Co. in 1953. The trademark was created in this era. The Word Mark 'GOLD IMARI HAND PAINTED' was first used in the US December 1, 1959. The applicant was Arita Bussan Co., Ltd. Corp. Japan No. 8, 3-Chrome Iida-Machi, Higashi-Ku, Nahoya, Japan. In 2007 they became the Arita Seiyou Co., Ltd, and in 2016 they became the Arita Porcelain Lab, Inc. The US patent Office mark registration was abandoned October 29, 1984, however they are still using the trademark.

Pieces marked with JAPAN or MADE IN JAPAN in plain text without any company marks, in general date to the period immediately after the second WW. Some come with the addition of OCCUPIED JAPAN.721. "Made in Japan". Date 1940s-50sClick here to see large picture

The Lefton Company was a Chicago-based company that was founded in 1941 by George Zoltan Lefton, who had left Hungary in 1938. It was not a porcelain manufacturer but an importer of decorative objects from other countries of which Japan appears to have been the most important in the early years. The company specialized in importing and distributing a wide variety of giftware, collectibles, and decorative items, including porcelain and ceramic figurines, vases, tea sets, and other tableware. Lefton was one of the first American businessmen to deal with the Japanese after World War II. The first pieces of Lefton China with the "Made in Occupied Japan" mark reached the United States in 1946.

Lefton China produced in Occupied Japan included a wide range of pieces, dating from 1946 to 1952. Designs ranged from delicate, formal pieces with gold edging and soft floral patterns to the whimsical and playful designs of the 1950s. Many of the pieces of Lefton China from Occupied Japan were produced by the Miyawo Company.

The Lefton Company became well-known for its numerous products including, but not limited to, cookie jars, holiday items, figurines, teapots, jam jars, planters, pitchers, shakers, Red Hat pieces, wall pockets and head vases.

Lefton imported and distributed porcelain items from a wide variety of Japanese manufacturers, including L'amour China made by Takito Company, Ardalt, Kutani, and Ucagco, among others. Identifying marks vary, but they may include "Lefton's," "Lefton China," "Geo. Z. Lefton," "G.Z.L.," or just a letter "L." Many pieces were marked by both a maker's mark and a paper label.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Lefton Company was one of the largest importers of porcelain and ceramic products in the United States. At one time Lefton products were sold in over 10,000 shops in the United States. Lefton China continued to be produced in Japan until the 1970s. Production in the 1980s and beyond moved to Taiwan and Malaysia. Most importantly, the quality remained high. Unfortunately, George Z. Lefton died in 1996 and the Lefton Company was sold in 2001 when it was sold to a Canadian company.

During the "Occupied Japan" period (1945-1952), not all exported Japanese porcelain items were required to carry the "Made in Occupied Japan" mark. In fact, it was only mandatory for items that were made for export to the United States, and even then, not every piece was required to bear the mark.

According to the US Customs regulations of the time, only the primary or largest piece in a set or pair of items was required to bear the "Made in Occupied Japan" mark. For example, in a set of salt and pepper shakers, only the larger shaker might have the mark. However, it is also true that many manufacturers chose to mark every piece they exported, in order to avoid any confusion or potential problems with customs officials.

It's worth noting that some collectors today may actually prefer to collect items without the "Made in Occupied Japan" mark, as they can be rarer and more valuable. However, whether a piece has the mark or not, it is important to remember that these items were produced during a unique and historically significant time period, and they can offer fascinating insights into the culture, politics, and economics of post-World War II Japan.

Okura Art China was established in 1919 in the suburb of Kamata in Tokyo by Magobei Okura and his son Kazuchika who were both amongst the 6 founders of the Noritake company in 1904. Okura pieces were made by hand and were of choice material, targeting the top segment of the market. Marks include "OAC Noritake" and a 5 lobed trademark. Okura porcelain is still made today under the name of Okura China Ltd, with its headquarter in Totsuka, Yokohama.

Chinese and Japanese ceramic ware has been renowned the world over for centuries, but it was the Chinese who first invented the process for porcelain production during the Tang dynasty of 618-907 AD. Created from the fusion of a white clay material (kaolin) and petuntse (a fine stone) at temperatures in excess of 1250C which vitrifies the medium, porcelain is defined by a white, fine-grained and translucent material, unlike earthenware which is coarse, opaque and porous. The Chinese dominated the porcelain market until the 16th century when its method of manufacture spread to Korea and Japan.

The main difference between antique oriental ceramics is the thickness of the porcelain. As China had a richer natural source of kaolin and developed firing methods much earlier than the Japanese, antique Chinese ceramic pieces are much thinner, lighter in weight and more delicate.

Antique Chinese marks are read from top to bottom and right to left, with horizontal marks read from right to left. The majority of reign marks are made up of four or six characters, varying in style according to the period, with the first two referring to the dynasty or emperor.

For collectors who are unfamiliar with the Chinese and Japanese languages, it can be almost impossible to authenticate or age a piece from its marks. Experts who can distinguish between the other characteristics of an antique piece such as shape, decoration and pattern have years of experience, although there are some simple ways for a novice collector to identify a fake.

The best way of ensuring your piece is authentic is to seek the advice of an expert who will understand and recognise the nuances of shape, production processes, colour and imagery in the decoration, as well as the construction and shape of the base of a piece, and even the glaze.

When searching for antique oriental ceramics for sale, it is always better to go to an antiques dealer with specialist experience. At Hemswell Antique Centres, we have many dealers who are members of LAPADA, The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers. Their accredited membership gives the novice collector the peace of mind that their advice is reliable and trustworthy. In addition to antique porcelain, our oriental antiques include a selection of items including furniture and decorative ornaments and we also have dealers of oriental rugs.

I have a teapot with a gold sticker with red letters on the bottom with pheasents as the design. The teapot has a handle on top made with maybe bamboo. I have tried to locate one on the internet to see the history of it. Can you give any insight to help me. Thanks so much

hi, Koiman. I found out that the dragon and a phoenix means fung shay.. a balance of good and evil. when its on a big plate and the middle has hearts it was for the prince and princess for their wedding. it sounds beautiful.

i have a occupied japan small decorative bowl i got at an antique action and was wondering the value of it. It has dragons and birds on the outside and Japanese letters on the outside and on the inside it says hoto hoto.

Satsuma ware is perhaps one of the most well known of the Japanese pottery styles often richly decorated with fine detail and liberal use of gold. The name comes from the region controlled by the Shimazu clan (Satsuma-han - officially Kagoshima and surrounding areas). The history goes back much further to around 1600 when Satsuma pottery was generally plain and in dark clay, very different from the 19th century pieces made for export to the West.

Satsuma comes in many forms and the term is a catch-all covering highly decorated fine work, through the Awata style with enamel decoration and the later post war moriage decorated forms which are often a world away in terms of quality from the 19th century production.

One of the features of Satsuma ware is the crazing, sometimes darkened, which covers the plain areas of the pottery, this can be very fine and almost invisible to the eye through to obvious and heavy. One sign of late 20th century reproductions is often the fake looking attempt to reproduce crazing. To check our stock of satsuma ware click here.

Marks are most often hand painted over glaze and may include the artist as well as the Satsuma mark along with other details. Impressed and incised marks are far less common. Unmarked pieces, or those simply marked Satsuma are also very common. See below to navigate the marks, or simply scroll through - note some of the marks can be clicked to show the object the mark came from.

Kinkozan 錦光山 poorly hand scripted mark on an early 20th century Awata style item. Workers were paid per item produced so often the marks can be very hastily written and difficult to read.

Kinkozan 錦光山 classic stylised mark from the height of Satsuma production during the Meiji period c1880. From a high quality small vase featuring Bijin. Image by kind permission of S Cookie.

Kinkozan 金光山 - Alternative form of writing Kinkozan. Currently it is considered this is the same Kinkozan who used the more common form, I have not found evidence either way to date. Mark from a poor quality vase with cobalt blue glaze, Taisho or Showa period.

Koshida 越田 gilt painted mark on a pair of late 19th century vases with village life scenes. Particularly fine gilt line work on the dresses and trees. Meiji period. Koshida was a business name rather than a kiln or artist, examples exist marked 'Koshida' in Western script. Quality varies from distinctly average to very good.

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