Kutani Zo, Japanese

Hello, I wondered if anyone had any information on the mark or recognised the style at all? Many thanks.

It's Japanese. Possibly early 20thC Kutani ware. If the porcelain is very thin then it would be classed as eggshell china.

Thank you very much Naomi, that's great. Found the same ones online with those details :)

This is a lovely little set.  Both are marked identically to base with a possible BR 13?

The decoration looks like that of the Ken Edwards pottery of Tenola, Mexico. Founded in the 1960's there is a fair amount of it around.

It’s signed with kanji characters. Japanese, imo, although I’m afraid I can’t translate them. You might find the mark on the Gotheborg website of 20thC Japanese and Chinese Marks

I can't see this being Ken Edwards. I've had a few of his pieces and the decoration is much simpler, usually just either a bird or butterfly, and always signed 'KE Mexico'. That doesn't rule out the possibility of it being by another potter working at the Tenola Pottery but the bamboo decoration certainly points to Japan.

It just says Kutani.

Good day to everybody.

Here is a sake bottle, I presume, with a lot of good wishes in Japanese to the person who was drinking from it. Just kidding.




Thanks to the 20th Century forum and links provided for the research, I was able to identify this sake bottle markings.
Naomi, thank you for posting the links for the Japanese marks identification in one of yours posts! I am reposting the link to compare the marking for Kutani Porcelain: https://www.gotheborg.com/marks/kutani.shtml
By comparing images of the marking, I would say this bottle was made within the period of 1930 - 1950.

Here is a brief article on history of the Kutani Porcelain, if anybody interested:
https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/ceramics/ceramics-japan/kutani

And then a little bit of a confusion on my end with the Japanese marking. This sake bottle also marked with the artists name, (you could see on the photo - it is in red circle). The Japanese lettering in that circle suggesting that it could be the name Gyokusen for an artist. Here is another educational link, it is somebody's blog with a lot of pictures of Japanese marking, and almost at the end of the page it has an image of the identical marking as on this sake bottle, naming it as Gyokusen, Kutani: http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.com/search/label/Eiraku

The story behind this name I found for myself a bit complicated how it forms and to whom exactly it belongs, somehow it could be transferred through the lineage of potters, and some potters could acquire the name.

So... for now, I will put my trust on the data what is available for identification, and make a statement, that this sake bottle from the Kutani pottery and designed by an artist with the name Gyokusen, circa 1930-1950.

Pair of Kutani coffee cans and two mismatched Geisha ware saucers

Aka-e Kutani Yunomi