CHIKARAMACHI

Q: My mother received this tea or luncheon set as a wedding gift in the late 1920s. It was never used but was always in our cupboard. We would appreciate any information about the dishes.

A: This crown and wreath mark was used by the Noritake factory on Chikaramachi Street in Nagoya, Japan. In 1876 Baron Ichizaemon Morimura and his brother founded Morimura Bros., a trading company, in Tokyo. In 1904 Morimura established a porcelain manufacturing company, Nippon Toki Gomei Kaisha, in Noritake, Japan. The company began exporting porcelain dinnerware in 1914. "Made in Japan" was used as part of the mark about 1908. The Chikaramachi crown mark was registered in 1928 and was used for several years. The company name became Noritake Co., Limited in 1981 and is still in business.

JAPONISME

Q: This dinnerware has been in my family since at least the 1940s. It is marked T. Furnival & Sons and has an English registry mark. Can you give me information about the history of it?

A: The type of design on your dinnerware is known as "Japonisme," a French word meaning "from Japan." The term was first used in 1872 to describe the traditional Japanese designs shown at the Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1867. Japonisme became popular in the United States in the 1880s, after the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Asymmetrical patterns featuring fans, birds, bamboo, cherry blossoms, and other oriental designs were created. Thomas Furnival & Sons was in business in Cobridge, Staffordshire, England, from 1871 to 1890. The registry mark on your dinnerware indicates the design was registered on June 10, 1879.

M IN WREATH MARK

M IN WREATH MARK

Q: This vase was given to me by a 90-year-old friend in 2000. It was given to her mother before 1920. This is the mark on the bottom. Can you tell me who made this vase?

A: This M in wreath mark was registered in Japan and the U.S. in 1911. It is usually in green, but can be found in blue, gold, or magenta. The "M" stands for Morimura, a trading company that had offices in Tokyo and New York City. Morimura Bros. Co. was founded in 1876 and eventually became Noritake Co. Ltd. The word "Nippon," the Japanese name for Japan, was used on goods imported into the United States from 1891 to 1921. After 1921 "Japan" was used. Marks used after 1915 usually include the words "Made in" and the country name.