Identifying Age Of Japanese Ceramic Pieces

See a comparison of chinese and non chinese marks.

Identifying age of japanese ceramic pieces.

Unless you re familiar with the japanese language identifying japanese pottery and porcelain marks can be a daunting task. Hidden within the kanji the characters on the bottom of the piece you will typically find the production region a specific kiln location a potter s name and sometimes a separate decorator s identity but at times only generic terms were recorded and tracking down. Identifying chinese porcelain involves more than just knowing the mark in order to decide age and manufacturer as many novices do believe. After 1952 pieces from japan were either marked japan or made in japan.

Kilns have produced earthenware pottery stoneware glazed pottery glazed stoneware porcelain and blue and white ware japan has an exceptionally long and successful history of ceramic production. The best way to tell age is merely by looking and feeling the piece in question. The identification and authentication of chinese porcelain is a complex process of an overall verification of a number of factors. I can not tell you how to identify chinese porcelain pieces with a 100 accuracy via this article but i can show you certain traits symbolism commonly used on chinese porcelain that will hopefully help you identify or understand the meaning of symbols used in chinese porcelain production.

Note that pieces marked occupied japan or made in occupied japan are pieces dated from 1947 to 1952 are not usually considered made in japan pieces. Identifying a mark on a piece of pottery or porcelain is often the first step in researching the value of these antique and collectible pieces.