FOR YOUR BIDDING CONSIDERATION IS THIS VERY PRETTY DIMTASE/TEA SET BY JAPANESE MAKER CHIKARAMACHI.  I PURCHASED THESE AT AN ESTATE SALE SO THEREFORE, THE INFORMATION RE: AGE, HISTORY IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED.

• SET OF SIX XMALL CUPS AND SAUCERS
• PALE YELLOW, WHITE DECORATED WITH ABUNDANT GOLD
• THIS MAY BE CALLED LUSTERWARE??
• BOTTOM IS MARKED IN BROWN/ORANGE: CHIKARMAMACHI. THERE IS A CROWN AND LEAF DESIGN. ALSO PRINTED IN HAND PAINTED AND MADE IN JAPAN. THIS IS ONE OF TWO SETS I HAVE AVAILABLE AND DO COMBINE/DISCOUNT SHIPPING.

the name Chikaramachi has been an integral part of the history of Noritake china since 1896. Little documentation exists today because nearly all the early records were lost when an incendiary bomb destroyed the home offices of Noritake on 19 March 1945. In the rubble and ashes were over 50 years of one-of-a-kind porcelain samples, ceramic molds, original drawings and sketches, registration records, etc.

The Morimura brothers, Ichizaemon and Toyo, first founded Morimuragumi (Morimura Association) in Tokyo as a Japanese goods export business, and the Hinode Company in New York in 1876. By 1882, they realized the great potential for chinaware and gradually developed what would become Noritake as their main line of merchandise. Existing records indicate that Morimuragumi had already established several exclusive porcelain decorating factories in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagoya by 1884. In 1896, land was purchased to construct 5 buildings to consolidate the entire decorating process in Nagoya and the project was completed in 1899. Of significance is the name of one of the two parallel streets between which the buildings were constructed, Shumokucho and Chikaramachi.

The first Chikaramachi back stamp was registered in 1912. It consists of the Chinese ideograph character for tree within a circle surrounded by the words CHIKARAMACHI above and MADE IN JAPAN below. Noritake referred to this as the MARU-KI backstamp. There are no records indicating the significance of the blue, green or red color varieties.

The second series of three backstamps was registered in 1928. A crown within a laurel wreath had the word CHIKARAMACHI in a semi-circle above and MADE IN JAPAN in a straight line below. This mark appears in green or black. The second mark is red and consists of a slightly smaller crown within a laurel wreath with two lines in a semi-circle above CHIKARAMACHI and HANDPAINTED, and a semi-circle below, MADE IN JAPAN. The third mark is a samurai helmet with the word Chikaramachi in script in a semi-circle above, and MADE IN JAPAN in a straight line below. It is unknown what color varieties were produced. There are variations of the backstamps with the words FOREIGN or IMPORT used in place of MADE IN JAPAN. This was for those pieces exported to England.

 

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On Jul-04-10 at 11:55:40 PDT, seller added the following information: