Japanese Porcelain Decorated in Hong Kong

People come upon many ceramics labeled "Japanese Porcelain Decorated in Hong Kong". Japan makes "blanks" which they export. Especially during the last quarter of the 20th century many pieces were decorated in Hong Kong. Because many have high lead levels they are required by law to have "For Decorative Use Only" marked on them. The enamels are usually rather thickly applied. There are various levels of quality but basically none have any increasing value as collectors items, except for enjoying them in one's home. 

Dragon Ware

Hand painted Nippon Japan

    This is moriage dragon ware. This is Japanese site for the Tojiki Kaikan in Nagoya. Notice the dragon ware? http://nagoya-toujikikaikan.sblo.jp/category/899359-1.html

This one is a later piece given it has Made in Occupied Japan on it. 

Dragon ware sake cup with lithophane

Some helpful links (I cannot verify if all the information is correct):

From the collection of Shawn Dempsey:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/37542328@N06/albums/72157622577023491

http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/unloved-antiques-dragonware-tea-set#comments-section

https://www.justcollecting.com/miscellania/dragonware-tea-sets

Showa Retro

 Showa retro (昭和レトロ) is a phrase used in Japanese to describe ceramics, especially tableware from the mid Showa Era. The general feeling I get is that it ranges from as early as 1940's through about the late1970's.

       Unmarked, believed to be Arita

                                   Unmarked

                           Marked Kutani 九谷

                             Marked Arita 有田

                         Marked Arita 有田

                        Marked Sei 清

Yamaji

      This mark reads  Seihou Gama (正峯窯)

Wakayama or Jyakuzan (若山作)

This mark seems to pop up quite a bit on porcelain vases and plates. No one on the English sites seem to know what the mark is. It is in seal script on the porcelain pieces.  The seal script reads Wakayama, but another reading can be Jyakuzan. I have seen it labeled Arita and Mino ware. Although I have searched and searched in Japanese I cannot find a consensus there either. This should not be confused with Wakayama of "Funjina Wakayama" ware, nor of the Wakayama of "Izumo Wakayama AKA Jyakuzan" ware.

Yunomi

Yunomi 湯呑み literally means to drink warm water. It is the generic term for a Japanese handless tea cup. There are various kinds of tea cups with specific names depending on the use. Yunomi usually refers to the everyday kind of cup. It is a cynlinder shape and comes in various sizes. Sometimes they come in a set of two, one larger and one smaller. These are "couple cups" called Meoto Yunomi. 

                         This is a lovely Kutani tea cup

         This lovely Yunomi is Mashiko Yaki by Hamada Shinsaku

This is a double lined Yunomi that is a signature type of Yunomi from Fukushima called Obori Soma Yaki or just known as Soma ware in the west. 

These are Yunomi from Miyajima, the island near Hiroshima. 

         Agano Yaki Yunomi by Kozuru Gen

                Hagi Yaki Yunomi by Jyozan

        A pair of Karatsu Yunomi by 14th Nakasato Taroemon

Here is a lovely link from a showing of the many styles of Yunomi made throughout Japan:

http://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kougei/04kikaku-tenji/04img/20131019yunomi.pdf

SHIBUKUSA YAKI, KOITO YAKI and YAMADA YAKI-Ceramics of TAKAYAMA,GifuPrefecture

SHIBUKUSA-YAKI 渋草焼

Shibukusa Yaki began in 1840 in TAKAYAMA, Gifu Prefecture. It is influenced by Kutani, its neighbor to the west, and Seto to the east. See "Modern Japanese Ceramics-Pathways of Innovation & Tradition" by Crueger, Crueger and Ito pg. 193 and 204.

                                    Toda Ryuzo

　　　　　　　　　戸田柳三

KOITO-YAKI 

Oldest of the ceramic types for this area. It. Died out in the early 1800's but was brought back in 1946.

See "Modern Japanese Ceramics-Pathways of Innovation & Tradition" by Crueger, Crueger and Ito Pg 204.

YAMADA-YAKI 山田焼

Not much is known about the timing of the Yamada kiln. It is considered a folk kiln.

See "Modern Japanese Ceramics-Pathways of Innovation & Tradition" by Crueger, Crueger and Ito Pg 204.

Not All Banko!!

All over the internet you find auction sites that sell "Banko Yaki", but they are not all Banko!! There are a many similar types of wares that have found their way into the "Banko Bucket". Most of these styles were popular in the Meiji/Taisho period though some continued into the Showa period. 

Itsukaku Yaki (pottery of the Itsukushima Shrine) on Miyajima Island, near Hiroshima. 

Ehime Prefecture wares in this motif:

Suigetu Yaki (水月焼)

This is pottery made in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the Island of Shikoku. This ware started in the Meiji Era by Tsunekata Yoshikawa. It usually has a crab crawling out of it somewhere! 

Rakuzan Yaki 

Niroku Yaki

https://kottou.p-kit.com/page515919.html

Tobe Yaki (砥部焼) 

Tobe Yaki is pottery of Ehime Prefecture. It is most noted for its blue and white porcelain. Some of the wares resemble 3D wares described as Banko in on-line auctions. A shrine or trees are carved into part of the work creating an indented 3D scene. 

(砥部)とべ　and 波六 Niroku ( full name Tomozawa Niroku) 

                  洞窟彫　山水彫  cave or landscape carving

Others:

Chinoike Yaki (Shiga Prefecture) (血池焼)

The most common wares are the ceramic faces. They also make similar 3D cups motif cups, vases and such.

Doro Yaki  (mud fired)

Doro Yaki seems to be a generic term for Banko and similar items being exported.

Yashima Yaki 屋島焼　(aka Rinzo Yaki)

Himeji- Rokyaku Yaki, Nakagawa Rokyoku

鷺脚焼　中川鷺脚

Eiwa Kinsei (栄和謹製)

Eiwa Kinsei is generally export porcelain. It appears to have been exported between the mid to late 1950's-1980's. There are black and gold marks which date to the 50's (on lithophane geisha), a blue square mark which seems to have been used around the same time as the black and gold mark, rare red square mark in bone script probably used in the 1960's, and then most widely seen red mark with block script which is from the 1970's on.

This mark is from the mid to late 1950's 

        This is the Eiwa Kinsei mark with the "Ei" in bone script. My feeling

                 is that this may have been used in the 1960's

          

This mark was used during the 1970's~