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Here's hoping you can actually see the images, may be too large. Have had this vase for many years but have been unable to identify the maker of country of manufacture. Above the small sail boat with the capital Y on the sail there is a line in English; made in ....N? Any imput would be much appreciated.
Wanted to repost this particular image to show you the detail of the design. Have seen two other objects with this unidentified makers mark that were not up to the quality of this piece.
Yes Trev it is reversed and straight on but the similarity is striking.
Japan? Thought the last letter in "made in... was an N, that would fit. May be pre-1945 even pre-1938, only because many products particularly decorative goods made after the surrender were marked "made in occupied Japan." The quality of products during that period were generally poor, so much of the metal had been turned towards war production. But nothing is impossible.
Do wonder if David Ross could enlighten us?
Thanks again
Warren
Sorry, I can't help much with marks like this as there is no dictionary for them. Generally, this combination of letters and a pictorial element reads like a rebus, and as you have already guessed, surely the maker's mark begins with Y. The picture includes a mountain (yama in Japanese), and many common proper names begin with Yama. I would guess it's something like "Yamakawa" (literally, "mountain river").
There is a contemporary maker of flatware named Yamazaki ("mountain peak" or "mountain promontory"). Founded in 1952 in Tsubame, Niigata and currently known as Yamaco, the company produces flatware in stainless and 950 sterling silver, but their recent production is marked "Yamazaki." This might be one of their early marks, but I have found no evidence to support that conjecture.
Production is most likely 1950s to early 1960s, although the style would be almost old-fashioned by then. As you mention, nearly everything made in Japan was marked "Made in Occupied Japan" from late 1945 to into early 1953. In the 1920s and 1930s, most export wares were marked either "Nippon" or "Made in Nippon."
Thank you David so much for taking the time to review the images.
Was using the sailboat as a water reference like Yokohama. There was also that also Y. Konoike in Yokohama but I noticed that he marked his work as Konoike. Attempting to pull up lists of postwar companies yielded no results. Punching in Japanese silver-plate was yielding some better quality pieces but nothing with this mark.
Have added this image for documentary purposes. The precious marks I had viewed including this one did not include this line. It did help pull up more of this particular mark by adding "made in occupied Japan" into the search field.
W
note: this image should be embedded but in viewing the preview, it does not appear that way.
This vase could not possibly be from Konoike, the quality, the period, and the marks are too far apart.
I did the same sort of image search using keywords in Japanese and drew a blank, so I'm afraid this one may remain a mystery. As you suggest, the mark may refer to a geographical name, rather than a personal name. The problem with narrowing down the geographical possibility is that nearly every region of Japan has mountains and water.
There would be a catalogue of trademarks in the records of some bureaucratic office in Japan--either the Copyright Office or MITI, but even if the catalogue could be located, it probably cannot be accessed or scanned electronically.
As with damascene items, the best (albeit slim) hope is to look for a piece with the same mark that is in an original box or packaging that shows both the trademark and the full name of the maker. These do occasionally appear for sale on the Internet.
Was only following up on the Y in Y. Konoike as a possibility. I must say that for a plated item the quality of this vase is reasonably good. Some of the gilt has come off the central section but there is no pitting overall except for the stamped words underneath. The design elements are strong and well executed.
Do itashimashite--you are most welcome, although my efforts are sadly inconclusive. Indeed, with the same mark appearing on Occupied Japan products, you have sunk my best guess of Yamazaki, as the firm was only founded in 1952, the year the occupation ended.
There were many small start-up companies in the immediate postwar (quite famously, Sony, for instance). My impression is that most of them required little capital and were innovative in nature. One key to narrowing down the identity of "Y" company is its production process, a topic I admit to knowing very little about. My guess is that Y used fairly heavy equipment for mass production. It therefore may have existed before the war and resumed its prewar production after the war ended, probably using the same machinery and even the same molds for items such as the vase, which to me looks 1920s-30s in its design. Another possibility is that the molds were borrowed from a Western (that is, American) partner company that imported Y's products.
It might be worth looking into a few books devoted to Occupied Japan collectibles, although I think their primary focus is on porcelain.
As Y company made export products, they may have advertised in English-language Japan travel guides and other Japanese publications aimed at tourists. Trev has been mining late 19th century and early 20th century sources for many years and providing invaluable information in the Contributors' Notes.
I don't know where you are located, but if you are close to a major university library, especially U Hawai'i, I would expect them to have many such Japanese primary sources from the decades of Y's production, say roughly the 1920s-1960s. I'm afraid it might be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but if you enjoy research, the time goes quickly and there is much to glean from these old sources.
Hi, I see that this is an old thread but I joined in the hopes of more info. I have a smokers companion tray (ashtray, match holder, cigarette box and tray) that I just acquired with the same mark with the y in the sailboat. Mine says made in Japan. No mention of occupied. It does not attract a magnet.
Yes we would love to see the object your discussing.
I'm not sure what a magnet actually tells us. Have recently purchased a fairly powerful one, tested it on several pieces some marked sterling, some plate, brass, and copper. It did not stick to any of them. The vase you see in my post is heavy for its small size and is most mostly silver-plate in some areas but the overall form is some sort of composite metal. It's not here with me, did not test it previously.
One of these days we might actually identify the manufacturer.
Hi,
I'm also wondering about this. I've tried googling this and have only found this bulletin board! My grandfather brought home a cream and sugar set from WWII. He was on Iwo Jima, but I have no idea where the set came from. It also bears this mark. So it's definitely not with the Y on the left side. Any further thoughts? I'd be interested in hearing them.
Hi all, I have been searching the Internet for the same kind of hallmark, a sailboat with the letter Y in the right sail and this thread is the closest I have come. I have six cups with plates that I am really curious to know more about. X X
There are no other marks or inscriptions on the cup or the plate, however the sail boat with the letter Y is on both the plate and the glass holder.
Please if anyone could shed some light on this.
I'm new to the forum but have been using this wonderful website for many years. I have come across an original makers label for "Y in yacht" which is what the company calls itself. I would upload a photo of the label but it is part of an eBay listing and according to the rules I just read, that is not allowed.
So the label reads:
Y. in yacht. ANTIMONY WARE
traditional silver plate yamatogumi since 1899.
TARNISH PROTECTED. Do not use polish
Cleaning with a damp soft cloth retains lustre
Further searches have on yamatogumi have also found it spelled Yamato-Gumi.
