Pottery & Porcelain maker
Noritake marks
The Morimura brothers began a trading business in 1876 and opened a New York shop selling Japanese goods, including pottery.
- Active
- 1904–present (Morimura trading house from 1876)
- Based in
- Noritake village, near Nagoya, Japan
- Marks listed
- 7
- Typical pieces
- dinnerware, hand-painted vases, utilitarian wares, blanks for china painters
The marks, by date
Each mark’s wording is written out as a transcription: the words and line breaks, not a picture of the mark. Where a source describes a mark instead of quoting it, the description is shown in italics.
Where: underside
'Maple Leaf Nippon', found in green, blue and magenta and used by importer Morimura Brothers. One version has 'OCCO' under 'Hand Painted', thought to be for the Ohio China Company. This mark has been reproduced.
Where: underside
M-in-wreath, where M stands for importer Morimura Brothers. Found in green, blue, magenta and gold. This mark has been reproduced.
Where: underside
RC stands for Royal China or Royal Crockery. It was used mostly on utilitarian wares. The red-and-green version has been reproduced.
Where: underside
After a 1921 change in US rules required the country of origin in English, 'Nippon' gave way to 'Japan' or 'Made in Japan'. The M-in-wreath was used until WWII. Exact wording varies.
Where: underside
Postwar quality was below prewar standard, so the company held back the Noritake name and used 'Rose China' with a rose, plus 'Made in Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan'.
Where: underside
Noritake marks of these years may read 'Occupied Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan'.
Where: underside
An N for Noritake in the center, with 'Noritake' above and 'Japan' below. Some guides describe it as the old wreath with N in place of M.
History
In 1904 the family set up Nippon Toki Kaisha, Ltd. in a new factory at Noritake village near Nagoya. It made its first Western-style dinner set, 'Sedan', in 1914. Buyers called the ware 'Noritake' from the late 1920s, but the company only took the name Noritake Co., Limited in 1981.
Dating clues
- 'Nippon' in Western letters points to 1891–1921. 'Japan' or 'Made in Japan' points to 1921 or later (International Nippon Collectors Club; Invaluable).
- 'Occupied Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan' dates Noritake to about 1948–1952.
- A 'Rose China' mark with a rose means early postwar production, sold without the Noritake name.
Look-alikes and reproductions
- Several Nippon-era Noritake backstamps (Maple Leaf, M-in-Wreath, RC, Rising Sun, Spoke/Spider) have been used on reproductions. The International Nippon Collectors Club warns that you can't spot a fake from the backstamp alone.
- Antique-marks.com warns of fake Nippon marks on later pieces, especially from the 1960s.
- Other Japanese firms of the Nippon era used their own Nippon backstamps, such as Royal Kinran, Royal Hinode and Meito. These are not Noritake.
- The Cherry/Plum Blossom Nippon mark should not be confused with Morimura's Maple Leaf mark.
Other names on the marks
Nippon Toki Kaisha, Ltd.; Morimura Brothers (importer); Noritake Co., Limited; Rose China
Where sources disagree: Rose China dates differ: one source says 1945–1948, while Invaluable and antique-marks.com place it with the 1948–1952 Occupied Japan marks. The N mark is dated 'after 1953' by some guides and 'c. 1963+' by Invaluable. The 'Hand Painted Nippon' wording under the M-in-wreath comes from a Gotheborg search excerpt; that page couldn't be opened (certificate error). The exact wording of 1921–WWII marks varies and is only partly quoted. The Noritake Collectors' Guild site couldn't be opened (certificate error).
Sources
Marks help identify a maker and a date range, but they can’t prove a piece is genuine. Reproductions and later reissues can carry old marks. This entry isn’t an appraisal.