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This item, which I assume is a vessel of some sort, has both painted and incised marks on the bottom, and I'd appreciate a bit of help. The item is about 6 1/2 inches tall, has a stopper which fits loosely in the top, and while it feels modern, has some nicely done art on the front. A couple of questions besides help with the marks -- 1.. Is it a vessel/decanter of some sort, or is it merely a decorative object? 2... If it's a vessel meant to hold a liquid, it seems odd that the bottom of the stopper would not be glazed. Wouldn't that allow whatever liquid was stored to make its way into the porcelain?

Anyway, on the bottom, it looks like the bottom was incompletely glazed, and there are incised marks as well. One appears to be the same as the symbol which resembles a cross in a square, while I can't quite make out the others. Would these be to identify the artist, or something different? As you might guess from the basic nature of my questions, I've only begun to wade into this very deep ocean, and I am most grateful for the patience and assistance of the learned membership.

Your Japanese tokkuri (sake pourer) has a mark in two stacks of characters, reading down and across from the right side as "Satsuma", and possibly "Nagata" on the left. The impressed mark seems to be the same on the left, but I'm unsure about the right stack. The "Nagata" name can apply to place as well as surnames and may have variant transliterations. Pending comments of Japanese experts in the forum, the version I've found in use for these characters should be taken as tentative.

Best regards,

Bill H.

The first link below is a blog devoted to modern Japanese pottery and porcelain marks. Use your PC "Find" function or scroll down about five items, and you'll find a Nagata red mark like yours (but no incised one). The second link is to a Japanese eBay auction with price and date information on a Nagata cup with variant mark.

http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.com/2012/05/satsuma-tanoura-mark-vase-box-from.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GU137-Vintage-Japanese-Sake-Cup-Sakazuki-Guinomi-Satsuma-yaki-ware-Bamboo-Gold-/351757892252?hash=item51e6677a9c:g:Lj4AAOSwkx5XEIZU

Best regards,

Bill H.

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