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Hello again to all of the wonderful scholars here on the forum.
I recently bought this satsuma vase, nice but not a "stunner", I was wondering if someone might be so kind as to have a go at translating the mark on the base for me please?
For future searchers, I am including pictures of both the base & the whole item.
Many thanks in anticipation.
Regards
Aaron at APEX

Dear Aaron,

This is indeed a recent Satsuma-style saucer with a mark that initially puzzled me. At first, I considered reading it as 手二 (Te-ni or Shu-ni), interpreting it literally as "second hand" (possibly indicating a second-generation workshop). However, this seemed unlikely, as pottery marks rarely use such literal phrases.

Next, I wondered if it might be 牛二 (Ushi-ni), suggesting a name like "Ushi II" for a second-generation artisan. While plausible, I remained uncertain. Then it occurred to me that the mark could actually be 二丸 (Nimaru)—a known mark of the Maruni & Co. pottery studio in Kobe (active 1920–1940)—viewed upside down (a common occurrence with pottery marks).

The saucer’s Satsuma-style decoration aligns with Maruni’s production period, and the 丸二 (Maruni) mark would make perfect sense in this context. Could this be the correct interpretation?

Thank you for post!
Best regards,
Renato Araújo

Outstanding piece of linguistic detective work there, you have my eternal thanks.
(Apologies for posting a second time, I was unsure if it had posted correctly as it had been a few days without appearing)

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