Asian Arts | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries | Message Board

Any help with this Mark would be appreciated. Thank you

While awaiting arrival of the Japanese experts, I checked the characters and came up with a place in Japan called Kurumayama (車山), literally 'Car Mountain' or 'Cart Mountain', a ways west of Tokyo near Nagano according to Google maps. It's billed as a winter sports and hiking area. Not a lot of hits came up on ceramics, but you may have better luck if you search the name and characters at a more leisurely pace. It's always possible there are more pronunciations for the characters than my internet sources divulged. Meanwhile I'll hazard a guess that your dish might be a souvenir of the place from a tourist shop.

Good luck,

Bill H.

Thanks Bill, however it is a very high end piece. Not a tourist piece at all. Assuming the second character means “zan” as in Kozan, Seizan, Shozan, Fuzan etc... what is your best guess on the name of the artist? Thanks

Well, Jonathan, at least I sorta helped keep you afloat until the rescue boat arrived. :)

Bill H.

What you see is what I got. Only the place name. No personal or unclassified names turned up in any of my usual resources for the two characters '車山', both of which are routine kanji forms easily identifiable from their seal script versions on your item.

Just because it's sold in a popular spot for visitors doesn't spell 'cheap' or 'shoddy' in Japan. Try the Ginza district in Tokyo sometime.

Good luck,

Bill H.

The mark is Korean and the Hanja characters read,
東山　-　Dongsan

With regards,
I.Nagy

Asian Arts | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries | Message Board