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Hello, I have a vase & bowl that are almost identical in style & motif. Both are marked hand painted in Japan on the bottom (but there is no artist signature or date to be found). I purchased each piece separately the vase from a seller in Florida & the bowl from a seller in Indiana. Neither of the people I purchased the pieces from could tell me anything about them. And I cannot find any information anywhere online. I'm not sure if the pieces are vintage or if someone just painted over some old Japanese pieces? Any help would be appreciated!

If it says 'Handpainted in Japan', it probably postdates the Nippon era, which ended around 1920. If they weren't already there, I tend to believe that a lot of the producers of this kind of export ware wound up under the Noritake umbrella in Nagoya after World War II. These pieces would be pre-war, and the swastika motif inside the rim looks to be the Buddhist type and not Nazi, though Japan became an Axis ally with Germany during the war years.

Best regards,

Bill H.

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