Jug O' Mystery

[talesofthesevenseas]

I picked up this pottery jug (or bottle) in a second hand store. It's large, about the size of a 2 liter cola bottle or a little smaller. It looks old to me. The glaze and signs of age are very much like several old brown pottery beer bottles I have. When I got it home I noticed what appears to be writing on it. Thinking it was simplified Chinese, I showed it to Jenny, the wonderful lady at our local Chinese restaurant. She showed to several people back in the kitchen and after much discussion, they determined that it is neither Chinese nor Japanese. So just what have I got here?

[KC]

My Brain is seeing +3 -3

Nice bottle. 

[Mat]

It is a Japanese sake bottle, likely from the first half of the 20th c. These were given by shops to their customers and were refilled when empty. I cannot read the inscription, usually it is a shop name and/or a phone number...

[cogar]

I was thinking it looked older than that, …… with all the imperfections in the clay that apparently surfaced during the “firing”, ……… possibly mid to late 19th c.

Like so …………..


Stoneware Jug, Impressed Heart, Stamped Charlestown, (Massachusetts)
 Attributed to Frederick Carpenter, Early 19th Century

See more pics here: http://www.aaawt.com/html/antique_jugs_and_crocks.html

[Mat]

Yes, they look older, but they show these imperfections because they were made cheaply for daily use. I will post one I have later. It looks very old, but it has the phone number of the shop written on it!

[Mat]

Here it is, the writing is the phone numer!

[mart]

https://www.google.com/search?q=Crock+ginger+beer+bottle&rlz=1C1SKPC_enUS366US455&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=709&tbm=isch&imgil=lMF4naCjYogvdM%253A%253BZxCQHF3T9FFfjM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.varagesale.com%25252Fgermantown-tn-resale%25252Fi%25252Fxeggfjaentzsjaevehmmkacc-vintage-crock-ginger-beer-bottle-reduced-to-15&source=iu&pf=m&fir=lMF4naCjYogvdM%253A%252CZxCQHF3T9FFfjM%252C_&usg=__Kh-k5iO4HkkCNVglqTBrKcs7gzI%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjI4Z2ejd3PAhXGeSYKHeYYCYAQyjcINQ&ei=TUgCWIiHOsbzmQHmsaSACA#imgrc=lMF4naCjYogvdM%3A

Or possibly this one,, ginger beer !!  Quite popular in California at turn of the century !!

[debc]

There is a 4 too. Lots of help aren't I 

[talesofthesevenseas]

Wow interesting info! So I guess it is Japanese after all. Thanks for the help, my friend's wife is from Japan I will see what she says.

[jacon4]

I am goin with Mat on this one, sake jug