Hello everyone, it's been quite a long time since I posted on here (a couple years at least), got busy with life as most of us do.
A refresher as to who I am and what I'm interested in --- I'm not a collector, though my wife and I do have a large antique collection, but everything we own is part of our family history (I'm a genealogist). Each piece was owned by an ancestor and has been passed down to us. We have been actively trying to learn about all our antiques just to get a little more insight into where/why/and how our family members acquired it.
So here is the next piece I'm hoping someone can identify and tell me a little about. ------------
Attached are pictures of a tea set or perhaps a sake set. We received this set from my wife's grandmother when she downsized before moving into an assisted living community. The story she told is that her husband (my wife's grandfather) brought it home from Japan after being stationed there following World War II.
At first I was doubtful of this story because none of the writing on the set looked Japanese to me. After doing a little research I learned that kanji (the Japanese writing system) was standardized after World War II and the writing today does not look like pre-World War II writing, which could explain why the writing on the set looks so different (i.e., it was manufactured prior to the standardization of kanji). Also, no one in the family has been to Japan (with the exception of my wife's grandfather during his military service) and as you can see from one of the pictures there is a price tag with a yen symbol on it still attached to one of the cups. Third, I have military service records (from my genealogy research) that proves my grandfather-in-law was stationed in occupied Japan immediately following the conclusion of World War II.
All of this leads me to believe that the story of how it was acquired is true, but other than that, I know nothing about this piece. If there is anyone familiar with Japanese antiques I would appreciate some insight. Specifically, where in Japan was this piece made, what was it's purpose (tea? sake?), was this an everyday object that a family would use or simply a souvenir?
Any information about it would be greatly appreciated. I've attached 3 pictures, the first shows the sides of the set, the second shows the red writing/symbols on the underside of the pieces, and finally the last shows the original 100 yen price tag on one of the cups.
Thanks!
Joe
