Ceramic rice bowl set with large bowl and 6 small rice bowls with Japan written in red on the bottom. Was bought in Japan during WWII between 1939 and 1945. Looks to be hand painted. No chips or scratches. In great condition
My great uncle bought this set in Japan when he was in the army in WWII.
It would be highly unlikely for this set to have been purchased by an American in Japan between 1939 - 1945 which was during World War II when America and the Allied Forces were at war with the enemies, Germany and Japan at that time. Wares from Japan were marked 'Japan' from about 1921 - 1930 and then again some were marked only 'Japan' after the Occupation from 1946 - 1953. These more likely date to the 1920s. The decoration is a mixture of hand painting, transferprinting and hand embellishment. The style of decoration is Imari. The theme is the opposing pheasants has many layers of symbolism in Japanese culture as well as being a national symbol. generally, rice bowls come with covers to keep the rice warm. This is possibly for serving soup. The estimate is for the set and is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparables. Retail 'asking prices' can be higher and vary.