On October 1st 1890 the Congress of the United States passed the so-called 'McKinley Tariff Act', a law that was introduced by the 25th President, William McKinley. This law not only imposed the highest tariffs that the United States had ever placed on imports, it also demanded that all items imported to the US, regardless of country of origin, had to be marked as 'FOREIGN'.
Japan wanted to comply to the McKinley Tariff Act but somehow had to translate their country name into a form that could be used by Westerners. The original name for what we know as 'Japan' is a combination of the two characters 日 (ni) which resembles 'day/sun' and 本 (hon) which resembles 'origin/beginning' (hence 'Land of the Rising Sun'). Japanese is a complex language largely built on minimal body language, context and pronunciation, thus different meanings for one and the same term/context exist; 日本 therefore can actually be understood as 'Nihon' as well as 'Nippon'.
The problem here was that the representation form 'nihon' is not really phonetically correct - a drawback of translating Japanese characters into the Roman alphabet - and would result in many mispronunciations, whereas the term 'Nippon' nearly fits the original pronunciation and was therefore preferred.
In 1921 the US mandated under the The McKinley Tariff Act that 'Nippon' had to be changed into the by then usual Western term 'Japan'.
For the period from the end of World War II in 1945 through April 28, 1952, the United States and its Allies occupied Japan. The Occupation involved approximately 130,000 Americans (both military and civilian) and about 35,000 British Troops based in Japan. SCAP (Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers), led by General MacArthur, wrote a new constitution for Japan.
As Japan needed to rebuild their economy after the war, part of the agreement to allow them to export goods out of their country was that they had to mark 50% of all items with "Occupied Japan" or "Made in Occupied Japan." This could be done with a paper label, cloth label (as on scarves, doilies, clothing), engraved, handwritten or stamped. Thus, you may come across things, such as a salt and pepper set, where only one of the pair is marked OJ and the other will just have "Japan" on it. The tags, labels, marks were placed on the items in Japan, before they were exported to other countries.
During the last 2 years, 90% of the items were kitchenware, which is why we have a proliferation of china, dishes, vases, etc. with this mark, compared to other types of objects. Many of the figurines were cheaply made, and looked it. But the Japanese had a wonderful talent for mimicry - you will find pieces that you would swear are Dresden and when you turn them upside down, you will find "Made in Occupied Japan!"
Additionally some companies used a letter T in a circle symbol or built the Occupied Japan into their logos to meet the above requirements. After occupation ended in 1952 they returned to using "Made in Japan" or "Japan"
Source: https://gotheborg.com/
Founded by Pat Fitzpatrick and Bob Floyd in Dallas in 1960, the ceramics company that bears their names started out as an import company. It soon expanded into creating and designing ceramic giftware, and Fitz and Floyd moved into tabletop products and accessories like candlesticks, plates, and teapots, later in the 1960s.
The company's hand-painted ceramic gift lines were developed in the 1970s, and the reputation of Fitz and Floyd grew due to the quality of its work and the creative pieces for which the company became known. The company’s in-house design staff developed themes around which entire collections were built. Among their most popular creations were their animal-themed teapots and their pots de creme cups and tea sets.
According to its website, Fitz and Floyd dinnerware has been selected by presidents and governments around the world. The city of Dallas commissioned the company to create a one-of-a-kind tea service as the official gift to Queen Elizabeth for her visit to the city in 1991.
In addition to holiday dinnerware and specialty serving pieces, the company also makes casual dinnerware and crystal as well.
Although Fitz and Floyd products were collected long before they officially entered the collectibles arena, the company finally did so in 1990, with teapots and ornaments. The company continues to offer its popular lines of figurines, ornaments, snow globes, houses, mugs, and cookie jars. Fitz and Floyd sellers do brisk business with these collectibles on eBay and other online sites, such as Replacements.com, which also buys from the public to resell (though the seller has to pay shipping, which can be considerable, depending on the weight of the pieces).
Among the company's most popular ceramic creations are Fitz and Floyd's lines of Christmas items, which include ornaments and figurines for Nativity displays, as well as bells, special serving dishes, and teapots.
Although best known for its Christmas products, Fitz and Floyd also has an extensive collection of popular Easter items and Halloween-themed lines as well.
When it comes to ceramic giftware and products, Fitz and Floyd set the standard a long time ago with quality and detailed design. There is no mistaking a Fitz and Floyd ceramic piece, be it a cookie jar, teapot, or another tabletop item, as the its pieces have hand-engraved markings that spell out the company name. Smaller pieces have a label with a copyright symbol and capital FF in a rectangular box. Pieces also often note where they were made
George Zoltan Lefton, also referred to as Geo Z Lefton, Geo Zoltan Lefton, and G.Z. Lefton, arrived in the United States from Hungary in 1939. Although Lefton made his living in Hungary in sportswear, his passion for fine porcelain turned from a hobby into a business when he founded the Lefton Company in 1941 in Chicago.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, many Japanese-owned businesses in Chicago were looted. Lefton helped board up a business owned by Nunome, a Japanese-American friend. After the war, Nunome assisted Lefton in developing essential relationships with china producers in Occupied Japan.
Japan was occupied by the Allied forces with its unconditional surrender in August of 1945. The Allies' plan was to help Japan rebuild and grow, but not to allow Japan to have the manufacturing capabilities to rearm itself. Pottery and porcelain manufacturing fit into the areas of acceptability as set by General Douglas McArthur and the Allies.
Lefton was one of the first American businessmen to deal with the Japanese after World War II. The first pieces of Lefton China with the "Made in Occupied Japan" mark reached the United States in 1946.
Lefton China produced in Occupied Japan included a wide range of pieces, dating from 1946 to 1952. Designs ranged from delicate, formal pieces with gold edging and soft floral patterns to the whimsical and playful designs of the 1950s. Many of the pieces of Lefton China from Occupied Japan were produced by the Miyawo Company during this period. The quality and price were both good on Lefton China pieces from this period.
Over the years the Lefton Company has produced numerous products that are highly sought after by collectors including, but not limited to, cookie jars, holiday items, figurines, teapots, jam jars, planters, pitchers, shakers, Red Hat pieces, wall pockets and head vases.
At one time Lefton products were sold in over 10,000 shops in the United States, and given their popularity it seems unlikely that one could go very far in any antique mall in the country without finding a piece of Lefton china or a Lefton figurine.
Lefton China can be identified by the marks on the base of each piece. Identifying marks vary, but they may include "Lefton's," "Lefton China," "Geo. Z. Lefton," "G.Z.L.," or just a letter "L." Many pieces were marked by both a maker's mark and a paper label. Those made from 1946 to 1952 will also include "Made in Occupied Japan" as a part of the identifying markings.
Lefton China continued to be produced in Japan until the 1970s. Production in the 1980s and beyond moved to Taiwan and Malaysia. Most importantly, the quality remained high. Unfortunately, George Z. Lefton died in 1996 and the Lefton Company was sold in 2001 after 60 years of producing some of America's most popular collectibles and kitchenware. Production under the Lefton China label continues today.
Marks and Rosenfeld were a major US giftware importer and distributor who also commissioned their own range of china and glass ornaments and gift ware using various versions of the M R pottery mark. So despite the German sounding name, nothing directly to do with German manufacturing at all. It is very likely the goods where made in Japan (or other countries) at that time and then distributed to the US department stores and specialty retailers.
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originally Yamashiro Ryuhei before name changed to Maruyama. Maruyama Toki Yamashiro Ryuhei was a Japanese ceramicist well known for his made for export works of people, animals and characters.
Otagiri stoneware was produced and painted by hand by a group of artists hired to design and create pieces. Although Otagiri started manufacturing pieces in the 1950s, it did not officially register its name as a trademark until 1980. Although the company manufactured and stamped its pieces as made in Japan, the Otagiri trademark was registered in the United States.
Authentic Otagiri can be identified by a gold and yellow sticker and the stamp "Otagiri Japan." In 1994, the company was sold to Enesco, another company known for manufacturing collectibles, for $3.5 million. Afterward, the brand was discontinued. Though true Otagiri pieces are no longer manufactured, items that resemble Otagiri pieces are still referred to as such. During its operation, Otagiri also acted as a third-party manufacturer, creating products for greeting card companies as well as the San Francisco Music Box Company, a once-popular mall store chain
From: www.Collectorsweekly.com
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