Following the end of World War II in 1945 and until 1952, items imported from Japan to the United States had to be marked in a fashion indicating they came from Occupied Japan. Although four different marks were used on cups and saucers during this time ("Japan," "Made in Japan," "Occupied Japan," and "Made in Occupied Japan"), only the last two marks guarantee the pieces were made in the Occupied Japan timeframe. For serious Occupied Japan collectors, it is items with these two marks for which they search.
Although several excellent books are available on Occupied Japan collectibles, all contain limited photos of cups and saucers, which is what I collect. And only a few of these pictures show multiple angles of the cups and saucers, or list the name or the identifying marks of the company making the pieces.
Because I am not an expert in Occupied Japan collectibles (just an avid collector), I really don't know what the value is for different pieces. What I do is check in the resource books to get a price range, and then I use eBay Occupied Japan section to see what people are willing to pay.
As my own collection has grown over the last few years, I found myself unable to remember which patterns I already had. To refresh my memory (and keep me from unintentionally purchasing duplicates), I started taking pictures of my cups and saucers. I've tried to show the cups and saucers in various angles to better identify the patterns on each. I've also photographed the manufacturer's marks for these pieces. Using the links in the lists below, you can view the pictures I've taken.
By manufacturer's mark:
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By pattern and design: |