Reference · 落款
There are characters on your pot — on the base, on the painted face, or cut into the body — and no obvious way to find out whose they are. This index covers thirty makers and kilns, with documented mark forms and series listed below. Every maker here also has a page of their own, which is the test for going in.
First · この索引の使い方
Start with what you can see without reading anything. Count the characters — the index is grouped by that — and then look at how the mark was put on. A mark pressed into the clay, a mark cut into it with a point, and a mark painted on are three different things, and telling them apart removes most of the list at once.
If you can already type the characters, or you know the name and want the mark, use the search box. It matches the characters, the romanised name and the region together.
This index identifies marks. It does not authenticate pots. A seal can be copied, inherited, or used by a workshop rather than a person, and several of the entries below say so. Where a mark cannot settle a question, we have said which question it cannot settle.
The characters on your pot may not look like the characters below. Many stamped seals use 篆書体, an archaic script commonly used for seals: a mark reading 美芸 is carved in shapes an ordinary reader of Japanese would struggle with. Brushed and scratched signatures may use other scripts. What is given here is the reading — the characters in modern type. Use it to confirm a transcription, to narrow by length and manner, and for the cautions.
Photographs are scarce here on purpose. The only marks shown are ones documented on individual pots, so this part of the index grows one pot at a time.
The left-hand column is the reading of the mark, displayed vertically here as a reading aid; this is not a reconstruction of the mark’s layout, and it is not a picture of the seal. Where the arrangement is recorded it is given underneath. A name in gold has a page of its own.
The hardest to attribute and the easiest to misread, because a single character carries no context. Several makers here share one.
樋口武
Several incised marks are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 樋口武, 武 and 火 are documented on bonsai pots; 梅香 is documented for ceramics other than bonsai pots. On bonsai pots, the incised inscription could also include the date of making.
是好
Two systems, both genuine, in two places. 是好 is a brushed signature in enamel on the painted side, the two characters run together. 矩 is the other mark, carved or stamped at the foot. 是好 appears on the painted face; 矩 has been confirmed on the base of an observed pot. Both are genuine.
The largest group in this index; many art names here are two characters.
三琇一陽
Four mark forms are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. The square 一陽 is the earliest of the documented forms, pre-war. The oval 一陽 was used from 1933, based on a seal he was given. The round 一陽 was cut on the same original seal as the oval stamp, one at each end. The square 三琇園一陽 was also used after the war. These dates describe when a mark form was in use, not when a particular pot was made.
仙舟
Two characters in a loosened seal-script style, joined into an irregular outline without a square frame. This mark matters more than most: Senshū inherited Shūzan's clay recipe, forming and firing, so body and form alone may not reliably distinguish the two.
光峰窯
The mould-made line from about 1970, made at the workshop — not Ichinokura Sekishū's own hand-built pots. A boxed set can carry both 光峰 and 石州.
市之倉石州
光峰 is the mould-made line, from about 1970; 市之倉石州 is the hand-made work, from about 1972. Two names, one potter, two lines.
是好
Two systems, both genuine, in two places. 是好 is a brushed signature in enamel on the painted side, the two characters run together. 矩 is the other mark, carved or stamped at the foot. 是好 appears on the painted face; 矩 has been confirmed on the base of an observed pot. Both are genuine.
服部
Two impressions are documented, differing in script. Both are his.
柴勝
Two documented stamped forms both read 柴勝. Other forms may exist. One is documented in connection with the handmade work of his newer direction; the other with the earlier press-moulded production ware. Telling them apart requires a direct view of the mark; a listing photograph may not be enough.
桂雲
Cut into the foot freehand with a point, in a running hand, with no frame — not a stamp. This is the only mark form currently documented for him, and it rests on a single observed example.
樋口武
Several incised marks are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 樋口武, 武 and 火 are documented on bonsai pots; 梅香 is documented for ceramics other than bonsai pots. On bonsai pots, the incised inscription could also include the date of making.
樹晃
樹晃 is confirmed. 晃 and 樹晃造 appeared in earlier unsourced text and remain unverified.
古本正志
Two forms are currently known for him, and both read 正志: a square seal, and a gourd-shaped impression on the pot shown here. How the two relate is not settled.
石田祥石
Shōseki is more than one maker. 石田祥石 of Ibaraki is documented, and separately Matsumoto Shōseki, written 松石. The ゆうき祥石 kiln is neither of them. No relationship between the three is established.
美芸
A single stamp of the art name, pressed into the foot before firing.
平田涼美, born 1939. He entered the trade in 1958, began making pot bodies in 1969, and opened his own kiln in 1975.
耀山
The character is 耀, with the light radical — not 燿.
舟山
Five forms are recorded. The tiny maple-shaped one — about 1cm tall, on small pots — resembles Heian Tofukuji's maple mark and is easy to miss altogether in a listing photograph. The bronze-vessel shape is the one that stands for Shūzan's work, on medium and large pots.
英明
中野行山
The mark tells you how the pot was made. Stamped 行山造印 goes on pots made from a mould in some quantity; scratched 中野行山造 on slab- and coil-built pots made singly or in small numbers; 行山 on small pots. Commemorative pots carry a scratched inscription naming the exhibition. 翁山 is different again: he used it on nothing but the five copies of the Ōkuma Shigenobu pot, made in 1984. One caution goes with all of this — in Tokoname, press-moulding is usually counted as handwork. Gyōzan does not count it that way, so this reading of his marks does not transfer to other makers.
藤掛雄山
Several mark forms and dated series are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 雄子 is from his amateur years; a long, horizontal 雄山 is early; 藤掛雄山 in four characters was used for special orders. A single-frame series was used from 1973 to 1977 and a double-frame series from 1978. 雄山造 and later framed and unframed forms of 雄山 were used from 1993. These periods describe when a form or series was in use, not when a particular pot was made.
鴻陽
A fan-shaped 鴻陽 seal is documented in connection with small pots. The mountain-shaped mark is not a maker's mark; it means 芙蓉園撰, selected by 芙蓉園.
Usually a two-character name with 造 or 作 after it: made by.
山房
The mark tells you the line and roughly the date. 山房造 is the volume ware; 山房鳳舟 and 山房造風亭 are the better work. By 2006, 山房造印 had come to cover all grades.
山秋製陶所
A datable set. 小松泉作 and 小松泉造 are hand-made pots from before 1995; 松泉焼 and 松泉焼山秋造 are hand-made after the succession. A stamped 山秋造 means a pot made in some quantity, and 金華造印 is the previous generation, pre-war.
初代平安東福寺
Seven forms are recorded, and he used more than one on a single pot often enough that double marks are a recognised category of their own — the commonest pairing being the square seal-script 平安東福寺 with an oval running-script 東福寺.
樋口武
Several incised marks are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 樋口武, 武 and 火 are documented on bonsai pots; 梅香 is documented for ceramics other than bonsai pots. On bonsai pots, the incised inscription could also include the date of making.
市之倉石州
光峰 is the mould-made line, from about 1970; 市之倉石州 is the hand-made work, from about 1972. Two names, one potter, two lines.
藤掛雄山
Several mark forms and dated series are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 雄子 is from his amateur years; a long, horizontal 雄山 is early; 藤掛雄山 in four characters was used for special orders. A single-frame series was used from 1973 to 1977 and a double-frame series from 1978. 雄山造 and later framed and unframed forms of 雄山 were used from 1993. These periods describe when a form or series was in use, not when a particular pot was made.
鴻陽
A fan-shaped 鴻陽 seal is documented in connection with small pots. The mountain-shaped mark is not a maker's mark; it means 芙蓉園撰, selected by 芙蓉園.
黎鳳
黎鳳造 is cut in intaglio as a tall upright seal. A second mark, 黎鳳造印, is documented as having come into use by 2006. He worked in two lines — glazed pots after the old Chinese colours, and the unglazed nanban stoneware he began around 1996 — but no exclusive association between either mark and either line has been confirmed. Not to be confused with 礼峰 of the Matsushita pottery, also read Reihō.
Often a place or a kiln in front of the name.
Three marks are recorded, and the second and third read the same as the first — ikkō. 壱興 and 壹興 are the marks used on the small pots made in partnership with bonsai nurseries. One man, three spellings. A 一弘造 stamp and a scratched version are also documented.
山秋製陶所
A datable set. 小松泉作 and 小松泉造 are hand-made pots from before 1995; 松泉焼 and 松泉焼山秋造 are hand-made after the succession. A stamped 山秋造 means a pot made in some quantity, and 金華造印 is the previous generation, pre-war.
山房
The mark tells you the line and roughly the date. 山房造 is the volume ware; 山房鳳舟 and 山房造風亭 are the better work. By 2006, 山房造印 had come to cover all grades.
秀峰／義村陶園
Recorded examples include 秀峰造 written with a point above a square 義村陶園 stamp. Other recorded stamps include 義村造印, 義村陶園 and 義村秀峰之印. Other forms may exist. 秀峰 was taken as a name in 1974; that date describes the succession, not when the mark began to be used.
藤掛雄山
Several mark forms and dated series are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. 雄子 is from his amateur years; a long, horizontal 雄山 is early; 藤掛雄山 in four characters was used for special orders. A single-frame series was used from 1973 to 1977 and a double-frame series from 1978. 雄山造 and later framed and unframed forms of 雄山 were used from 1993. These periods describe when a form or series was in use, not when a particular pot was made.
中野行山
The mark tells you how the pot was made. Stamped 行山造印 goes on pots made from a mould in some quantity; scratched 中野行山造 on slab- and coil-built pots made singly or in small numbers; 行山 on small pots. Commemorative pots carry a scratched inscription naming the exhibition. 翁山 is different again: he used it on nothing but the five copies of the Ōkuma Shigenobu pot, made in 1984. One caution goes with all of this — in Tokoname, press-moulding is usually counted as handwork. Gyōzan does not count it that way, so this reading of his marks does not transfer to other makers.
越前文山
Two impressed forms are documented. A brushed 文山 in underglaze blue with a square kiln stamp has also been observed on an actual pot; that form is not among the documented ones.
十王堂松泉
No mark of the first generation's own is documented. The two given as representative are the present holder's, and the pre-war 金華造印 is named without an impression.
銭号
This mark is not evidence of a Chinese pot. It began as the mark of an imported Chinese pot and was copied along with everything else when Tokoname made Chinese-style pots before the war. The trade name Zengō comes from the seal-script 子 looking like 号.
鴻陽
A fan-shaped 鴻陽 seal is documented in connection with small pots. The mountain-shaped mark is not a maker's mark; it means 芙蓉園撰, selected by 芙蓉園.
黎鳳
黎鳳造 is cut in intaglio as a tall upright seal. A second mark, 黎鳳造印, is documented as having come into use by 2006. He worked in two lines — glazed pots after the old Chinese colours, and the unglazed nanban stoneware he began around 1996 — but no exclusive association between either mark and either line has been confirmed. Not to be confused with 礼峰 of the Matsushita pottery, also read Reihō.
舟山
Five forms are recorded. The tiny maple-shaped one — about 1cm tall, on small pots — resembles Heian Tofukuji's maple mark and is easy to miss altogether in a listing photograph. The bronze-vessel shape is the one that stands for Shūzan's work, on medium and large pots.
In this index, long marks usually name a kiln, a workshop or a commission rather than a person alone.
三琇一陽
Four mark forms are currently documented for him. Other forms may exist. The square 一陽 is the earliest of the documented forms, pre-war. The oval 一陽 was used from 1933, based on a seal he was given. The round 一陽 was cut on the same original seal as the oval stamp, one at each end. The square 三琇園一陽 was also used after the war. These dates describe when a mark form was in use, not when a particular pot was made.
中野行山
The mark tells you how the pot was made. Stamped 行山造印 goes on pots made from a mould in some quantity; scratched 中野行山造 on slab- and coil-built pots made singly or in small numbers; 行山 on small pots. Commemorative pots carry a scratched inscription naming the exhibition. 翁山 is different again: he used it on nothing but the five copies of the Ōkuma Shigenobu pot, made in 1984. One caution goes with all of this — in Tokoname, press-moulding is usually counted as handwork. Gyōzan does not count it that way, so this reading of his marks does not transfer to other makers.
山房
The mark tells you the line and roughly the date. 山房造 is the volume ware; 山房鳳舟 and 山房造風亭 are the better work. By 2006, 山房造印 had come to cover all grades.
市之倉石州
光峰 is the mould-made line, from about 1970; 市之倉石州 is the hand-made work, from about 1972. Two names, one potter, two lines.
初代平安東福寺
Seven forms are recorded, and he used more than one on a single pot often enough that double marks are a recognised category of their own — the commonest pairing being the square seal-script 平安東福寺 with an oval running-script 東福寺.
二代平安東福寺
He kept the first Tofukuji's marks and added 二代 — or 勇 — among other additions. An addition such as 二代 or 勇 can identify the second Tofukuji; its absence does not identify the generation because the earlier marks were inherited.
山秋製陶所
A datable set. 小松泉作 and 小松泉造 are hand-made pots from before 1995; 松泉焼 and 松泉焼山秋造 are hand-made after the succession. A stamped 山秋造 means a pot made in some quantity, and 金華造印 is the previous generation, pre-war.
真山
One documented form is a framed stamped mark reading 真山造・寺畑陶園. Other forms may exist.
秀峰／義村陶園
Recorded examples include 秀峰造 written with a point above a square 義村陶園 stamp. Other recorded stamps include 義村造印, 義村陶園 and 義村秀峰之印. Other forms may exist. 秀峰 was taken as a name in 1974; that date describes the succession, not when the mark began to be used.
舟山
Five forms are recorded. The tiny maple-shaped one — about 1cm tall, on small pots — resembles Heian Tofukuji's maple mark and is easy to miss altogether in a listing photograph. The bronze-vessel shape is the one that stands for Shūzan's work, on medium and large pots.
Nothing matches that. Try fewer characters, or clear the manner filter — a mark you read as one character may be recorded here as two.
Questions
Start with what you can see without reading anything. Count the characters, since the index is grouped by that, then look at how the mark was put on: pressed into the clay, cut with a point, or painted.
No. The index identifies marks; it does not authenticate pots. A seal can be copied, inherited, or used by a workshop rather than a person.
Many stamped seals use 篆書体, an archaic script commonly used for seals, so the shapes can be hard for an ordinary reader of Japanese to read. The index gives the reading in modern type.
Documented, not guessed
Every entry here states what is documented and nothing more. Where a question is unsettled we say so rather than pick a side; where a reading is not confirmed we say that, instead of printing a guess. Where an entry is based on a single observed example rather than a confirmed general pattern, we say so.
Found something here that does not match a pot in your hands? Tell us — corrections are how this gets better.