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The word used in the back
stamp of famous Asian china, "Nippon," simply means "Japan." Nippon
china was produced for export to the United States beginning in 1865,
when the country ended its long period of commercial isolation, and
ending in 1921, when the United States enforced the McKinley Tariff act
which prohibited the import of items which were not "plainly marked,
stamped, branded or labeled in legible English words.
As Nippon was
considered the Japanese word for the country of origin, "Japan" being
the English equivalent, the period of the Nippon china mark came to an
end. (More.)
To view Nippon porcelain marks, click here.
While
Japan had a long period of porcelain manufacturing (such as Japanese tea sets), dating back
centuries with its close ties to China, Nippon porcelain was produced 
strictly for Western consumers. Early in its porcelain trade, the
Japanese government commissioned a number of foreign experts to come to
Japan to train people in the production of European styles. They were
highly successful in these attempts at imitation, and much Nippon China
that was produced bears a strong resemblance to such European porcelain
products as Limoges, Belleek,
R.S. Prussia and many others.
 Much of the
antique Nippon china available has been hand-painted with ornate
decorations that, ironically, the Japanese of the era considered
excessive and distasteful. During the Meiji period (1868-1912) much of
the Nippon porcelain pieces were decorated with gold. Much of this
decoration was not very durable and wore away over the years, so it is
common today to find Nippon china pieces with the gold rubbed off.
Dozens
of Nippon china marks were used during this period, representing the
work of many different porcelain manufacturers working in Japan at the
time. Some of these marks, particularly the "M-wreath" backstamp,
represent the predecessor of
Noritake, another famous Japanese porcelain producer. Such pieces
can be found among our collection.
Today, Nippon porcelain is among the most highly-collected and sought
after of all antique china.
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Nippon China Dinnerware