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Noritake China Dinnerware

Noritake Goldena

Noritake china, though only officially registered under that trademark in 1981, has a history that goes as deeply as the inception of trade relations between the United States and Japan. Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry first sailed to Edo (Tokyo) to negotiate trade relations in 1853.  At this time, Japan was a highly insular, protectionist state that did not consider itself in need of Western products.  There were many products in Japan, however, that were highly desired by American consumers, including porcelain and china dinnerware.  For this reason, under orders from U.S. President Fillmore, Perry's "diplomatic" expedition was accompanied by four warships.  Unable to intimidate the Japanese delegates after eight days of negotiation, Perry left in failure only to return the following spring with seven ships.  That year an agreement was reached. When Japan sent its own delegation to the United States, an opportunistic young man named Baron Ichizaemon Morimura was among the representatives.  He quickly discovered the popularity of Japanese china among American consumers. In 1876 he established his own porcelain trading company, with offices in both New York and Tokyo. While the new company, Morimura Brothers, initially focused solely on exporting china already being manufactured in Japan, eventually Morimura became interested in producing his own china.  In 1904, he built this factory in a little village named Noritake.  The first products from the factory, under the name Nippon Toki Kaisha, were exported to the United States in 1910.  "Noritake china" remained the unofficial name of the wares for a number of years, but the company was unable to obtain the trademark name until 1981.  All this time, the United States has been the principal market for Noritake china. To view Noritake porcelain marks, click here. One of the most important contributions of Noritake china to the world of porcelain dinnerware was the development of lusterware.  This particular glazing technique involved the use of a bright, single-color glaze (often brown, blue or green) covered by a thin metallic film.  The result was a polychromatic, iridescence that gave these pieces of Noritake china a rainbow-like sheen.  The technique became immensely popular among Japanese dinnerware, and was employed by many different china manufacturers during the 20th century, such as Takito. The earliest pieces of Noritake china bear the back stamp of the letter "M" encircled by a wreath, with the words "Hand painted."  Pieces made prior to 1921 also bear the word "Nippon" (which simply means "Japan").  After 1921, adhering to changes in U.S. laws regarding imports, "Japan" or "Made in Japan" can be found beneath the back stamp of these later pieces of Noritake china.  Immediately following world war II, from about 1948 to 1953, Japan was occupied by allied forces who directly reaped profits from its porcelain and other factories.  Pieces of Noritake china from this period often bear the words "Occupied Japan" or "Made in Occupied Japan" beneath the backstamp.  After 1953, the traditional mark was revived, but with one difference: inside the wreath, where the "M" had been, the letter "N" appeared, beginning a period of increased pride in the unique characteristics of Noritake china. Noritake china is now one of the most prolific lines of porcelain dinnerware in the world, producing over five million pieces of china each month in factories in many different countries. For new fine dinnerware, see: Fine Contemporary Dinnerware