Japanese Pottery Marks/Colors

Q: I heard there are different colors for the marks of Japan and that some are rare and some are not. I have several pieces of china made in Japan. Some are marked “Occupied Japan” and some just “Japan.” Some have black marks, some red, and some green. Which colors are rare?

A: Marks on Japanese pottery can be found in several colors, including red, green, blue, yellow, brown and black. Some claim certain colors mean the item is worth more. One source says Noritake used a green mark on its “first grade” china and a blue mark on its “second grade” in the early 1900s. Some think the color indicates when the mark was used. However, this doesn’t seem to be true because the same mark may appear in different colors on similar pieces made the same year. A better indication of age is the wording accompanying the mark. All items imported into the U.S. after 1891 had to be marked with the country of origin. They could be marked “Japan” or “Nippon,” the Japanese word for Japan. Items marked “Made in Occupied Japan” were made between September 9, 1945, and April 28, 1952, during the Allied occupation of Japan.