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Hello. I'd love some help on the strange looking marks on this Japanese silver bowl with lacquer. Thank you so much for looking.

Hello. Any ideas at all please?

Hi Irene,

A belated welcome to the Forum.

I promise we are not ignoring you, it's just you appear to have us stumped with this one.

Hopefully someone will provide an answer soon.

Trev.

There is a Japanese mixed-metals tradition called "Shakudo" and also possibly the word "Shibuchi" ::: When you look closely at the birds, do you get the impression that they are actually metals such as gold and copper, instead of lacquer? ::: I have not yet found a Shakudo object with this hallmark.....

Maybe the birds are enamel, which is a process of fusing glass with silver, but I get the impression that this is Shakudo, which is a mixed-metal process involving gold and copper ::: They can even produce darker tones of deep brown and almost black with the Shakudo method, so I wouldn't be surprised if this were a Shakudo bowl and all the details are of different metals which creates the different colors ::: Other countries have a similar tradition known as "Niello," but Japan has a separate tradition known as "Shakudo" :::

I have not yet found the hallmark, but the hallmark is very interesting.

Hello. I believe this is tin (Sn), not silver. The mark is "Tsugiyama" or "Tsuguyama", a Japanese maker of tin items in Meiji era (the latter half of 19th century).

http://www.yamato-kottou.asia/uncategor ... %E5%88%A9/

Hi Natuki,

Thank you very much for the additional information, please stick around on our forums!

Regards,

Oel.