I do not think this is a Japanese bowl. The flared rim and the applied scroll legs look too stylized, like the signature of an individual artisan, rather than the mostly molded and mass-produced Japanese “sterling”-marked silver that was marketed primarily to the tourist trade in the immediate postwar.
Furthermore, to my eye, the sun in the maker’s mark does not resemble a Japanese “rising sun.” Considering the geography of Japan, the rising sun indicates, for the vast majority of the Japanese population, the first glimpse of the morning sun as it rises out of the mist over the Pacific Ocean. That is why most Japanese artistic depictions of the rising sun show it as a glowing orange globe in a misty or hazy sky, not as a bright yellow circle that radiates wavy rays overhead. The hinomaru (Japanese national flag) is the best-known example of this “Japanese rising sun.” Asahi Shoten’s mark shows a half-sun with straight rays, presumably because the sun is just rising above the ocean and half of it is still behind the surface of the water (and not behind or over a mountain). Finally, the pyramid in this mark appears pointed at the top, while Fuji iconography always depicts the volcano with its dome flat or triple-peaked (and thus nearly flat).
This mark reminds me of one version of the Eye of Providence, also called the all-seeing eye of god, which is associated with Freemasonry and forms part of the Great Seal of the USA. It also reminds me of the sun with alternating straight and wavy rays that is a symbol of some South American countries, such as Argentina. If the mark is a pyramid with sun, it could refer to the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico.
I seem to see, within the pyramid, an M or possibly two Ms conjoined, which may suggest that the maker’s name begins with M, such as "Mason."
While I cannot definitely assert that this is not a Japanese piece, my impression is that it is an American Arts and Crafts or atelier piece, or that it hails from Mexico or South America. While none of these musing are conclusive, there seem to be many possibilities and therefore I would suggest widening the search by placing this topic in “Other Countries.”
I have already commented here
http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 13&t=40490 on the word “Oriental,” but like the forces behind it, it just won’t fade away.
Regards,
David R
