Nippon Pottery

Nippon Art Pottery

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. 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.

Listed below is a large selection of Nippon Pottery for sale.