Occupied Japan Mark Marks: How to Identify and Date Them

This is not a single trademark, but a common combination of origin-marking text found on export porcelain during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II (1945-1952), usually printed or hand-painted on the base of the piece; common wordings include 'Made in Occupied Japan', 'Occupied Japan', and 'Made in Japan / Occupied', sometimes alongside a manufacturer's own device mark.

• 1945-1948: Taking Noritake as an example, the brand name was temporarily discontinued during this period and products were sold instead under the 'Rose China' brand with a matching pattern; from 1947, some pieces began to carry the 'Komaru' device mark alongside the words 'Made in Occupied Japan'.
• 1945-1952 (overall window): The U.S. Department of State's Office of the Historian confirms the Allied occupation of Japan spanned 1945 to 1952; this political/military-administration period is the historical background for the existence of 'Occupied Japan'-type marks.

A piece bearing the words 'Occupied Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan' should, in theory, date from the 1945-1952 Allied occupation window confirmed by the U.S. Department of State; because this window is short and the collecting market has built up a perception of 'scarcity' around it, dating should combine the piece's style and manufacturer's mark rather than relying on the wording alone to pin down an exact year.

Because the 'Occupied Japan' window is short and the collecting market has built up a perception of scarcity around it, this type of mark has historically been heavily counterfeited; however, this research could not find a museum or government source with verbatim text specifically addressing 'Occupied Japan' counterfeiting methods, so this field is currently missing and left for future follow-up.

Turn the piece over and light the mark from a low angle with a lamp or phone torch, which throws the impressed or engraved lines into relief; a printed or painted mark wants soft, even light instead. Fill the frame with the mark, then take a second shot of the whole piece. Do not clean tarnish off silver before photographing; the mark reads better dark. The app matches the mark and shape to the notes above.