Ceramic or Pottery ID and Use - Oriental

Was hoping to find out more about this pottery piece. First, what would it be use for? I assumed because of its flat back and hole cutout it was used as either a decorative planter or possibly jewelry holder...but I really have no idea. Second, any clues from the signature marks? I have scoured the internet but to no avail. Lastly, and I'm not sure I'm asking the right question here, but what style of finish is this? Welcome any additional info and thank you in advance!

 

Sorry, can't help with your item. Just wanted to welcome you to the board.
Be sure to check back for answers, as people come and go at different times of day.

 

I'm not sure where it comes from, but the mark is upside down.

 

Welcome to Antiquers Borg!

 

I suspect 1970s/80s Japanese spongeware. Might be one of those things meant to hold a brillo pad in a kitchen.

 

Thank you for the welcome Clutter and Judy!

Ha! I'll attach a right-side-up photo which may help.

Hadn't thought of a brillo pad holder but I feel like there would be holes in the bottom for water to drain.

 

Well for those of you who are interested - I reached out to a friend of mine in Japan who was able to shed a little more light on the piece.

"It's definitely Japanese. Looks like the top right Kanji character is "Hikari" meaning "light" or "shine" and the bottom left character is "Yama" meaning "mountain". Hikariyama is a last name and possibly the name of the kiln where the piece was produced. The way the base of the piece is formed, glazing, etc ...I would guess it to be 90+ years old, Showa period."

 

I'm not a pottie....& while the item is lovely in a somewhat brutalist nature...I find the use of the double hole used for a screw or nail....to be somewhat younger than 90 years.

Can anyone comment on that.?

 

I had the same thought. Looked like it was meant to be hung on a wall, and mid-20th century or so at the oldest. 70s 80s seemed like a good guess.

 

Here's a thread from the Asian art forum: http://www.asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=37795

 

And other pieces in the link above seem to be stylistically in the 60s-70s range, and folks in that discussion have had trouble nailing down the maker, too. I would also guess 2nd half of the 20th C, but I don't have it in the hand and can't read the symbol, so just going on the photos.

In any event, it has a very cool look!

I think it is in the shape of a "wall pocket", those have been around for a century. Could be used decoratively to hold something, dried flowers, etc.

 

Hanging stuff on a wall like that goes back a looooong time. There were thingies for holding spills here in Tudor days. I do think this one is 70s thobbut.

 

The whole idea of a wall pocket seems kind of silly to me, but they have been used to hold chopsticks....

 

The characters from that link show the exact same ones on my wall hanger. Lots more info than I had when I first started out. I should have prefaced my earlier post with, my friend in Japan is not an expert by any means but he does collect some pottery and speaks Japanese. So the age could easily be off but, that said, nails have been around for a couple hundred years.

Thank you again for all the help!