japanese tea cups or rice bowls - xfine - anyone know mark?

sorry about duplicate pics = posting from clients chromebook and have no idea what I am doing - Jane Jane stop this crazy thing :O)

 

It says Kutani (upside down)

 

the hallmark simply reads KUTANI ? it is not artist related ? they seem so very well done - is there any variances in this "KUTANI" hallmark that would indicate era/age? advanced thanX

 

Agree with it reading Kutani. Meiji era likely. Very nice condition. As Ce BCA mentioned, below is how the mark should be positioned. If you google "kutani mark", you'll see exactly that mark.

 

Yes, that is all it says and nothing to do with the painters, which were often children in small factory workshops. You can date it from the style of the item/decoration, around 1910-30. The marks are hand scripted so don't help with the age all that much.

Although it looks detailed this type of work is at the lower end of Kutani as interest in Japanese ware faded heading into the great depression. It looks to have some printed outlines and there is little detail in the figures. Tea sets like this survive in large quantity and are not of interest in the home market, so prices are weak. Kutani and Satsuma are almost like caricature items to the Japanese, they care more for texture and form - art pottery

 

thanx to you both