This is a historic appraisal from our archive.
This is a beautiful vase in dark blue, showing various flowers within a hand-cart. Multiple colors were used as well as gold lining and trim. It is marked in gold - "Nine-Valley" in Japanese gliphs along with "KUTANI", within a square border. A gold foil "Made in Japan" sticker is affixed to the bottom. The vase is in perfect condition, but I do not know if it is real or a fake. The gliphs appear to be from the Meiji period, but cannot be confirmed - (c.1900-1912?). Please assist. My son won it for my wife at a silly carnival game several years ago.
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Collector Discussion
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Re: kutani vase
九谷 are the marks for Kutani (9 Valley) and is on all Kutani ware as far as I know. Since Cobalt blue is not a tradition color for Kutani and the fact that the sticker is on it I would think that it is modern ("Made in Japan" stickers started being used after WW1, and previous to this it would have been marked "Nippon"). Also since it was aquired at a carnival, I would say it was fairly new. The word "Kutani" printed in English shows that it is modern, as old Kutani ware doesn't translate their markings.