Need to identify markings

[bobthedogsells]

I have four of these Saka or sauce cups,

Know they were made in Japan but can't identify the markings

Any help would be appreciated

[pburn]

@bobthedogsells 

This kind of topic should be posted on the Collectibles & Art board for better responses/advice.

[bobthedogsells]

Thank you

[sonomabarn67]

I thought this was the "Collectibles & Art board"?

[argon38]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

I thought this was the "Collectibles & Art board"?

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One of the moderators probably moved the question here from another board.

The first two characters are 八州. The literal meaning is "eight provinces." Apparently it's a historical reference to the eight Edo-period provinces of Kanto (Sagami, Musashi, Awa, Kazusa, Shimousa, Hitachi, Kouzuke and Shimotsuke):

https://www.japandict.com/%E5%85%AB%E5%B7%9E 

Of course, it'll just be a name chosen for effect by a 20th-century manufacturer. The last character seems to be 窯 (meaning "kiln").

Unfortunately there's very little information out there, at least that I can find. There are some pieces with the characters 八州 inside a frame, but these also seem to be a bit of a mystery. It may not be the same company, anyway:

https://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=reply&RId=129817&gId=1&MSubject=porcelain+maker+mark%...  (photo is upside down)

[sonomabarn67]

Oh, mods.