Japanese OBAN silver tray; unknown Maker's mark

[wlwhittier]

Noob entry...

This tray is a representation of a Tensho Oban Japanese gold coin.
Dimensions, etc., are:
Length: ~6-5/8"; Width: ~4-1/4"; Depth: ~3/16"; Circular Mark Diameter: ~3/16"; Weight: 79.4 grams

The blank circular space in the lower right-hand area of the tray corresponds to the location of the mark on the back.
I have tried without success to use your site to identify this mark.
Probably the failure is mine for being unfamiliar with the site, and overlooking search options.

This tray was purchased (or traded for) during the American occupation of Japan (GHQ Era; 1945-1952) by my father's older brother, probably in Nagoya, where he was stationed during that entire time.

I'll be very grateful for any and all of your comments, and especially help in identifying when and by whom it was made.

Thanks for looking...Warren

[davidross]

Hello Warren,

Uppermost is a jungin mark, here written in ancient-style characters.

The lower mark is one not yet found on this site, so the fault definitely is not yours. This is the trademark / logo of the Sogo Department Store, the retailer of the tray. Sogo was founded in 1830 in Osaka and is still in business today. Wikipedia has a short article about Sogo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sogo

The tray appears to have no maker's mark, which was not uncommon for Japanese department store silver. Both the subject matter and marks suggest that the tray dates from the first two decades of the twentieth century, so it was probably already a quarter century or more old at the time of its purchase in Nagoya. Sogo's stronghold is the Kansai region, so it makes sense that they tray would have been bought in Nagoya.

Regards,

DR

[wlwhittier]

Excellent, and very much appreciated commentary, David...my sincere gratitude, sir!

If my pic of the Sogo mark can be of use to this site, please feel free to copy it; a small contribution, a token of my delight.

Is the old jungin mark read R-L, or otherwise?

wlw

[davidross]

You are very welcome, Warren, and yes, I am certain the splendid images of tray and the Sogo trademark will find their way to the proper section in the Contributors' Notes.

This jungin mark, which is somewhat unusual in its use of archaic characters, would also be a good addition to the Japanese marks section, if our administrator finds time to do so. The use of archaic style characters would have been a matter of taste, similar to the use of gothic script to suggest tradition.

You are right, of course, that this jungin mark reads right to left, as in older Japanese texts. This is one element suggesting that the piece dates to the early twentieth century.

Cheers,

David R

[dognose]

Thanks to Warren's images and David's information, details of the firm of Sogo have now been added to:

Chinese Export Silver & Far East Trade Information

Trev.

[wlwhittier]

I'm pleased to have found something of value to share here. This site is a treasure in it's own right!

That same fellow, my uncle Leonard B. Whittier, brought home many other items of Japanese fine art on his return.

His wife, Annabelle, was a woman of refined tastes who chose the majority of these remarkable pieces for him.

I have more of their silver, and will post pics of some of them here as time allows...after first locating them in my dragon's hoard!

Again: Thanks to All!

wlw

[davidross]

Please do post photos of the Japanese silver objects brought home by your aunt and uncle, it will be very interesting to see if a pattern emerges in their collection. If the tray is any indication, your aunt had a good eye.

Good quality photos of both the entire object and marks, like those you have posted, help make the Forum a valuable tool for all users. And when accompanied by provenance, so much the better!

Cheers,

David R