Posted 8 years ago
cleoshasta
(4 items)
Small blue and white bowls says made in Japan on bottom. aizu wakamatsu coasters says on bottom. Small plate or dish with two square little plates maybe sushi dishes... Say sound collection on bottom . Then not pictured on this post I will put on another one but I have Another set of coasters with a different design but has no brand on bottom, two small painted possibly tea or sushi trays no brand on bottom as well. Medium flower pot type bowl stone or gray color no markings looks homemade shiny. Old soft bristle hair brush from Japan engraved with initials, and a small crystal or glass type item that's looks like it could be a ring holder or a type of sauce dish. Will try to get the other pics on asap. Parents bought at an estate sale Of a man who traveled over seas a lot. He was a professor I think they said. His kids just wanted to sell all his stuff. Any info you can give me to help or if you can age them and maybe identify them with certain artists.
These are all from the mid 20th century, not terribly rare. They are however visually appealing.
It's always more helpful when dimensions are provided, or a coin is placed next to the item(s) as a size reference (most people, I think, use a quarter), but I'll take a stab, anyway, at trying to identify the pieces and what they are used for.
PHOTOS 1 & 2: Depending on the size, these could be either rice bowls or sake cups. Judging by your barely visible fingers holding one of the pieces, they look large enough to be rice bowls, or CHAWAN in Japanese. Can't say for sure, though, without dimensions or seeing more of your hand holding the piece.
3rd PHOTO: This is a small snack container and 6-plate (or coasters) set. We would use this for MANJU, a sweet bean paste ball covered with sweetened MOCHI, a favorite snack among the Japanese.
LAST PHOTO: Yes, this looks like it can be used for SUSHI. The sushi, of course, would be served on the larger square dish or plate. The two small pieces are SHOYU or soy sauce plates. The shoyu is poured into the plates first, not all the way up to the brim but just enough to entirely cover the surface of the plates and then a tad more. The sushi is then dipped into the shoyu and eaten. The sushi may be picked from the larger plate by hand or with HASHI or chop sticks. If picked by hand, then the sushi should be eaten by hand as well. If picked with hashi, then the sushi, likewise, should be eaten using hashi. In Japan, more males than females use their hands to eat sushi, though the practice is not exclusively reserved for males. However, it is considered unladylike for females to eat with their fingers. Males may use hashi, if they so choose, without any stigma, guilt or disgrace. Please note that when using hashi to pick foods from a community plate, proper Japanese etiquette requires that the thicker ends of the hashi, the handle ends, be used to transfer the food onto individual smaller plates, so that the hashi is used upside down. Once the food has been transferred onto your own individual plate, then the hashi may be used normally, right-side-up.
Again, depending on its size, the last 3-piece set may also be used to serve and eat sliced cucumbers and pickled or unpickled radishes, which the Japanese like to eat dipped in shoyu. Well,..... I hope I've been of some help. [;>)