Takahashi Imports ginger jar, Japan

This ginger jar is 5.5" high x 4.5" in diameter at its widest. It has an importer's mark and label on the base. Quite nicely made and decorated completely around the jar, but the decoration appears to be transfers, not hand painted. It is possible that there is some hand painting over the transfers, though. I found several other examples of this jar on ebay.

The history of Takahashi Imports is very interesting and I have included a couple of links below. The Takahashis were a married couple who imported a variety of high quality wares from Japan, including a lot of pottery from numerous kilns from the mid 1950s until the mid 1990s. They owned several stores in San Francisco, New York and Seattle, in addition to their flagship store in San Francisco. Much of the pottery sold in their stores is marked with the mark of the Japanese kiln it was made in, while some, like this ginger jar, has a generic Takahashi Imports label and/or mark. I don't know if it is possible to determine which Japanese pottery made my ginger jar. A thrift shop find for about $3 and in mint condition.

Apparently, the flagship store/warehouse sat closed for decades with the storerooms full of goods. In the spring of 2019 the building was sold and there was a large liquidation auction of the contents. That must have been something to see!

https://www.warrensf.com/new-events/2019/3/24/end-of-an-era-takahashi-liquidation-moving-sales-24th-31st-march

https://osher.ucsf.edu/stories/tomoye-takahashi-a-life-of-giving

http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2016/6/16/tomoye-takahashi/

Really interesting article on Google Books, if you have some time to read it:

https://tinyurl.com/y6cuo8n9