Tsukamoto kiln Mashiko ware ochoko, signed (!)

This ochoko is 2" high x 2.5" in diameter, signed, with tomobako and literature. I did not quibble about buying it, even with a very sparse description and no dimensions, as I have never seen a signed piece of Tsukamoto kiln Mashiko ware before. I know that there is some signed stuff from this kiln, but not sure what the significance of that is. Nice variation in the glaze, given the small size. I think that the mark is upside down in image #2 and believe that the "pitchfork" mark is typically used as a generic kiln suffix. The other character may be an abbreviation for "Tsukamoto". So maybe just " Tsukamoto kiln" which is still more than I have seen before.

It came with a tomobako and usual kiln literature extolling Tsuskamoto's adherence to the mingei philosophy (but it is signed!). Not sure what to make of this but it was not too expensive, and potentially a good learning experience. In new condition, so probably a souvenir brought back from a vacation to Japan. Not sure of age. Similar stuff I have dates to the 1960s-70s.....

It arrived this morning before breakfast, so today I started the morning with a cup of sake. The Breakfast of Champions! Nice little cup, fits the hand well, pours well, the sculpted rim lends an interesting feel to the cup, with a surprising range of textures, and very pretty inside and out. It is a deceptively complex little cup. Good purchase.

I do not understand the hype around and cost of Mashiko ware. It is a fairly recent kiln and while I find the pottery generally attractive and interesting, it is not more so than that of other Japanese kilns. I wonder if it is due only to its association with famed potter Shoji Hamada, which in most cases is tenuous, at best?