Posted 8 days ago
jmillersmugs
(86 items)
Otagiri Manufacturing Company was an importer of Japanese stoneware and ceramics between 1958 and 1994. Although Otagiri is the name of a company, the term is often used to describe a style of stoneware that was sold in West Coast department stores and souvenir shops.
Otagiri stoneware was produced and painted by hand by a group of artists hired to design and create pieces. Although Otagiri started manufacturing pieces in the 1950s, it did not officially register its name as a trademark until 1980. Although the company manufactured and stamped its pieces as made in Japan, the Otagiri trademark was registered in the United States.
Authentic Otagiri can be identified by a gold and yellow sticker and the stamp “Otagiri Japan.” In 1994, the company was sold to Enesco, another company known for manufacturing collectibles, for $3.5 million. Afterward, the brand was discontinued. Though true Otagiri pieces are no longer manufactured, items that resemble Otagiri pieces are still referred to as such.
https://www.reference.com/world-view/otagiri-d8c3aa75bb105025
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