My guitar pick holder is older than me!
20/07/2014
My search for the origins of a little old ashtray I use to hold my guitar picks gives a surprising result.
For about thirty years, this little ashtray, (10 cm across) has sat atop one of my stereo speakers and served to hold my guitar picks & capo, a few odd screws and some old steel phonograph needles.
It occurred to me that in this day of the internet, I should see if I can find out anything about it. The underside is marked "MARUHON WARE" in a semicircle, above a capital "K" inside a circle, both above "MADE IN JAPAN", underneath all are five or six Japanese characters. |
So far, all that Google's image search has told me, is that it is Japanese, and could be around 100 years old.
A Canadian ceramics website, China Miner, talks rather confusingly of "Marumon Ware", describing very similar marks. It also uses the term Marutomo as though it is familiar, but the word occurs nowhere else on the page. Marutomo ware seems to be more cutesy sculptural stuff like cottages and animals. From the site: -
"Marumon ware
An extensive search has not produced any details about the Marutomo at this stage. We know that the Japanese word “Maru” translates to mark or circle. We also know that similar wares appear with the names “Marumon Ware” and “Maruhun Ware”, only these brands appear with the circled letter “K”. A lot of Marutomo ware is advertised as 1920-1930.
Marked on the base, Marumon Ware, the letter K in a circle, Made in Japan and Japanese writing underneath that. The Japanese were required to mark their exports Made in Japan , a practice which continued until the beginning of World War II, from 1941 until 1945. During the following years of American occupation of Japan (1945 to 1952), all exports from Japan were marked Made in Occupied Japan. After the Occupation, Japan marked her exports simply Japan.
It is believed that Marumon Ware was produced by a Division of the Noppon Toki Gomei Kaisha Company in the small town of Noritake. (See Noritake above)"
Further Google text search reveals little else concrete, and a lot of sites quoting or referring to the one above.
Update 2023 The site China Miner appers to be defunct. Links to it are all dead.
An extensive search has not produced any details about the Marutomo at this stage. We know that the Japanese word “Maru” translates to mark or circle. We also know that similar wares appear with the names “Marumon Ware” and “Maruhun Ware”, only these brands appear with the circled letter “K”. A lot of Marutomo ware is advertised as 1920-1930.
Marked on the base, Marumon Ware, the letter K in a circle, Made in Japan and Japanese writing underneath that. The Japanese were required to mark their exports Made in Japan , a practice which continued until the beginning of World War II, from 1941 until 1945. During the following years of American occupation of Japan (1945 to 1952), all exports from Japan were marked Made in Occupied Japan. After the Occupation, Japan marked her exports simply Japan.
It is believed that Marumon Ware was produced by a Division of the Noppon Toki Gomei Kaisha Company in the small town of Noritake. (See Noritake above)"
Further Google text search reveals little else concrete, and a lot of sites quoting or referring to the one above.
Update 2023 The site China Miner appers to be defunct. Links to it are all dead.
Conclusion
My little pick holder is Japanese, pre-WW2. Thus it is at least 74 years old, and could be up to 100 years old.
My little pick holder is Japanese, pre-WW2. Thus it is at least 74 years old, and could be up to 100 years old.