Old Bonsai Tool Kit Posted on CL

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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Wouldn't the post WWII one be stamped "made in occupied Japan" rather than "made in Japan" which would be 1921 to 1941?
Anything written in English would generally indicate it is for the export market. Why use a foreign language that people couldn't even read, let alone speak?

In Germany, post WWII they used "made in West Germany" for export goods until reunification, which dates items to that 45-year window.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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Could the syringe be used for wound putty, but IDK?
Unlikely. Since this is probably an ikebana set, the syringe would be used to force water into flower stems to keep them upright and fresh....and for cleaning flowers and tools.
 

meushi

Mame
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The scissors are ikenobo school style, so there is no doubt that this is an ikebana tool set :)

Anything written in English would generally indicate it is for the export market. Why use a foreign language that people couldn't even read, let alone speak?

In Germany, post WWII they used "made in West Germany" for export goods until reunification, which dates items to that 45-year window.

I absolutely agree with Rockm that post mid 1950s is the most likely period for the set. Mark-wise, it could be have been either 1921-1941 or 1952-onwards... it can't be around 1915 like the seller stated (I think he just picked the earliest year a "made in *" mark could be). While there was some late-19th/early-20th century interest for ikebana outside Japan - from the Paris world fair in 1878 to ikebana demonstrations in the 1930s - that interest wasn't enough to sustain an export industry before the foundation of "Ikebana International" in 1956 and the establishment of ikebana schools abroad.

Here's a rough timeline of Japanese marks for exports:
From 1891 to 1915 the mark was "日本" or "Nippon" (McKinley Tariff Act passed in 1891, requiring export goods to be marked with country of origin )
From 1915 to 1921, the mark became "made in Nippon" (the US passed a law in 1914 requiring the mark to be "made in (english-readable name of country)", Japan had to stop using "日本" but was allowed to keep using "Nippon" *)
From 1921 to 1941, the mark became "made in Japan" (from 1921, the US Customs required the use of of the word "Japan" instead of "Nippon" *)
From 1941 to 1945, there were close to no exports during the war (non-essential factories were closed)
From 1945 to 1951, the mark became "made in occupied Japan" during the occupation
From 1952, the mark reverted to "made in Japan" at the end of the occupation

(*) Most countries got the word "Japan" instead of "Nihon"/"Nippon" from the old Chinese reading of 日本: Cipan/Zipan. It was first transcribed as Jipam by the Portuguese, it then got distorted to Iapam and eventually Japan. The earliest reference in the West would be "Cipango" in Marco Polo's stories, which was fabled as being populated by white people and full of gold, silver, pearls and all kinds of precious stones.
 
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