The following treasure is from the living estate of Ailene & Buddy Ford; noted dealers and lifelong collectors of exceptional antique & vintage heirlooms. The Ford estate presents highly valuable items from a diverse group of genres, 95% + in excellent condition. xxxxxxxxxxx. The AEAA is exceptionally proud to showcase this magnificent Ivory white & Cobalt ground chocolate pot, featuring the most spectacular Lotus blossom and floral festoon gilded accents we have ever seen! Our chocolate pot is finished in a gorgeous & brilliant tea rose & spring floral roundel, and has some of the finest attention to detail of any Nippon piece you will ever find. This hand painted treasure, is definitely from the first period of the Nippon era, ca. 1891 to 1899, and carries the proper M-in-Wreath Morimura Hand Painted Nippon stamp. It stands 5.5 x 9.5 inches tall, weighing 2# and is in marvelous condition. This is truly the best of the finest of all Morimura chocolate pots! xxxxxxxxxxx. In 1876, Ichizaemon Morimura VI and his brother Toyo founded Morimura Gumi at Ginza 4-chome, Tokyo. It was a trading company dedicated to exporting traditional Japanese products, as Ichizaemon Morimura VI had been a visionary and supporter of modernization for Japan. On March 10, Toyo sailed from Yokohama for America. In November, Toyo, Sato Momotaro and Date Chushichi established the retail store "Hinode Shokai" in a partnership at 6th Street, New York. Within the year Yutaka had opened a Morimura Bros. retail store in New York. From this earliest period, Morimura sought to adapt quality Japanese art and skilled craft to the needs, designs and market appeal of the American consumer. Morimura did not produce products during this period but exported the creations of others. In 1890, the McKinley Tariff Act was passed by Congress that required imports to the United States to be marked with their country of origin. Nippon was commonly used to identify Japan in part because it is a Japanese word for the country. Nippon signifies only the country of origin and implies no other information. Early Morimura imports would not have been marked, as would any other imports from Japan. From 1878 to 1884 the Morimura brothers operated a china decorating facility of their own, but not a pottery. In Noritake Collectibles, Lou Ann Donahue reports that from 1884 until 1890 Morimura Bros. brought together & utilized decorating factories all over Japan, and in 1891, the Morimura Bros. joined a number of these other Japanese firms, and began potting & selling hand painted Nippon porcelain for 30 years.

XA - P88 Excellent+ condition