Takito Bowl

Q: I inherited this bowl from my grandmother. It has raised gold trim. The bottom is marked with two interlocking diamonds with the letter “T” inside each of them and the words “Hand Painted, Made in Japan.” Who made it and how old is it? Someone told me the raised gold trim makes it worth a lot of money.

A: Your bowl was made by Takito, a company in business in Japan from 1880 to 1948. Majiro Takito is listed as an exhibitor of porcelain objects at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The location of the company is listed as Nagoya or Aichi. The raised decorations on your bowl are called “moriage.” The decoration is applied by squeezing slip (clay thinned with water) from a tube or by forming it from clay and applying a thin layer by hand. The designs were gilded and burnished after the bowl was fired. The raised gilt design adds to the value of your bowl. Value about $35.