Help Need Assistance Please. Can Anyone Help Decipher a ¿Japanese? Hallmark On An Old Tea Set?

[locked*n*loaded]

Not suicide related (well, except in context of getting rid of stuff before I go).

I have an old tea set that I inherited and want to sell. But, I'm having trouble discovering facts about it, particularly the maker, which is really the first step needed. I have been unable to decipher the hallmark on the pieces. Literally have looked at thousands of hallmarks of what I believe is Japanese origin. But, at this point, I don't know if it even is Japanese. If it ends up being having an origin other than Japanese, that's fine. I just really need to identify the set. Can anyone help me figure out this hallmark and identify the maker of this set? I'd be much appreciative. Thanks.

Edit: Actually, the more I look at it, the more I think it may be of Japanese origin.

 

[kurgan]

According to Grok, the symbol means 'left 2,' or 'left number 2.'

 

[locked*n*loaded]

According to Grok, the symbol means 'left 2,' or 'left number 2.'

Appreciate that. But, not sure how I reconcile that info with a maker, at least not yet. Thank you for supplying a potential clue. I'll investigate it and see if it can help.

 

[kurgan]

There's a matching plate somewhere with the symbol "Right 2" on it.

 

[COP2CON]

These kinds of threads are how I know I have an unhealthy addiction to Antique Roadshow and American Pickers.....I'm legitimately interested in this now.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

There's a matching plate somewhere with the symbol "Right 2" on it.

A matching plate somewhere? Not exactly sure what you mean? Like I have one? I probably do. I have the entire set. I think there may be 4, or 6, of these saucers, matching cups, a teapot, maybe a creamer, one of those pieces where you place your used teabag. A whole set. All the hallmarks on the backs and bottoms are the same, as are the painted scenes. The scenes of the (Emperors?) are laid out a little different on the cups and teapot, etc.

I put the same pic in Grok thaf I uploaded in this thread, same one you did, and Grok told me it meant "692", so I have no idea why I got a different response than you.

 

[kurgan]

Not exactly sure what you mean?

Just repeating what Grok said. ChatGPT mentioned the symbol means 'winter.' Strange! Anyway, hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[TAW122]

Maybe @nobodycaresaboutme might know how to identify the porcelain?

 

[FadingSnowFake]

Love how this forum is a source of information on just about anything.

 

[nobodycaresaboutme]

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a professional in porcelain but a random person.

The hallmark looks like "丸二" (Maruni). "丸" is a bit different from the first letter of the marking but it may be a kind of design. Maruni is a Japanese company of porcelain.

丸二陶料株式会社ホームページ

02-maruni.sun.bindcloud.jp

Etsy sells some Maruni products. I'm not sure these are similar to your item.

https://www.etsy.com/market/maruni_porcelain

I guess the tea set is made by this company and is actually from Japan but isn't a particularly valuable piece.

 

[yotaka]

Are there any other identifying marks on it? It does look like 丸二, but as nobodycaresaboutme pointed out, one of the strokes in the first character is in the wrong place. This makes me wonder if it's a knockoff done by someone who doesn't actually know how Japanese is written and just tried to copy what they saw, or maybe it's some kind of stylized signature...

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Are there any other identifying marks on it? It does look like 丸二, but as nobodycaresaboutme pointed out, one of the strokes in the first character is in the wrong place. This makes me wonder if it's a knockoff done by someone who doesn't actually know how Japanese is written and just tried to copy what they saw, or maybe it's some kind of stylized signature...

No other marks that I can see. Idk. It's pretty old. It was my maternal grandmother's set in Germany. My mother inherited it when she died. Now I have it. The marking, whatever it is, is definitely more simplistic than the one you wrote. I just looked at the creamer and teapot again. Same marks as on the cups and saucers.