Our guide to "Satsuma: What It Is and Is Not" makes reference to the fake Satsuma being produced in China from the late 1970's to today. This ware is sometimes fraudulently misrepresented as Japanese Satsuma by dishonest sellers. All genuine Satsuma was made in Japan. No genuine Satsuma originated in China.
Click here to view our guide "Satsuma: What It Is and Is Not."
This guide will simply illustrate a few of the many marks found on fake "Satsuma" ware made in China. If your item bears a signature similar to or identical to these marks, it is fake. If your "Satsuma" item bears a signature with the Chinese characters for "Made in China" as illustrated and noted in the photos below, your item is a fake. This guide will also warn you of a particular eBay seller who lists fake Satsuma.
The three photos below are example of the crude late 20th century ware made in China, but which is claimed to be "Satsuma." It is not. It is crude, gaudy, mass-produced giftware with no monetary value. It is, politely stated, trash.
Below is a very common stamped or stencilled signature for this ware with "Made in China Satsuma" in English and "Made in China" in Chinese. The mark also appears without any English words. Whether these characters appear with or without any English words, the meaning is the same: the item was made in China.
The signature below appears on a vase purchased new in the early 1970's.
The signature below is another variation of a signature illustrated above.
The photo below illustrates a signature reading "Manufactured Royal Satsuma" in English followed by Chinese text reading "Made in the People's Republic of China."
Below is another variation of a Chinese signature reading "Handpainted Royal Satsuma" in English followed by Chinese text "Made in China." The number "66" is also stamped on the item. Such numerical or alphabetical notations never appear on genuine Japanese Satsuma.
The example below reads "Hand Paint Satsuma" in English and "Made in China" in Chinese.
Another variation on the "Royal Satsuma" theme is the signature below which reads "Royal Hand Painted Satsuma." The base of the item is also stamped with a "V" within a circle. Such stamps never appear on genuine Japanese Satsuma.
There are perhaps dozens more examples of other markings found on fake Satsuma wares from China. eBay limits the number of photos that can be posted in a guide therefore we cannot illustrate all. We hope these have been helpful.
NO genuine Satsuma ware was made in China.
NO Japanese Satsuma made before 1900 will have any markings in English.
If your eBay seller is offering a "Meiji Period" Satsuma item and it bears any of the markings illustrated above, your seller is either ignorant or deceptive or both. If your seller represents any item as Japanese Satsuma of any age and it bears any of the markings illustrated above, your seller is either ignorant or deceptive or both. Buyer Beware! An honest seller will correct his listing when he is informed of his error. A dishonest one will try to perpetuate his deception.
Currently there is a dishonest eBay seller in Texas listing cheap new Chinese items misrepresented as being "Meiji period Japanese Satsuma with 24KT Gold" or other such nonsense, that his "army grandfather" had "traded for" various items such as German helmets, beer steins, etc. as "war booty" in WWII. You can find these listings, open and closed, by doing a word search on eBay using those terms.
His listings contain multiple misrepresentations: He claims that his items are "Meiji period" which is false: The Meiji emperor of Japan reigned from 1868 to 1912 and the seller's items were made from the late 1970's to 2008. He also claims his items are decorated in "24kt gold" which is false: he would have no means of proving whether the gilded decoration was of any specific karat quality, whether 18, 22 or 24kt unless it were marked on the item.
He also misrepresents his Chinese ware as "Japanese" which is false: his items are new Chinese fakes, most of which are marked Made in China in Chinese with some variation of the marks we have illustrated above. His claim that the items are "war booty" from "WWII" are nonsense: WWII ended in 1945 and his items were not made until decades later!
The seller has been told that his items are marked Made in China and that he is fraudulently misrepresenting all aspects of their age and authenticity. He's been caught. Therefore, he now omits the photo of the "Made in China" marking so as to further deceive a potential buyer, with the hope that the buyer will never find out that the item is marked "Made in the Peoples Republic of China."
(Never bid on any item for which there are no photos of any important signatures or maker's markings. Never be content with a seller's claims of what the markings might represent: sellers can be ignorant and they can lie. If a seller is too lazy to post photos of signatures, marks and hallmarks, you should avoid his items because he is being deceptive.)
The seller's listings contain multiple lies and fabrications calculated to separate an ignorant buyer from his money. They are astonishing in their dishonesty. You owe it to yourself as a reader of this guide to search for his listings and to look at his preposterous claims. If they were not so outrageous, they would be hilarious!
Sadly, ignorant fools are actually buying these items, once again illustrating that:
A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted.
Investigate before you invest!
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