Featured Arita Aoki from a house I visited before

I was driving around last weekend and noticed an estate sale sign. When I found the house, I remembered I had been here before. It was about 8 years ago. A very nice old Japanese couple. She spoke English, he didn't. I remember because he had a little book
with everything written down as the age and maker of just about everything he was selling. People would ask about something, and he would give his wife a price so she could tell us in English. Everything was pretty high priced, and I didn't buy a thing.
This time I wasn't sure if I should even go in, but I did.
The sale was being held by their daughter this time. Her parents had both passed and she was clearing out everything to sell the house.
I picked up these two 6" bowls. There were 4 but two were badly damaged. She looked them up in her father's book. All it said about these bowls were "Aoki first four years".
She asked, how about $5 each. I left happy
I don't know how he knew that, but as you can see the marks are hand done as they are both a little different.

Mikey

 

They are beautiful.

Wow.

 

Sweet, Mikey...nicely done.
When were the first four years of Arita Aoki?

 

The Aoki Bros started making porcelain in the 1890s. I never found out exactly when.
I would take an educated guess and say these were
1895-1899.

Mikey

 

Thanks AJ. Don't you love the little bunny rabbits!

Mikey

 

Thanks!

 

Love the bunny.

 

The first thing I noticed. Plump little furballs, all in their own green patch.

 

In Japan the year of the Rabbit was 1891. That year it was whe "metal rabbit ". Also called the golden rabbit. Interesting tidbit, may help with dating?
Mikey

 

Good research, Mikey! They are little golden rabbits, so I do think that is relevant and you have your year of manufacture, 1891, a year after they started. I guess that is how the man knew.

 

Thank you @Any Jewelry
I'm 99% sure of the dating. The rabbit being one of the 12 zodiac signs they would repeat every 12 months. But, in Japan they were different. The only other year that could have been the date would have been 1903. 1903 was the year of the "water Rabbit "
So it has to be 1891.

Mikey

 

I really must look more closely at photos --- I didn't notice the little gold rabbits. Too sweet!

 

What a great deal you got, Mikey. And your memory of the former owners is priceless.