Featured Large Chinese Monk Statute - Thoughts?

Same mark

Signed Antique Japanese Kutani Scholar Figure with Scroll Blue and : That Was Then Antiques, Jewelry, and Collectibles | Ruby Lane

Similar to mine with different mark and better description

Japanese Kutani 18-inch Jurojin Statue Arita Blue & White Style | #468964196 (worthpoint.com)

Same statue with the same mark - no date:
JAPANESE KUTANI PORCELAIN JUROJIN SCHOLAR - Jun 28, 2020 | Austin Auction Gallery in TX (liveauctioneers.com)

 

Hmm, I hadn't considered it reading as Kutani - as @JayBee mentioned, this looks nothing like Kutani.

Kutani is porcelain and blue and white colours are almost unheard of. Also the fact that many similar items show up when searching is suspicious if they were antique. The style of the figure is Chinese with Westernised influence of the features. The symbology of the decoration is largely Chinese. All the bases seem to be deliberately shaded in the same way. Some of the references also consider the figure as Sau (one of the Chinese three wise men).

My suspicion is these are Chinese made and due to the mark they have become accepted as Japanese and one of those internet self re-enforcing errors over time.

 

Ce. I appreciate your comments. One of my purposes in buying things and presenting them here, is to learn how to spot the good stuff. Thank you. Kiko