Chinese, Japanese? Tiny Little Bowl

[curbdiggercarl57]

Found this early last week at an old railroad site just outside of Denver. What blows me away is the area is almost impossible to detect, due to the abundance of metal. Iron nails, iron railroad spikes, railroad ties even. I'll go there and try and detect, the masochist that I am, simply because it's one of the oldest areas around. Dug one Seated Dime a while back, which is enough to keep me going back. I was using a rake to scrape off an area that had been dug down about six feet, and all I was digging were shards of broken bottles, bits of pottery, nothing intact. then this little guy appeared. It's ceramic or porcelain, and reminds me of the little soy sauce containers that hold soy/wasabi that you see at sushi bars. Has to be at least 90-100 years old, but that's all I know. Any info would be appreciated, we have a bet if it's a sake cup, soy sauce, or a finger bowl.
Carl

 

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[savant365]

Are there any markings on the bottom?

 

[savant365]

I think it's called a "ramekin" but I'm not sure.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Are there any markings on the bottom?

Nada, zip, nope.

 

[lostcauses]

Hard to tell from a photo. Some of the other material around it may assist in identification.
Flow blue, yet oriental design, May be English.

 

[vibes]

Dang it...I wish I paid more attention to detail when I saw the Forbidden City exhibit a few years ago in Chicago. But...yellow was HUGE Imperial color...I did watch the last Emperor (one of my fave flicks!) and well yellow, Imperial...blue I dunno

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Nice finds! Let's see, outside Denver. That wouldn't be casino-ville would it? lol AKA Blackhawk. How are things back home? I used to detect all the time with my gold detector up near Blackhawk. Good times...Take care

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Dang it...I wish I paid more attention to detail when I saw the Forbidden City exhibit a few years ago in Chicago. But...yellow was HUGE Imperial color...I did watch the last Emperor (one of my fave flicks!) and well yellow, Imperial...blue I dunno

The yellow was just a lighting effect based on me not fully knowing how to use this new camera. It's pure white, with a bright almost cobalt blue for the plant. My main hope was that someone could possibly identify the plant, whether it was something that was common to a certain countries artwork. Sent it to a couple of Asian art knowing people , waiting for replies. My main deal with loving it is because it's so fragile, and where it was found, nothing survives.
Carl

 

[IronSpike]

Cool bowl Is it a dandelion?

 

[DCMatt]

I'm thinking it is a sakazuki - Japanese sake cup.

The plant may be a mimosa flower.

DCMatt

 

[IronSpike]

I'm thinking it is a sakazuki - Japanese sake cup.

The plant may be a mimosa flower.

DCMatt

Agree based the base of the bowl it's likely a sake bowl.

Mimosa is dead on I have them covering my driveway and right now the sap is making a mess on the cars. They are beautiful trees and have just started flowering. Hummingbirds like the flowers.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

I'm thinking it is a sakazuki - Japanese sake cup.

The plant may be a mimosa flower.

DCMatt

Thank you sir! I grew up in S.E. DC, then P.G. County, then Wheaton MD. Wish I had picked up detecting back then. Thanks for the info, my goal now is to see if it's a copy of some known artist. It does look like a mimosa, how tall do they grow to? I'm leaning towards a fern-like plant, but that's why I posted. I not know much!

 

[IronSpike]

Mature height for mimosa trees 20-35 feet.

 

[stefen]

Typically, the railroads employed Chinese labor forces...

My opinion by relating the railroads finds would be that Chinese would be a strong first choice.

If you are within an encampment and find a lot of this type of ceramic...then its definitely Chinese.

However, if its a singular find, then it could be considered an anomoly, and then may be Japanese.

Find a Japanese and / or a Chinese antique dealer and ask their opinion as to origin...

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Typically, the railroads employed Chinese labor forces...

My opinion by relating the railroads finds would be that Chinese would be a strong first choice.

If you are within an encampment and find a lot of this type of ceramic...then its definitely Chinese.

However, if its a singular find, then it could be considered an anomoly, and then may be Japanese.

Find a Japanese and / or a Chinese antique dealer and ask their opinion as to origin...

Yep, that's what has me confused. It was found right next to the railroad yard, where some old mining equipment manufacturers were located. That's why I was leaning towards Chinese. But it looks Japanese. hearing that Mimosa's grow that tall, that's what I believe the plant to be. I'm leaning towards the hope that it is Japanese, used by the Chinese. Lot of Chinese in Denver, miners, railroad laborers, I now need to research on the Japanese population at the turn of the century. Thanks again,
Carl

 

[Likely Guy]

I first thought that Chinese would have been more likely but I just did a little digging in the Denver Public Library and found out that there was a healthy Japanese population.

 

[Likely Guy]

I also checked out "World War I Civilian Registration Index of Colorado Minorities (Non-Whites)" and there were far more Japanese registered than Chinese at that time, in Denver.

Link: http://history.denverlibrary.org/research/draft_minorities/denver7.pdf

 

[DCMatt]

I first thought that Chinese would have been more likely but I just did a little digging in the Denver Public Library and found out that there was a healthy Japanese population.

My wife's grandfather came into the US from Mexico in 1905. He came into the New Mexico territory and got a job on the railroad to work his way to California where he became a successful strawberry farmer. Plenty of Japanese worked the railroad but our history makes little distinction among the Asian races until WWII.

DCMatt

 

[DCMatt]

Here is another reason I think Japanese: The art looks like traditional Japanese flower arranging or ikebana. It is often very 'minimalist'. The plant, if it is in fact mimosa, would be called ojigisou.

DCMatt

 

[Likely Guy]

I first thought that Chinese would have been more likely but I just did a little digging in the Denver Public Library and found out that there was a healthy Japanese population.

My wife's grandfather came into the US from Mexico in 1905. He came into the New Mexico territory and got a job on the railroad to work his way to California where he became a successful strawberry farmer. Plenty of Japanese worked the railroad but our history makes little distinction among the Asian races until WWII.

DCMatt

Same here. Nearby there was a huge hydraulic mine that, until recently, everybody thought hired mainly Chinese labourers. It wasn't until the 1901 Canada census was recently released that I discovered that they were all Japanese (except for two Chinese cooks that fed the white workers).