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Miniature Character Jug — Made in Japan, Mid-Century Hand-Painted Toby
Price in USD. Shipping is $10.95 to the contiguous US — see our Shipping Policy.
Highlights
- Miniature character jug, approximately 2″ tall
- Hand-painted ceramic with brown hat, blue collar, and brown handle
- Stamped "MADE IN JAPAN" on base (post-1952 export mark)
- Round base with visible blue glaze marks on underside
Condition
Very good vintage condition. No chips, cracks, or repairs visible. Paint is intact with minor wear consistent with age. This piece has held up well for its 60+ years.Miniature Character Jug — Made in Japan, Mid-Century Hand-Painted Toby
Mid-Century (post-1952)
Character Jug / Toby Jug
The smallest character in her collection, this one stands about two inches — a true tiny miniature. Round friendly face, a brown bowler-style hat, a blue coat. He's stamped "Made in Japan," not "Occupied Japan," and that one word makes a difference: the occupation-era mark was dropped after 1952, so he came along a little later than his Occupied-Japan shelfmates. That also means he doesn't carry the collector premium those pieces fetch. We'll be honest about that. He charms on his own merits, and at this size he charms easily.
He came from the estate of a 91-year-old woman in Durham, North Carolina. She'd moved south from the Philadelphia area years before, and brought a small gathering of porcelain figures with her — the kind of collection assembled slowly, over decades, by someone who simply liked having these little fellows around. He was one of them.
She was the sort of collector who chose where her pieces went, passing them on to buyers she trusted to look after them. Very good condition, no trouble to report. He's a small thing looking for a shelf to sit on — won't take up much room, and he'll earn his spot.
Specifications
- Dimensions
- 6 × 6 × 4 in
- Weight
- 1 lbs
- SKU
- HDRK-VR-0008
A Tiny Gentleman from Japan's Export Era
This miniature character jug is a product of Japan's booming ceramics export industry in the years following the Allied Occupation. Stamped "MADE IN JAPAN" on the base — without the "Occupied" prefix — it dates to 1952 or later, when the standard export mark returned after the occupation ended. The jug depicts a round-faced gentleman with a pleasant, slightly amused expression, wearing a brown bowler-style hat that forms the open top and a blue coat at the collar. A brown handle curves around the back. The painting is simple and direct — bright, clean colors applied by hand with the efficient charm typical of mid-century Japanese export ceramics. At roughly two inches tall, this is a true miniature — the kind of piece that tucks onto a shelf, fills a gap in a collection, or simply makes you smile when you notice it. It's the smallest and most affordable piece in our Toby jug collection, and a nice entry point for anyone curious about these classic character pieces.Details
- Miniature character jug, approximately 2" tall
- Hand-painted ceramic
- Brown bowler-style hat, blue coat, brown handle
- Round base stamped "MADE IN JAPAN"
- Post-1952 Japanese export ware
