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Noritake Co., Limited, commonly known as "Noritake," grew out of a trading company established in Tokyo and in New York City by the Morimura Brothers in 1876. In 1904, key members of this trading company created the Nippon Toki Kaisha, Ltd. ("the Company that makes Japan's Finest China"), in Japan. This forerunner of the modern Noritake Company was founded in the village of Noritake, a small suburb near Nagoya, Japan.
For more than a century, this multinational “Kaisha” has engaged in prosperous partnerships, developments, spin-offs and mergers, so that many companies have come under the umbrella of the Nippon Toki Kaisha, Ltd. Most of the company’s early wares carried one of the various “Nippon” back stamps to indicate its country of origin when exported to Western markets. Today, most collectors agree that the best examples of “Nippon-era” (1891-1921) hand painted porcelain carry a back stamp used by "Noritake" during the Nippon era.
Noritake celebrated its 100 year anniversary in January of 2004.
Baron Morimura was born into a merchant family in 1839 who acted as purveyors to the Tokugawa Feudal Shogunate Governing Lords 1603 - 1868 and more. At the Age of 20 he joined a high level delegation to the US after for reciprcial trade negotiations in 1859 after the visit by Commodore Perry in 1852 to Japan.
In 1876 'the founder' Baron Ichizaemon Morimura founded 'Morimura Bros Inc.', not long after Japan opened its doors to the world (end of the Feudal Sogunate Governing Lords 1868), and established export office in Toyko and a retail and wholesale office in New York trading as 'Morimura Brothers Co'. With his astute business acumen he realised that the American market was positioned to receive imports of Japanese porcelain. The range of products imported during this period to the U.S.A., were china, gifts and other decorative products sourced from independent factories around Nagoya.
The original company comprised the following directors -
Source: Noritake Collectors Guild
