one of my most prized possessions is the above tea set. it has been in my family since shortly after world war 2. my dad was in general mac arthur's honor guard and served during the occupation of japan after ww2. he was stationed in japan for 2 years and was part of the detail that protected mrs. mac arthur and her son. dad's group traveled with her and accompanied her to all her activities. while stationed in japan he bought the above tea set and sent it home to his mom as a gift. grandma farmer displayed it in her china cupboard and only used it one time. the one time she threw caution to the wind and used it one of the cups was accidentally broken. she was so distraught that she gave the set to my mom afraid that she would break another piece. my mom then displayed it in a curio cabinet and to my knowledge never used it.
the set is noritake and a service for 6 with a sugar and a creamer. it has nippon toki kaisha markings on the bottom. i did a good deal of research a while back but was not able to determine its value. last summer my folks had a big estate sale on their property to sell a lifetime collection of antiques that they had collected and that dad had refinished. since there were 5 of us kids and multiple grown grandchildren dad decided that we needed to bid on and buy anything we wanted. he and mom just did not want to be in a position of deciding who would get what. there were a lot of things i desired but the one thing i could not walk away without was this tea set. i was the only person at the sale who bid on it and it is now mine.
this photo shows my dad in uniform in tokyo during his tour of duty. isn't he handsome?? i am lucky to also have the photo album of photos that he took in tokyo. i plan to scan the best ones and share them with the family some day soon.
look for a post this week with photos from last summer's family antique sale. it was a very sad and nostalgic time in our family's life but i'm so glad to have taken photos commemorating the occasion.
bill and i are off to walk in the park. it's another lovely october day in ohio!!
11 comments:
It must have been so sad to attend that sale of your parents things. Your tea set is beautiful and your photograph of it is marvelous. It would make wonderful prints.
As to it's value, I know it has considerable intrinsic value to you because of it's family history. Beyond the value that has no price, I would think if it was manufactured either pre-WWII or occupied Japan it would be worth quite a lot.
I would like to read more about your dad's time in Japan and about the sale too.
yes, steviewren, it was very sad. i had to keep reminding myself that they were only things and that we were so lucky to still have both of our parents with us. i think the whole thing just about broke my mom's heart but we all agreed that it was time to clear out some of the stuff and make it easier for them to move when the time comes. thanks for your kind words about the photo. it was fun staging that shot. check back in a day or tow . . . i'll have more photos and stories.
Nice pic of your dad. I have some like that of my dad....asian theater WWII.
happy sweetest day :)
That is a really pretty tea set!!! What a wonderful story about it being in your family for so long!
The tea set is gorgeous. I love the autumnal colors.
I agree with Stevie. I would love to read more about your dad. This is a wonderful photo. You have his smile.
What a very special personal history to this tea set. It's very lovely. I was fascinated to readh the background story and also to learn a little about your family's antiques. Please, post more. Photos, stories....I would be quite interested to learn more about it.
Beautiful new header, Julie!
I love the teaset and the story behind it...makes it even more special. I wonder if you could find a replacement for the broken cup...ebay or some place.
What a neat story about the tea set. It is beautiful and I am so glad you got it. You did a great job with the picture. I loved seeing your dad too. I will look forward to your others pics and the stories. Isn't it great to look back at such a heritage? You must be so proud of your daddy.
A handsome tea set and a handsome dad. Treasures both!
the tea set is a beauty and i enjoyed the story behind it. my mom often broke things and would give them to me for 'safe keeping'.
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