Page 15 - March 2025

B
utton
March 2025 The NaTioNal ButtonBulleTiN 13
The realistic floral buttons were sold in the 1950s in
sets of 12 with a matching brooch. The box lids for
the sets are imprinted with the maker’s name, Yuzan
China (“china” meaning “porcelain”), and the retail-
er’s name, Aitosha Co. Osaka, Japan. The brooch
backs are marked with three Japanese kanji for Yuzan
(雄山) in red script, but the buttons are unmarked.
Sometimes the metal pinback has been removed from
a brooch and collectors may mistake it for a dou-
ble-shanked button. Back of rose brooch showing
metal pin and Yuzan mark.
Aitosha Co. Ltd. retailed the Yuzan kiln’s buttons and
other porcelain products from a shop in the Osaka Building in the old city center
of Osaka. This historic area, called Nakanoshima, was a center for international
trade and has some old European-style buildings from the early 1900s. The but-
ton sets were likely marketed to Western businessmen and visitors to the area.

Yuzan buttons and brooches: dianthus, lily, sunflower and rose designs.

These button and brooch sets have been found in the following designs : camel-
1
lia, clematis, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, lily, rose, and sunflower. Some were made
in multiple colorways. The buttons were made in two sizes, both are NBS medi-
um and have a loop self-shank. All are hand-painted and finished with a smooth
very shiny glaze on the face. The backs are glazed except for the shank. In my
opinion, the cosmos design is particularly lovely. In Japan, cosmos are considered
the autumn equivalent of cherry blossoms.

More realistic button designs: camellia, dahlia, and clematis. View of the loop shank.