Reacting to the modernization begun during the Meiji Period in Japanese history, brothers Ichizaeon (left) and Toyo Morimura founded a company, later named Morimura Brothers with the idea of establishing overseas trading for Japanese products. In the 1890s the firm shifted from retail to wholesale operations and concentrated on pottery and porcelain ware. By 1901 the Morimuras were advertising as “The Company that makes Japan’s Finest China.” As early as 1878 the brothers had opened a business in New York City, selling among other things, pottery. These goods became known as “Nippon” and later “Noritake.”
Among other items the Nippon pottery featured Japanese-produced highly decorated European-style hard white porcelain jugs, holding about a quart of liquid. Although more expensive than ordinary American salt-glazed ceramics, the elaborate designs insured that these items would not be tossed away. Accordingly they were bought by American distillers and liquor wholesalers to gift their very best customers, likely saloons, hotels and restaurants.
Evidence of European influence can be noted on the several jugs that carry motifs redolent of Dutch pottery. Shown here with a Netherlands aspect are two scenes with windmills and below, a boy and a woman wearing a Dutch bonnet, walking a dog. Each one of these ceramics would have been decorated by hand in the Morimura’s factory.
The European touch also is evident in a jug featuring a monk smelling a flower, monks being a common subject for spirits jugs in countries like Germany, Austria and France. Country scenes, a staple design for porcelain containers manufactured by Continental potteries, also were imitated.
The Morimuras could authorize more exotic themes. The vessel at left with its delicate scroll work and lack of any illustration bespeaks an Arabic origin. Egypt clearly was the influence on the second jug, showing palm trees along the Nile River while the pyramids appear on the horizon. The jug below left with its vivid colors limns a picturesque scene has a distinct Asian flavor. The round door in the wall reminds me of similar entrances in China. 
The only Japanese flavored Nippon ceramic I have found features horsemen whose mounts have the angular heads and bodies typical of Japanese equine depictions.
Which American whiskey producers used these jugs is largely unknown. When given away almost all would have carried a paper label identifying the source. It quickly would have been washed away to reveal the full luster of the ceramic. An exception is the jug and closure, shown below, that bears the name of E. M. Higgins and his “Old Velvet” brand of whiskey. Higgins was a successful Rochester, Minnesota, grocer and liquor dealer, who gradually became engaged in several other economic ventures.
In 1901 Higgins sold the business he had run so successfully for twenty years. The buyer was the Gucker family of Rochester, led by William J. Gucker, who may have been a bookkeeper for Higgins. Shown here, Gucker became the secretary, treasurer and general manager of what continued to be named the E. M. Higgins Company. The enterprise continued to be a highly profitable one, which brings us back to the Nippon jug. 
The pottery mark on the base of the ceramic, according to experts, dates it after 1911, meaning that not Ezra Higgins but Gucker was responsible for commissioning the jug from the Morimura Brothers. In so doing, Gucker may have been appropriating the name “Old Velvet.” That brand had been registered with the U.S. Patent Office about 1891 by the J & G Butler Company of Columbus, Ohio. The trademark did not deter copycats. As many as seven other liquor houses across America also used the name, perhaps under license from the Butlers, but more likely not.
The U.S. market for whiskey containers disappeared with the advent of National Prohibition in 1920, meaning that most of the jugs shown here are 100 years old or approaching that age. As such, they are antiques and the prices they receive at auction reflect their relative rarity. They sell from $200 to $600 at auction.
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