Description
Arita porcelain depicting a chinese bellflower (platycodon, or 桔梗 in Chinese/Japanese). Note the SAMPLE ID tag by the Royal Trading Co., of Nagoya, Japan. A group of these buttons were brought to the US by late Polly Kirlin in the 1980s.
Made by the Ninomiya Kanzan (二宮閑山) kiln of the Arita (有田) region of Japan, as identified in the Washington State Button Society’s 2025 bulletin.
Visit the World Button Association for the online presentation by Inge Borland, the WSBS editor and a WRBA member.
Background/Story
Bellflower is a seasonal symbol of autumn in Japanese culture. It serves as one of the traditional season words in haiku poems, evoking a vivid image of autumn with its mere mention.
Its root contains the chemical ingredient saponin, and is used as a cough remedy in traditional herbal medicine.
Japanese mon (emblem) of 桔梗 (bellflower)