I found two small, hand size, vases or urns, a matching pair, at Goodwill. I could tell these were extremely well made and not cheap junk from china. Sure enough I found a made in japan stamp on the bottom. Does anyone have an opinion on these? Trash or treasure?
Probably made pretty close after WWII for export to the west. Ebay sold listings show they aren't necessarily a fast moving item but I would suspect a matching pair could fetch $30 or so. I'm sure that's more than they were at goodwill and they are cool pieces if they are your taste.
The wording on the bottom is a rough indicator of the year. I can't remember exactly but after WW2 the words were "Made In Occupied Japan" and later the words were like on your piece.
Like anything else, it's how the maker is valued. I would try to research further. Especially the symbol.