Vintage OMC Otagiri Japan Cabin/Cottage in the Country bookends, handcrafted deals and hand painted, very rare antique bookends (circa mid-1900's)

Please note this item was purchase at a private Estate sale and is due in the shop on 10/15/2022, so expect longer ship times.
is a name many collectors recognize. "Otagiri" is actually a trademark. The company name is Otagiri Mercantile Company, Inc. or OMC. (Otagiri, the company, and OMC are used interchangeably in the following information.) The company was an importer and a distributor of porcelain, stoneware, and giftware in the San Francisco area for more than 46 years. The products were made in Japan and were imported for distribution and sold to high end department stores and gift shops. Otagiri products were handcrafted and handpainted.

The company hired talented artisans to design its products. Among the artists who designed products for Otagiri are a few you may recognize: Kurt R. Kress, Bob Harrison, Angela Ackerman, Wendy Morgan, Curtis-Swan, Tracy Flickinger, Tom Taylor, Linda Pickens, Mary Hughes, and Mary Ann Baker. There are many more, but these names are the ones I have personally come across. OMC products were designed for Gigson Greetings and San Francisco Music Box, as well as many others.

There is very little verifiable information about Otagiri. The best source of information deals I have found is the corporate records of Enesco, the company that purchased the Otagiri Mercantile Co. (OMC) in mid-1900's and the very limited corporate records of OMC. The Enesco Company History describes OMC as "a veteran of the giftware industry for 47 years."