Franciscan China in Japan

While many people (including myself) still group all Franciscan issued prior to the 1989 closing of the California plant and the takeover by Wedgwood (England) as California Pottery not all Franciscan issued during this period was made in California.

In the late 1950's, American dinnerware manufacturers were losing customers to the much cheaper merchandise being imported from the Orient. Franciscan planned to try and reverse this trend by manufacturing some ware in Japan and marketing it in the U.S.A. using the already well known and respected Franciscan name.

Two highly regarded Japanese companies were selected to carry out this program and implement the plan. Toyo Toki Kaisha, Ltd. was selected to manufacture an earthenware line and Nippon Toki Kaishi, Ltd to make a fine china line. The two lines were launched and sales in the U.S. began in 1959. The Whitestone Line (Earthenware) by Toyo Toki Kaisha, Ltd. (TTK)and the Cosmopolitan Line (Fine China) by Nippon Toki Kaishi (NTK).



My research indicates that Whitestone issued 18 patterns between 1959 and 1965. Cosmopolitan appears to have been less well received and only 10 patterns were issued between 1959 and 1961. Note the difference in the marks. While Whitestone was issued both before and after the 1962 Interpace merger and probably exists with both marks, Cosmopolitan was not produced after the merger and all the examples that I have seen only have the Gladding McBean Mark.

Another Fine China Line (the Porcelain Line) was issued in 1961 in 5 patterns, but I am uncertain which Japanese company was the manufacturer. I currently have no examples of this line to show you.

After the merger of Gladding McBean Company with Lock Joint Pipe Company in 1962 and the name change to Interpace in 1963, Franciscan's art department was involved in designing Independence Ironstone patterns, a Japanese manufactured Line that was marketed in the U.S. by Shenango/Castleton, also part of Interpace at the time. This line was discontinued in 1976, but some of the patterns were sold to Nikko (Japan) and continued to be sold for some time. Independence Ironstone was never marketed as Franciscan.