PLEASE READ THE MESSAGE THAT I ADDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS DESCRIPTION ON 20/7/2008. This figural porcelain Japanese sake (?) decanter/bottle in the form of a traditional/mythical Japanese character has been in the family, “for ABOUT 50 years” – so my mother-in-law tells me (and I’m not about to argue) but I am sure that anyone who has any knowledge of such things would be able to assess its age. All we know is that her husband purchased the item many years ago and that it has been in the back of a cupboard for quite a lot of the intervening time. Approximately 21cm tall, 24cm wide and 17cm deep, it is in rather good condition for its age with no chips or cracks that I can see, (PLEASE NOTE:- WHEN I WAS PACKING THIS ITEM YESTERDAY (19/7/2008)- SO I COULD BRING IT BACK TO CLARENCE TOWN FOR WRAPPING AND POSTING, IF IT SELLS- I NOTICED THAT A MINUTE (INFINITESIMAL, EVEN) FLECK OF THE YELLOW GLAZE TO LOW ON THE FRONT OF THE REMOVABLE ARM IS MISSING-TO SHOW, A VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE, AREA OF THE ITEM'S WHITE PORCELAIN BODY. THIS AREA IS COVERED BY THE FIGURE'S SLEEVE (AND THEREFORE, NOT VISIBLE WHEN THE ARM IS PLACED IN ITS SLEEVE). PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS DEFECT IS SO TINY THAT, UNDER A GOOD LIGHT- I HAVE DIFFICULTY IN SPOTTING IT EVEN WHEN I KNOW WHERE TO LOOK, BUT IT IS THERE NEVERTHELESS AND ANY POTENTIAL BIDDER WOULD NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT),but there is a scratch and some dark smudging to the rear and some dark smudging low on the character’s hair to the front – mostly to the left of the figure (we do not know what this is or how it got there – see photographs) and some of the high points have minor rubbing evident. The cork (in the figure’s removable right arm) has deteriorated over the years and needs to be replaced (having deteriorated, the cork is now loose and causes the removable arm to not sit firmly) but the matt glaze is in very good all-round condition. The hand-painted detail is quite fine (especially the facial features). I apologise profusely for the quality of my photograph of the markings to the base (no-one would make the mistake of calling me a photographer)– so the following description may be of real assistance:- There is an oval gold coloured paper label which reads in black type, “For import into AUSTRALIA ONLY” inside/around a black oval boundary, then to the lower left of that label is a gold stamp which reads, “Fine/Porcelain/ SEYEI” in three lines inside an inverted (?) laurel (?) wreath with a stylised flower (?) to the top with “JAPAN” written in a horizontal ribbon to the base (I hope that helps). I believe that this item would display well in a collection or cabinet, or could be simply returned to its original function by replacement of the cork. PLEASE READ THE UPPER CASE MESSAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS DESCRIPTION, WHICH I ADDED ON 20/7/2008........... BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT.