"Fuku" mark consists of a 福 kanji inside a "fan"-shaped frame. Items bearing this mark are of very high quality and are certainly made during the Meiji era.
Unfortunately, such a simple trade mark almost impossible to attribute. Only one kanji, which is very popular ("福" means "luck" or "fortune") can not only
belong to a specific maker or company, but as well be a place (Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, etc.). Fukui in this regard has an adventage since framed 福 mark is
a very popular mark found on Japanese porcelain pieces. Most of the items marked with 福 originated from one place, called Kutani [九谷]
village (later - Daishoji and now is a part of the Kaga city). Regarding enamels, it even received its own name, a "Kutani porcelain".
Example of a Kutani porcelain dish.
If we take a closer look at the area near the Kutani village, we notice that it is extremely close to the Fukui city (27 km or 17 miles apart).
Map of the southwest of the Ishikawa prefecture.
Consequently, the 福井 probably means that a piece of art was produced in Fukui, just like 福 many times means
it was produced in the Kutani village or in the Kutani porcelain style. In contrast to a Kutani porcelain, "Fuku" mark on cigarette cases is accompanied by
a fan-shape frame. Perhaps this fact one day will make the attribution possible.
