Morimura, an important representative of Japanese commerce during that era, recognized the potential for exports to the United States. In 1876 he established Morimura-kumi to ship china and other gift items to America, distributed through a wholesale and retail store in New York. Baron Morimura soon realized that the American market was ripe for fine china dinnerware manufactured in Japan. In order to ensure that his exports were of the highest quality, however, he decided to control production by building his own factory. To that end, he founded a new company called Nippon Toki Gomei Kaisha in the village of Noritake, near Nagoya, on January 1, 1904. more... See more text