Are Noritake dishes fine china, porcelain, or bone china?

Noritake produces several bodies, so the material depends on the line. The company made its name with high-fired porcelain tableware, often decorated with enamel and gold. Many mid-centuries and later formal patterns are fine porcelain rather than bone china. Noritake also manufactures bone china, which uses bone ash in the body for extra whiteness, translucency, and strength; these pieces are usually labelled “Bone China” on the backstamp. Casual lines such as Colorwave and related families are stoneware or porcelain formulated for everyday use, often with colored exteriors and white interiors. On modern products, the backstamp and product description on official sites or packaging usually state whether the item is porcelain, bone china, or stoneware. Older pieces can require reference books or pattern guides, since markings changed over time and some early export wares simply carry “Noritake” or “Nippon” with no explicit indication of the body.