Small Japanese Vases

[bokaba]

Two small Japanese vases. Paste looks too white to me to be Satsuma. Any ideas on age? The quality of the artwork doesn't too good to me.

[peterp]

Stan, can you have a good look at these? One mark is in Katakana, the other in Hiragana, both say "Satsuma". However, the second mark looks a bit odd.
Apart from that the fact that third character is mostly not visible, the proportion of the "tsu" is too small, and the strokes of the "Sa" character look as if the writer did not know the proper order of strokes. Even if written hastily the order should not be like this, normally.

[Stan]

Sorry, I can't help with the marks, but I see these types of earthenware all the time, I believe they are mid 20th century.