Japanese was designed in 1871, during the most innovative period in the history of Tiffany silver, and it is still one of the most popular of all Tiffany patterns. Japanese was the first Tiffany pattern to introduce silver decorated in the Japanese revival style. The flowing designs of branches and twigs with leaves, buds, flowers and exotic birds were entirely different from anything in American silver at that time.

This pattern was a direct result of the interest in exotic cultures that became widespread in the late nineteenth century. This interest led directly into the American Art Nouveau movement, whose leader was Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Tiffany's founder. Each piece of Audubon is decorated with intricate designs adapted from nineteenth century Japanese bird paintings, with eight species represented. The back of each piece has complementary designs derived from Japanese flowers. Japanese's exquisite detail lends itself well to a wide range of table-setting designs from traditional to contemporary.