Thank you Frederick, ball-type buttons make sense given their size. I must have spend two days searching for a like (ceramic ) bead and found nothing even close. There is currently a "pottery" bead on eBay with similar writing, but with a more abstract design, and is larger at 17mm (pic and link below). The seller says it's from a Japanese collector, and is unpublished with no other information available. Like you, I also questioned the caps and bails on the three beads - they just don't feel right, esp. on the ceramic bead (which may be missing the top cap so it doesn't cover design elements?). Do you think the ceramic bead could also be from a Court piece? Thank you again, Frederick.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/An-Edo-Meiji-Era-Japanese-Antique-Pottery-Bead/253000617576?hash=item3ae8030e68:g:-5UAAOSwcj5ZSDFN