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AITO
CHINA |
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circa 1913-1920 |
AITO CHINA
薩摩
HANDPEIN TED
JAPAN
Satsuma (薩摩)
Red stamp mark |
| same cat form and hand painting,
stamp marked Aito China |
| The sleepy cat is hand
painted in dark brown/black background with applied colored slip
enamel called Moriage and highlighted with gold enamel on bone
china porcelain. The decorations motifs are a wish for a
beautiful life filled with riches and honors to a ripe old age. |
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circa 1913-1920
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Hand Painted
九谷
KUTANI
(Aito China) |
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(continued Wares
of Kaga)
It is doubtful whether the first place among Japanese enamelled
porcelains does not belong to the Kutani-yaki. In wealth and profusion
of ornament the Chrysanthemo-poeonienne family of Imari appeals more
forcibly to Western taste, while the productions of the Kakiemon school
are chaster and more delicate. But for decorative effect, combined with
softness and artistic beauty, the Ao-Kutani has, perhaps, no equal. The
transparency, purity, and richness of the enamels are not unique. In the
best wares of Arita and even of Kyoto these features are equally
conspicuous. The charm of the Ao-Kutani is due primarily to the
admirable harmony of its colours and to their skilful massing, and
secondarily to the technical excellence shown in the manner of applying
the enamels. The Kutani potter, in tracing his designs, used enamels
with as much facility as though they were ordinary pigments, and
balanced his masses of green, red, blue, purple, and yellow so perfectly
that their harmony delights the sense of sight as keenly as the motive
they served to depict appeals to the artistic instinct. Besides, Japan
has the right to claim this decorative fashion as her own invention. Its
origin has been sometimes attributed to the Kochi-yaki, or so-called
faience of Cochin China. But the two have nothing in common beyond
similarity in the colour and quality of their enamels. Still more marked
is the difference between the Ao-kutani and every other porcelain of
China or Japan. Thus the ware acquires additional interest as a genuine
representative of Japanese taste.
The same is true, though to a less conspicuous extent, of the second
family of Kutani ware, — the famille rouge, as it may not inaptly be
called in contradistinction to the famille verte [Ao-kutani). The
dominant decorative colour in this ware is red — rouge mat; varying from
Indian red to russet. It is generally employed in diapers or scrolls
separating the raw material of all seems to be the same kind of stone —
no importance attaching to the fact that it is called clay sometimes —
we must conclude that it depends upon the degree of heat whether the
Kaga ware emerges from the oven a yellowish faience or stone-ware, or a
white or bluish porcelain." Mr. Korschelt further observes: "The
differences in the chemical composition of the Kaga wares are not
greater, but rather less, than those in the wares of Arita, and both are
manufactured from one raw material, a stone. But the analyses show that
the porcelain stone of Kaga is not identical with the porcelain stone of
Hizen. The former contains much less silica and much more clay-earth and
alkalies than the latter." |
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ASAKURA ISOKICHI (五十吉) |
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Post 1950-1980s |
九谷
五十吉
Kutani
Isokichi
Square Fuku mark |
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CONSTITUENTS OF KAGA WARE
In preparing the glazing material, lixiviated ashes of Keyaki (Planecu
Japonica) were mixed with the porcelain stones of Nabedani and Gokokuji.
It is not to be assumed that all the materials entering into the above
masses were known to the ancient potters of Kutani. Which of them they
did know, and in what manner they employed them, there is unfortunately
no hope of ascertaining now. A careful examination of Kutani specimens
produced in the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth century
shows, however, four distinct varieties of ware. The first is
stone-ware, heavy in proportion to its thickness, and of tolerably fine
quality: its timbre poor, showing a large ratio of clayey substance; its
colour grey, verging on brown, and its glaze impure white, often
disfigured by minute pitting. The second is semi-porcelain, often no
harder than faience, thin and light. The glaze of this variety, always
soft and opaque and generally showing accidental crackle, is sometimes
greyish white, and sometimes comparable to refined wax. The third is
porcelain of dull timbre but fine texture, covered with milk-white,
opaque glaze of remarkable purity, without crackle. Finally, there is
egg-shell porcelain, softer than that of Hizen or Owari, and further
distinguished by the lustreless aspect of its glaze. It would be
misleading to lay down any hard and fast rule associating special
fashions of decoration with these different varieties of biscuit and
glaze. The connoisseur will generally find, however, that the pate of
the Ao-Kutani is stone-ware or semi-porcelain.
A theory credited by some amateurs is that Gorodayu Shonzui, after his
return from China (i 515), settled at Kutani, and there manufactured
enamelled porcelain. There is no foundation for this idea except the
recent discovery of a plate of old Kutani ware bearing Shonzui's mark.
Very ample credulity is needed to draw from evidence so slender and
deceptive a conclusion entirely at variance with fairly well
authenticated annals. It ought to be mentioned that the Kutani experts
of early days are credited with a monopoly of skill in preparing and
applying a dead-leaf or chocolate brown glaze of much depth and
softness. It was copied from Chinese pieces, but the merit of
reproducing it in Japan belongs to the Kutani factory. |
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BANZAN (幡山) |
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Kutani 九谷
Banzan
幡山 |
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Kutani 九谷
Banzan
幡山 |
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Kutani 九谷
Banzan
幡山 |
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Kutani 九谷
Banzan
幡山 |
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Kutani 九谷
Banzan
幡山 |
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Kutani 九谷
(unsigned Banzan 幡山) |
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Kutani 九谷
(unsigned Banzan
幡山) |
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Kutani 九谷
(unsigned Banzan
幡山) |
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(unsigned Kutani
九谷)
(unsigned Banzan
幡山) |
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(unsigned Kutani
九谷)
(unsigned Banzan
幡山) |
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(unsigned Kutani
九谷)
(unsigned Banzan
幡山) |
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(continued
Constituents of Kaga Ware)
The popularity enjoyed by the early Kaga ware was deservedly great, but
owing to some unrecorded cause the manufacture did not long continue. It
must be confessed, indeed, that very little is known about the story of
the potteries until comparatively recent times. No names of experts have
been handed down by tradition, nor do the marks upon specimens offer
information of this character. That ware of such technical excellence
and artistic beauty should have failed to find a market is scarcely
credible. The probable explanation of the early factory's short life,
the explanation given by Japanese experts, is that the productions of
the Kutani pottery, like those of Okawachi (Nabeshima, in Hizen), were
officially limited. The workmen, forbidden to dispose of their wares
without permission, depended on the patronage of their feudal chief and
his officers, and losing that patronage — for presumably they did lose
it — had no choice but to abandon their trade. Another reason is that
under feudal rulers intercourse between the people of Kaga province and
those of other fiefs was exceptionally restricted. Devout Buddhists, and
almost fanatical in their allegiance to the Monto sect, the Kaga folks
had shown such recklessness in their contributions to the support of
that sect's great monasteries in Kyoto, that their lord deemed it
prudent to interdict all export of merchandise, goods, chattels, or
specie from the fief, except under official supervision. Such an embargo
was not unlikely to check the development of the keramic art. At any
rate, it was checked. Some seventy or eighty years after Goto Saijiro's
return from Arita, the Kutani factory practically ceased to be active,
and by 1750 the production of the beautiful thenceforth become extinct
in the province, but its products were of a common, unattractive type. |
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FUJI (藤) |
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circa 1913-1920 |
Fuji Quality China
九
谷
Kutani
JAPAN
Gold stamp mark |
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circa 1921-1930s |
MADE IN
JAPAN
(Fuji Quality China)
Red stamp mark |
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(continued
Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Things remained thus until 1779, when a man called Honda
Teikichi, a native of Hizen, came to Kanazawa, the chief town of
Kaga. This Honda was an expert potter and had worked for a long
time at the Arita factories. Falling under the displeasure of
the local authorities, he was obliged to fly from his home, and
after wandering through various parts of the Empire, he found
refuge in the house of a potter of Kasuga-yama, in Kaga. Shortly
afterwards, he moved to Wakasugi, in the Nomi district
(Nomi-gori) of the same province, and there became the guest of
Hayashi Hachibei, the head-man of the village. It was in the
neighbouring district of Enuma that the Kutani factory stood:
the Nomi district did not yet possess a kiln, and was supposed
to be without keramic materials. Honda Teikichi proved that this
supposition was erroneous. He discovered good porcelain stone at
a hill called Rokubei-yama, near Wakasugi. The discovery induced
Hayashi Hachibei to open a factory, where, under Teikichi's
direction, enamelled porcelain was produced. The artist was
assisted by three other
experts: Torakichi of Kyoto, Heisuke of
Hirado, and Torakichi of Kumano. These four men carried on the
manufacture with success. They did not, however, revive the
methods of the old Kutani potters, choosing rather a style of
decoration that resembled that of Imari but was less brilliant.
To prepare and apply the beautiful enamels of the Ao-Kutani
would evidently have overtaxed their ability. Teikichi died in
1819, having worked at Wakasugi for forty years. He left two
sons, Seibei and Eikichi, who are said to have been expert
potters. But in 1822 Hayashi Hachibei, the patron and capitalist
of the factory, finding that the enterprise had ceased to be
profitable, abandoned it.
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FUJITA
SHOKAI (FUJITA & CO.)
(藤田商会) |
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(est 1901) |
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明治34, 藤田太三郎 大長野で九谷焼商を始める。(藤田商会)
In Meiji 34 (1901), Fujita Tasaburo (藤田太三郎) established the
Kutani (九谷) porcelain business, Fujita Shokai (藤田商会) (Fujita &
Company). (reference
http://www.minamikaga.com/kutani) |
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circa 1940-1950s |
D.T.I. stamp mark
Dept of Trade & Industry
Ship's steering wheel |
TRADE MARK
MADE IN JAPAN
GENUINE KUTANI
Kutani
九谷
八
二 Hi
Gold label
(FUJITA)
[see GBouvier]
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八
ニ
Hi
MADE IN JAPAN
FUJITA &
Co. 藤田商会 |
Found on seiza
cat |
circa 1901- |
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八
ニ
Hi
MADE IN JAPAN
FUJITA &
Co. 藤田商会 |
Found on seiza
cat |
circa 1901- |
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(continued
Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Ten years later (1832), a citizen of Kanazawa, by name Hashimoto
Yasubei, re-opened the factory and placed it under the direction
of three potters, Hachibei, Kyubei, and Chojiro, who had been
pupils of Teikichi. This revival was encouraged by the patronage
of Maeda, ex-Daimyo of Kaga. In 1837 the industry received a
further impulse through the discovery — by Hachibei — of
porcelain stone at Niiyama, and pottery clay at Hachimaita, in
the district of Hanasaka. Among the decorators who had worked in
the former factory and whose services were retained by
Hashimoto, was an artist of Kyoto, named Yujiro, whose success
in using enamels after the Imari style obtained for him the
sobriquet of Akae-Yujiro [aka-e signifies painting with coloured
enamels). In 1838, owing to conflagration, the factory was
removed to Tsuchi-yama, in the same district. Seven years
previously (1830), another factory had been established in the
neighbourhood (at Ono-mura), by a farmer called Yabu Rokuemon,
who engaged two of Teikichi's former pupils, Chosuke and Gihei,
to carry on the potter's work, and Kutani Shozo, Saida Dokan,
and Kitaichya Heikichi as decorators. They used materials found
at Gokokuji, at Nabedani, and at Sano, all in the immediate
vicinity. Rokuemon conducted this enterprise until 1850, when he
transferred the factory to one Zendayu, who managed the sale of
its productions until 1860. |
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FUKU (福) GOOD
FORTUNE |
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(unsigned - Kutani) |
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Fuku
福
(Kutani) |
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Fukuei 福栄 |
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(continued
Constituents
of Kaga Ware)
In 1824 Yujiro (mentioned above) had among
his pupils two artisans, Ishida Heikichi and Kawashiri
Shichibei, who are credited with having transmitted and improved
his methods. A few years later (1830) two other potters attract
attention. These are Matsumoto Kikusaburo and Awaya Genemon. The
former appears to have undergone a very extensive training,
having been the pupil successively of Saida Isaburo (otherwise
called Dokai), a potter of Sano (in the Nomi district) ; of
Kozaka Shirobei, an expert of Yoshikawa (in the same province);
of Jozan, director of the Sanda factory (in Sesshu); and of
Shuhei, a well-known Kyoto potter. Returning to Kaga from his
last apprenticeship in Kyoto, he settled at Komatsu, and there
worked for many years, in partnership with Awaya Genemon and
Sumiya Sakubei, to revive the methods of the old Ao-Kutani
porcelain. The factory where these experiments were carried on,
at Rendaiji (in the Nomi district) was under Genemon's
direction. From 1843 ^ 1850 Kikusaburo, Genemon, and Sakubei
worked there; after which they opened another kiln at the
neighbouring village of Motoe, and continued the same style of
manufacture for three years longer. Matsumoto Kikusaburo then
settled finally at Komatsu, and in 1867 handed his business over
to his son Matsumoto Sahei. Referring to what has been said
above, it will be seen that in 1830 a factory was established at
Ono-mura by Yabu Rokuemon. Here, for the first time in Kaga, a
kiln was built of the shape known as nabori-gama; that is to
say, a number of vaulted chambers arranged, one above the other,
on an inclined plane. This form of furnace was more economical
for stoving small pieces than the round kiln {maru-gama}
previously employed. Its superior facilities, the patronage of
the local authorities, and the enterprise of the potters brought
about a marked development of keramic industry in the Nomi
district. Between 1854 and 18^9, when this impulse was at its
height, there were factories at seven places — Wakasugi-mura,
Yawatamura, Ono-mura, Sano-mura, Yutani-mura, Wakemura, and
Tokuyama-mura — each possessing a nobori-gama of from five to
twelve compartments, and the whole giving employment to over two
hundred artisans. |
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GYOSHYU
TSUKAMOTO (柄本暁舟) |
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Kutani 九谷
Gyoshu 暁舟
Red signature |
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Kutani 九谷
Gyoshu 暁舟
Red signature |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Extracting salient facts from
these somewhat confusing details, it appears that, after an
interval of about thirty years' cessation, the keramic industry
of Kaga was revived (1779) in the Nomi district, by a fugitive
potter (Honda Teikichi) of Hizen, who had the assistance of
artists from Hirado, Kyoto, and elsewhere; that the wares
produced were of the Arita rather than the Kutani fashion; that
in 1843 tne manufacture of the beautiful Ao-Kutani ware was
successfully recommenced, chiefly through the exertions of an
artist called Matsumoto Kikusaburo; that the industry grew in
Nomori-gori until (1855) there were seven factories employing
two hundred artisans; and that the materials used were found at
Gokokuji, Nabedani, Sano-mura, Ono-mura, and elsewhere. |
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HACHIMAN (八幡) |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
Found on
maneki neko |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani
Hachiman Gama
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani Hachiman Gama
Cherry Blossom
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani Hachiman Gama
Cherry Blossom
impressed mark |
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九谷八幡窯
Kutani Hachiman Gama
red signature |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Before speaking of the qualities of the wares produced in the
Nomi district, it is necessary to turn, for a moment to the
Enuma district, where, as explained above, the original
Kutani-yaki was manufactured. Here the revival of the industry
did not take place until 1809, when Yoshida Denemon, a merchant
of Daishoji, established a factory at Kutani. Two years later,
with a view to greater facilities of access, the factory was
removed to Yamashiro-mura, in the vicinity of Daishoji. Kutani
porcelain stone, from Dainichi-yama, was employed, and the
decorative methods of the old Ao-Kutani—green, purple, blue, and
yellow enamels — were followed as closely as possible. The ware
thus produced was commonly called Yoshida-yaki. Associated with
Yoshida was an expert called Myamoto Uemon. These two men
continued to work with success until 1840, when Uemon was
succeeded by his son Riemon. About this time the factory
obtained the services of an artist called Iida Hachiroemon, who
effected a marked change in the decorative fashion of the ware
by introducing a style known as Akaji-kinga, or gold designs on
a red ground. It was not an original idea. The Chinese potters
of the Yung-lo era (1403-1424) and their successors had
manufactured very beautiful specimens of this nature. Tradition
says, indeed, that Iida Hichiroemon owed his conception to a
piece of Chinese porcelain which he saw among the heirlooms of a
neighbouring temple. Other authorities connect his methods with
the work of the great Kyoto keramist, Eiraku Zengoro, whose
red-and-gold porcelain had been famous for several years before
Hachiroemon's time. It has also been shown above that the idea
of a red ground for designs in gold, silver, and coloured
enamels was familiar to the original Kutani potters. The
distinguishing feature of the style attributed to Hachiroemon,
however, was that his decoration (on a red ground) was traced
with gold alone, and there is no doubt that he was the first to
introduce this style at the Kutani factory, though in Kyoto it
was tolerably familiar. It became very popular. Pieces decorated
with the Hachiro-e (pictures by Hachiroemon) found a ready sale,
and their manufacture was continued on a considerable scale for
about twenty years. |
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ICHIMINE (壱峰) |
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Ichimine 壱峰 |
Found on sleeping cat |
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ISHI (var. SEKI) (石) |
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MADE IN JAPAN
石 ISHI or SEKI
IN SEAL SCRIPT
DAI NI-HON
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(continued
Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Again
summarising, it appears that, although the reproduction of the
Ao-Kutani ware did not commence in the Nomi district of Kaga
until 1843, it dated from 1809 in the Enuma district. From 1779,
therefore, until about 1865, the keramic manufactures of the
province of Kaga were of three varieties in respect of
decoration. There was, first, the ware of Honda Teikichi and his
successors, produced at Wakasugi, in the Nomi district; there
was, secondly, the Ko-Kutani ware, produced from 1790 till 1865
at the Kutani factory, and from 1843 till 1865 at Wakasugi, and
there was finally the gold-and-red ware of the Hachiroemon kiln,
dating from 1840. With regard to the first, it varied in quality
from dense, somewhat coarse pate — almost stone-ware — to thin
and fine, but soft porcelain. The decoration bore a close
resemblance to that of Arita enamelled ware, but there were less
massing of colours and a freer use of scroll patterns and
diapers in principal positions: gold was sparsely employed, and
the general effect was subdued. With regard to the second, the
revived Ko-Kutani, its pate was soft, heavy stone-ware, having a
dull timbre. The glazes, green, purple, blue, and yellow, were
lustrous and pure, but not so rich as those of the old
Ao-Kutani. Finally, the fashion of running these glazes over
designs — diapers, arabesques, floral scrolls, and sometimes
landscapes — traced in black, was eminently characteristic of
the time. Specimens of this middle-period Ao-Kutani are
tolerably easy to procure. They do duty with bric-a-brac vendors
for " Old Kutani," from which, however, they are readily
distinguishable by the greater softness of their pate, the
inferior richness of their enamels, the greyish tone of their
glaze, and the comparatively thin, crude appearance of their red
pigment. With regard to the third variety — the Hachiroe ware —
it was of two kinds, porcelain and faience. The distinguishing
feature of its decoration was the free use of red and gold. In
some part of the design red was nearly always employed as a
ground for floral scrolls or conventional patterns in gold. The
faience, or semi-stone ware, of this period was covered with an
opaque glaze of warm, ivory-like tint, and soft, grey
appearance, showing accidental crackle. No similar glaze is to
be found on any other ware of Japan. The decoration was more
florid and elaborate than anything seen on old Kutani-yaki,
though in this respect it still fell considerably short of the
miniature painting of the modern school. |
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1834 Ancient Map of Kaga |
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KAGA NO
KUNI (加賀国) |
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Kaga No Kuni
加賀国
Kutani
九谷
Sei |
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| KIKUSEN (菊仙) |
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Kutani
九谷
Kikusen 菊仙
impressed mark |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Hachiroemon died in 1849. Nine years later (1858), the two sons
of the celebrated Kyoto keramist Zengoro Hozen — commonly called
Eiraku — together with another Kyoto artist, Ohashi Rakusen,
were invited to Kaga by Maeda, chief of the fief. Of the two
brothers one, Zengoro Wazen, remained six years at Kutani, and
assisted in developing the decorative fashion — gold designs on
a red ground — for which his father had been so famous. The
difference between Wazen's style and Hachiroemon's was that in
the former the whole piece — except, perhaps, the inner surface,
where designs in blue sous couverte occasionally appear—was
covered with red, serving as a ground for conventional patterns
in gold; whereas in Hachiroemon's ware red was used for purposes
of delineation quite as much as for a ground colour. Further,
Wazen's red may be distinguished from Hachiroemon's by its
greater body, yet lighter, corallike tone. Pieces manufactured
by Wazen, or under his directions, at Kutani are generally
marked Kutani ni oite Eiraku tsukuru, which signifies, "Made by
Eiraku at Kutani."
During the troublous years immediately preceding and following
the abolition of the feudal system, that is to say, from about
1863 to 1869, the keramic industry of Kaga did not escape the
general commercial depression. The factories in both the Enuma
and Nomi districts were either closed or kept open for the
production of common utensils only. At this juncture an amateur
of considerable means, Abe Omi, set himself resolutely to work
to revive the decaying industry. In 1868 he caused a kiln to be
erected within the enclosure of the ex-feudal chief's park, and
engaged all the best-known potters of the district. It is
unnecessary to recount the vicissitudes that overtook this
enterprise. It cost its projector thirty thousand dollars, and
reduced him to a position of exceedingly straitened means. But
the benefit conferred on the keramic art by his exertions and
sacrifices was very great. There are now (1885) upwards of 2,700
persons engaged, either technically or commercially, in the
industry in Kaga province. Among them are 280 painters whose
pupils number 520. Frequent efforts have been made by the
authorities to improve the standard of the art, and large
quantities of the ware are exported every year. There is a
Pottery Association to which the principal manufacturers belong,
and there is also a Society of Experts who watch the work and
keep the potters supplied with good designs. Kaga porcelain has
thus been brought into considerable favour. |
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KOSEN (光仙) |
(est 1886)
http://kutanikosen.com/history.html |
Kosen is a Kutani kiln
located in Komatsu, Kagayawata, Ishikawa Prefecture. The kiln
was established in Meiji 18 (1886) by Matsubara Shinsuke (初代光仙),
the first Kosen, and he began a business making ceramics.
The Kutani Kosen cat figures date between the Taisho to
early Showa period, 1913-1930s. |
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Bone China Porcelain Sleeping
Cats with decorated ribbon collars and gilded bells
These cats are of the highest quality comparable if not better
than Noritake ware or animals. |
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circa 1921-1950s |
Kutani 九谷
JAPAN
(Kosen)
Red stamp mark |
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circa 1913-1920
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Kutani 九谷
JAPAN
(Kosen)
Red stamp mark |
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circa 1913-1920 |
Kutani 九谷
JAPAN
(Kosen)
Red stamp mark |
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circa 1913-1920 |
Kutani 九谷
JAPAN
(Kosen)
Gold stamp mark |
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circa 1913-1920 |
Kutani 九谷
JAPAN
(Kosen)
Gold stamp mark |
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circa 1913-1920 |
Kutani 九谷
KOSEN 光仙
Red signature |
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Circa 1921-1930s |
KUTANI CHINA
KOSEN
MADE IN JAPAN
Red stamp mark |
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Circa 1921-1930s |
KUTANI CHINA
KOSEN
MADE IN JAPAN
Red stamp mark |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
Table services of all kinds for Western use are produced in
great numbers. They are porcelain of fair quality, and their
invariable decoration is of the red-and-gold type. Medallions of
various shapes enclose landscapes, floral compositions, figures
or mythical animals, and are themselves surrounded by a red
ground with golden designs traced on it. The execution is often
of a very high character, — miniature painting which for
delicacy and accuracy leaves nothing to be desired. Especially
is this true of pieces having a multitude of tiny figures in
gold depicted with microscopic fidelity on a solid red ground.
But it must be confessed that the fashion lacks variety. One
wearies of a perpetual glitter of gilding and massing of red
pigment, more especially as the latter, in point of tone and
richness, does not commend itself to refined taste. The potters
themselves, appreciating the consequences of this monotony, have
made resolute efforts, of late years, to revive the incomparably
richer and more varied methods of the old Ao-Kutani. In this
enterprise a leading part has been played by Takenouchi Kinshu,—
called also Gaikyo, or Yusetsusai, — a man of gentle birth, who,
having studied keramics under the potters Okura and Tsukatani,
of Kutani, has succeeded, after years of experiment and
innumerable failures, in reproducing the beautiful green,
yellow, purple, and blue vitreous glazes of former times.
Matsumoto Sahei, of Wakasugi, has also contributed materially to
the success of this revival, and is further distinguished by the
beauty of his designs, many of which are taken from the works of
celebrated pictorial artists. Other keramists of note who have
flourished since the abolition of feudalism are Ishida Heiz5,
Mifuji Bunzo, Fujikata Yasojo, Tsukuya Sen (called also
Chikuzen), Okura Seishichi (called also Juraku), Asukai Kyoshi,
Kawashiri Kahei, Matsubara Shinsuke, Wakafuji Genjiro, Hashimoto
Hachibei, and Nakagawa Genzaemon. The decorators form a separate
school. |
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KUTANI
(九谷) |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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HAND MADE
JAPAN
Kutani 九谷 |
Found on sleeping cat |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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(unsigned -
Kutani) |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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Neiman-Marcus Japan
paper
label
(unsigned - Kutani) |
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(unsigned
-
Kutani) |
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(unsigned
-
Kutani) |
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(unsigned
-
Kutani) |
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Kutani 九谷
Impressed
mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Impressed
mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Impressed
mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Impressed
mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Impressed
mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Yasokichi 八十吉
Yuma 勇馬
Mark of
2nd Tokuda Yasokichi
二代徳田八十吉 |
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(unsigned
-
Kutani) |
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Kutani 九谷
Handpainted |
Found on
sleeping cat |
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Kutani 九谷
Handpainted |
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Kutani 九谷 |
Found on sleeping cat |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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(unsigned Kutani) |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
In former times the potters of Kutani did not use their own
names to mark their pieces. Sometimes they put the name of the
factory (Kutani), but in the majority of cases they employed
simply the ideograph "fuku," or "good fortune." The use of names
for this purpose is comparatively recent: it does not date
farther back than 1850, and is confined, for the most part, to
elaborately decorated pieces of the red-and gold type. The names
are not stamped: they are written sometimes in gold, sometimes
in red or black, and occasionally green enamel is run over the
writing. They are the names of decorators, not of potters.
In addition to the wares mentioned above there was produced in
the province of Kaga a faience called Ohi-yaki. It was of the
Raku type. The factory stood in Ohi-machi, Kanazawa (the capital
of Kaga), and its founder was Haji Chozaemon. This man came of a
very ancient family of potters. He was twenty-eighth in descent
from Naga-mitsu Michiyasu, a retainer of the Emperor Kammu
(782-805 A. D.), and twentieth in descent from Nagamitsu
Yasutoshi, who, following the celebrated statesman Michizane
into exile (905 A. D.), settled in the province of Kawachi, at
the village of Haji, so called because it was inhabited chiefly
by potters. Nagamitsu, being without resources, adopted the
potter's trade and changed his family name to Haji (abbreviation
of hani-shi, an ancient term for "potter"). His descendants
continued to earn a livelihood by the manufacture of unglazed
pottery, until the time of Haji Chozaemon, who in the year 1657
visited Kyoto, and learned the art of making Raku faience. Nine
years later (1666) he was summoned to Kaga by Prince Maeda
Saisho, and there, building a kiln in Ohi-machi, manufactured
tea-utensils after designs furnished by the Chajin Senno
Soshitsu. The Ohi ware, as it was then, and as it remained with
very little change until recent times, need not occupy much
attention. A faience with reddish brown, somewhat coarse pate,
considerably heavier than the Raku-yaki of Kyoto, it only became
interesting from an artistic point of view when used in the
manufacture of figures, — deities, Rishi, or mythical animals, —
some of which were modelled with boldness and skill. The glaze
was semi-transparent, its colour varying from peculiar brownish
amber (called by the Japanese ame-gusuri, or beanjelly glaze),
to dull black. The clays principally used for its manufacture
were found at Kasuga-yama and Hokoji-mura, in Kaga, and to these
was added a white earth procured from the province of Etchu.
Haji Chozaemon changed his family name to "Ohi." The manufacture
inaugurated by him was carried on by his descendants through six
generations until the present time. |
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MINEICHI (峰市) |
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Kutani 九谷
Mineichi 峰市
Impressed
mark
in seal script |
Found on maneki neko |
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Kutani 九谷
Mineichi 峰市
Impressed
mark
in seal script |
Found on maneki neko |
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Kutani 九谷
Mineichi 峰市
Impressed
mark
in seal script |
Found on maneki neko |
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NORITAKE |
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Kutani 九谷
M
Hand Painted
(Noritake) |
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M
Hand Painted
(Noritake) |
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Kutani 九谷 |
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ODA (織田) |
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(est 1885) |
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織田製
Oda sei
Other marks are noted with Dai
Nihon
and/or Kaga No Kuni |
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織田製
Oda sei
Other marks are noted with Dai Nihon
and/or Kaga No Kuni |
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織田製
Oda sei
Other marks are noted with Dai Nihon
and/or Kaga No Kuni |
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(continued Constituents of Kaga Ware)
The genealogy of the family runs thus: —
1. Hagi Chozaemon; came from Kyoto in 1666, and settling in
Ohi-machi, changed his family name to "Ohi."
2. Ohi Chozaemon; enjoyed the patronage of two successive chiefs
of Kaga, Yoshitoshi and Munetatsu.
3. Ohi Kambei; died 1802.
4. Ohi Kambei; had the honour of making pottery in the presence
of the Kaga chief, 1785, who conferred on him a pension of two
rations of rice in perpetuity. In 1822 he was further rewarded
with 500 me (4 lbs.) of silver. The following year he
manufactured a Shishi (mythical lion) six feet high, and
presented it to the chief, who ordered him to receive five gold
Oban (about $ 150), and gave to each of the twenty-three coolies
who carried the lion two hundred pieces of copper. Kambei died,
1839.
5. Ohi Kambei; received, in 1828, a grant of sixty tsubo (1
tsubo = 2 square feet) of land for the purposes of his factory.
He received a special commission to manufacture pottery for use
at the city mansion of the Kaga family (Hongo, Yedo) on the
occasion of the reception of the Tokugawa Shogun, Ienari, and
was handsomely rewarded. He was further commissioned to supply
pottery every new year for use in the mansions of the Kaga
family, and he executed various special commissions for the Kaga
princesses. He died in 1856.
6. Ohi Sakutaro; continued to enjoy the special patron age of
the Kaga family.
7. Ohi Michitada; had the honour of being admitted to the outer
audience chamber of the Kaga mansion, and received various
rewards from the Kaga family. He abandoned the potter's trade in
1869, after the fall of the feudal system, but resumed it in
1885, establishing his kiln at Kasugamachi. |
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A pottery primer written by William Percival Jervis, 1911
Province of Kaga.—Kutani ware dates from the seventeenth
century. Two clays are used, one a dark red of very uniform
color found in the neighborhood, the other a dark gray. Red and
gold in combination is a favorite coloring. A beautiful green
was made here, which has recently been revived by Kechiji
Watano, the same artist being very successful in his colored
landscape designs after the famous Morikage style. |
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SHOKA DO (松花 堂) |
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大日本
九谷 松花 堂 製
Dai Nihon
Kutani Shoka Do Sei
Red signature |
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The International studio, Volume 41
written by Charles Holme, Guy Eglinton, Peyton Boswell, William
Bernard McCormick, Henry James Whigham, 1910
Kichiji Watano, who has his factory in Kutani and his business
house in Yokohama, is one of the Kutani potters who were
instrumental in reviving the famous green Kutani ware, very much
admired by our collectors. He has sent several specimens of his
works to London this summer, among which there are two pieces
worthy of our special attention. One of them is a vase (page
293) decorated after Yunglo style in gold and silver over the
dull red glaze. The other vase, reproduced in colour (p. 289),
is of the green Kutant style decorated with a landscape design
in colours, painted after the famous Morikage style, and it is
very beautifully executed. |
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TAJIMA (田島) |
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加賀 九谷 田島 製
Kaga no Kuni Kutani Tajima sei
means made in Kaga by Tajima |
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The Official Directory of the World's Columbian Exposition, May
1st to October 30th, 1893 written by Moses Purnell Handy, 1893
Kichiji Watano,
Ishikawa,
Served as Councilor on the Japan Commission.
Listed under Department H, Manufacturers, Typewriters, Paper,
Stationery, Furniture and Decorations - Japan artist for Lacquer
ware and articles for house decoration.
Listed under Department K, Fine Arts, Works of Decorative Art,
Pottery, Porcelain, etc - Japan artist for a pair of vases
decorated with hydrangea flowers and a censor with figural
peacock top and decorated with landscape scenery.
Listed under Department H, Manufacturers, Ceramics and Mosiacs -
Japan artist for Flower vases and incense burner.
Listed under Department H, Manufactures, Art Metal Work,
Enamels, Glass, Carvings in Various Materials - Japan artist for
a carved metal work and a carved copper work.
Yoshiji Watano,
Ishikawa,
Listed under Department H, Manufacturers, Ceramics and Mosiacs -
Japan artist for Porcelain. |
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TAKAHASHI |
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The Japan Year Book, Volume 1916 written
by Katsuji Inahara, Nihon Gaiji Kyokai (Foreign Affairs
Association of Japan), 1962
Yoshiji Watano served in 1962 as the
President for the Yokohama Boeki Kyokai (The Yokohama Foreign
Trade Association) established in 1898 for the purpose of
promoting foreign trade. The group had a membership of 150
houses in 1962. |
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| TAME & NAKAMURA |
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WREATH
TN
HAND PAINTED
NIPPON
TN = TAME & NAKAMURA |
NIPPON MARK
VAR. #109
NOT LISTED |
This is a Kutani
kiln-artist manufacturer trademark. |
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WREATH
TN
HAND PAINTED
NIPPON
TN = TAME & NAKAMURA |
NIPPON MARK
#109 |
This is a Kutani
kiln-artist manufacturer trademark. |
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大日本 - 九谷 - 造
DAI NIHON
KUTANI ZO
WREATH
TN
HAND PAINTED
JAPAN
TN = TAME & NAKAMURA |
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This is a Kutani
kiln-artist manufacturer trademark. |
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大日本 - 九谷 - 造
DAI NIHON
KUTANI ZO
WREATH
TN
HAND PAINTED
JAPAN
TN = TAME & NAKAMURA |
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WREATH
TN
HAND PAINTED
JAPAN
TN = TAME & NAKAMURA |
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Oriental Ceramic Art, William Thompson Walters, Stephen Wootton
Bushell, William M. Laffan, 1899
V. KUTANI.
The last ware which remains for consideration is that of Kutani,
a name almost as familiar to collectors as those of Imari,
Hirado, and Satsuma Kutani is in the province of Kaga, on the
west coast of the main island of Japan, and its ceramic
productions are called Kaga-yaki and Kutani-yaki indifferently.
The exact date of the origin of the factory is not known. Mr.
Oueda gives in the table (see pages 706 and 707) the period
Kwanyei (1624-43), although in his notes, which we will follow,
he says that the origin of the Kutani-yaki dates back to the
period K&ian (1648-51). It was Mayeda Toshiharu, daimyo of the
town of Daishoji, who had the first kilns constructed in the
village of Kutani by two of his vassal Samurai named Goto
Saijiro and Tamura Gonzayemon. The materials employed in the
early wares resembled those of the stoneware productions of
Seto, in Owari, but the objects, crude and ungraceful in form,
were far from equaling those of this great ceramic center. |
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TOKO (陶香) |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed
mark |
Pair of white
rabbits |
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Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed mark |
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Kutani 九谷
Toko Saku
陶香作
Impressed
mark
東洋
Toyo (Orient)
JAPAN |
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Kutani 九谷
Toko Saku
陶香作
Red signature |
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(unsigned Toko Saku)
(unsigned Kutani) |
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(unsigned Toko Saku)
(unsigned Kutani) |
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(unsigned Toko Saku)
(unsigned Kutani) |
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(unsigned Toko Saku)
(unsigned Kutani) |
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(continued Oriental Ceramic Art)
Toshiaki, the son and successor of Toshiharu, with a view to
developing the industry in his territory, sent Goto Saijiro to
Arita, in Hizen, in the period Manji (1658-60) to study the
processes of manufacture in use there. The Arita workmen were
very loath to impart their secrets to a stranger, but he served
as a hired menial in the house of. a potter for more than three
years, and became initiated in all the details of the art. As
soon as he had learned all he could he fled by night, and his
return made a new era for the ceramic industry of Kutani. The
materials found at Suizuka were used by him in the fabrication
of his finest vases, and there is still to be seen in that
village a porcelain pedestal in the form of a lotus thalamus,
with a seated statue of Buddha upon it, which is one of the
objects modeled by the artist at this time.
The celebrated painter of Kyoto, Hisazumi Morikage, happened at
this time to be on a visit to Kanazawa, the chief city of the
province of Kaga, and he was intrusted with the execution of the
designs, and contributed materially to their beauty and renown.
Hence the name of Morikage-shitaye—i. e., "Morikage Sketches
"—by which they are still known. |
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TOKODO (陶香堂)
Established in 1937
http://www.utsuwa-tokodo.co.jp/ |
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Kutani Tokodo
MADE IN JAPAN
gold
label |
Found on
sleeping cat |
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KUTANI 九谷
Kutani
Tokodo
MADE IN JAPAN
impressed
mark
gold label |
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KUTANI 九谷
Kutani
Tokodo
MADE IN JAPAN
impressed
mark
gold label |
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(continued Oriental Ceramic Art)
The early wares, known afterward as Ko Kutani (ancient Kutani),
are of two almost distinct varieties. The first, of a grayish
pate, faience rather than porcelain, was coated with lustrous,
full-bodied glazes of the d&migrand feu, green, yellow, and
purple, the former predominating; the decoration usually
consisting of large flowers, in the midst of fret grounds and
diaper of archaic pattern, which are penciled in black so as to
show through the green or yellow enameled surface. This style is
compared by the Japanese to the productions of China and Kochi
(Annam), and it was evidently inspired by the former country.
The second variety of old Kutaui is a milk-white porcelain which
is compared to old Imari ware, and may almost be mistaken for it
sometimes. The most characteristic examples are to be
distinguished, however, by the prevalence of a peculiarly soft
russet-red, which differs essentially from the hard, full,
brick-dust red of the old Imari ware. The Kaga potters used
silver much more freely for decorative purposes than the Hizen
potters, while they relegated underglaze blue, on the contrary,
to a more subordinate position.
Tradition says that the perfection of their results was due
mainly to the great care and patience devoted to the preliminary
preparation of the materials, that the mixing and braying of the
coloring materials was the daily task of the women and children
at the Kutani potteries, and that the rich deep red of the older
periods was ground for six months under the pestle before it
passed into the hands of the painter.
Although the early Kaga productions were so highly appreciated,
the manufacture fell into decay afterward,' and the kilns of
Kutani were abandoned some sixty or seventy years after their
foundation. The industry was revived in the seventh year of
Bunkwa (1810), by Yoshidaya Hachiyemon, a merchant of Daishoji,
who rebuilt the ancient factories and reproduced the different
varieties of the old productions. This was the renaissance of
the ceramic industry of Kutani. In the eleventh year of the same
period (1814) the kilns were moved to Yauiashiro, a locality
which offered greater facilities of transport; but the necessary
materials were still brought there from Kutani and Suizuka. The
new fabrications are called Yoshidaya-yaki, after the name of
the merchant who revived the industry that had almost
disappeared. They rank in quality immediately after the Ko
Kutani. |
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TOSHU DO (陶朱洞) |
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Toshu Do 陶朱洞 |
vase |
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Toshu Do 陶朱洞 |
vase |
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(continued Oriental Ceramic Art)
Yoshidaya
was succeeded by Miyamotoya Riyemon in the sixth year of Tempo
(1835). The new director was assisted by the painter lidaya
Hachiroyemon, who revived the art of decorating in gold upon the
red ground in the characteristic Kutani style. He was the first
to introduce the Nishiki style of decoration into these
potteries. The porcelain made to-day in the district of Nomi and
at Kanazawa is, generally speaking, very similar to lidaya's.
During the last years of the feudal period the house of Mayeda,
of Daishoji, encouraged the local industry by large grants of
money, and engaged Yeiraku Zengoro, the twelfth of the famous
family of hereditary potters of Kyoto, to come to Yamashiro to
superintend the work. This potter, whose personal name was
Hozen, arrived in 1863, and during the five years that he
remained a number of objects were made in the kinrande, or
"goldbrocaded," style, of finished form and decoration, and
fired in the kilns that were called after him, Yeiraku-gama. But
the Yeiraku kilns were closed at the time of the revolution in
1868.
Porcelain commonly known under the name of Kutaniyaki is made in
several other localities of the province of Kaga, within the
districts of Enuma and Nomi. The ceramic productions of these
two districts are generally classified under the headings of
Enuma Kutani and Nomi Kutani. The names of many celebrated
potters are recorded who have worked in these factories, but
there is no space for them here. Potteries exist in the present
day at more than twenty localises in the district of Nomi alone.
It is in these that the porcelain so well known abroad as
Kaga-Ware is made. It is painted with a profusion of designs of
the red and gold type, often executed with the delicacy and
accuracy of a miniature painting, but the gaudy glitter of
gilding and massing of red pigment pall after a time upon the
least fastidious taste. The Japanese themselves have never
appreciated it, and the potters, fearing the inevitable
consequences of the monotony, are now reviving with some success
the richer and more varied methods of the older Imari
decorations in polychrome enamels. One of the Kaga potters,
Watano Kichiji, sent to the Chicago Exposition in 1893 a pair of
large vases illustrating this revival. They were covered with an
elaborate and boldly designed decoration of hydrangea flowers
and leaves in full-toned and brilliant enamels, purple, blue,
and green on a yellow ground. Their decorative effect was fine,
and they were highly praised. |
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TOZO (陶三) |
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Kutani 九谷
Tozo 陶三 |
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Kutani 九谷
Tozo 陶三 |
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YA (ROOF) - YAGO (八)
SYMBOL |
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Yago is a term applied in traditional
Japanese culture to names passed down within a guild, studio, or
other circumstance other than blood relations.
The character (谷)
has two meanings: TANI and YA. For example, (亜谷) is A-YA and
(谷田) is YA-TA or (九谷) is KU-TANI.
According to Georges Bouvier at
www.gbouvier.com , the
character (八) is a YAGO mark related to
Kutani kilns. |
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| Patten
Nippon backstamp #97 |
Patten
Nippon backstamp #263-1 |
Nippon
backstamp #263-2 |
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The character under the YA-YAGO is the kana character (千)
SEN means 1,000. |
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The YA-YAGO (八)
resembles the roof of a house or temple monastary and can be
seen in the TANI (谷)
character
for Ku-tani (九谷).
The YA-YAGO (八) character symbol can be
seen in Patten Nippon backstamps #s 28, 60, 97 & 263, and I
found a Nippon backstamp not noted in her books and I am
numbering it here as #263-2 because it is the same maker as #263
but a later backstamp. Notice how the YA-YAGO (八)
character in #97 is open on the top portion, like an open split
roof. Later, in backstamps # 263-1 & 263-2 by the same maker,
the opening was closed to form a closed roof. The character
under the YA-YAGO is the kana character (千)
SEN means 1,000. |
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closeup
cropped version of ad |
Patten Nippon backstamp #96
S. & K. within IGETA (diamond) |
1918 ad for Saji & Kariya Co. (S & K)
click to open pdf |
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Saji & Kariya Co.
[佐地苅谷商]
佐地 Saji
苅谷 Kariya
商 Co, company |
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It may possibly be that the maker of Nippon
backstamp #s 97, 263-1 & 263-2 is the same maker for backstamp #
96. I recently found a 1918 advertisement for S. & K., who are
Saji & Kariya Co., with their trademark S & K within IGETA
(diamond). Notice the name Kari-ya is formed by the character
(谷) and pronounced YA and not TANI. |
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YA-YAGO(八)-IGETA SYMBOL |
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It is quite possilble the origination of the "Nippon
IGETA (diamond)" (see Patten Nippon backstamps #96, 110, 119,
152, 153, 154, 155, 163, 167, 198, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215,
237, 238, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 290) backstamps are derived
from the YA-YAGO (八) character. This
is especially evident in Patten Nippon backstamps #97 showing an
open roof to transitioned backstamp #263-1 & 263-2 having a
closed roof. Also if backstamp #96 is the same maker, the
closed roof transformed into IGETA (diamond).
This transition from open roof to IGETA (diamond) can be seen in
the impressed MADE IN JAPAN backstamp shown below. At first
glance, you see the diamond (♦) symbol but upon closer
examination it is actually a YA-YAGO (八) character forming IGETA
(diamond). The kana character under the YA-YAGO is (ア) A.
It is also possible that certain makers whose trademarks have
the "Nippon IGETA (diamond)" backstamp are related to Kutani
kilns. It may be that relationship was one in which Kutani
artists were contracted for painting porcelain wares not
originating from Kutani kilns. |
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YA-YAGO-IGETA |
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八
ア
A
1921-1930s
MADE IN JAPAN
red stamp mark |
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八
ア A
1921-1930s
MADE IN JAPAN |
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八
ア A
within IGETA (diamond) |
1921-1930s
MADE IN JAPAN
impressed mark
Found on 12" white gilded sleeping cat |
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八
ア A
1921-1930s
MADE IN JAPAN
impressed mark |
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TRADE MARK
MADE IN JAPAN
GENUINE KUTANI
Kutani 九谷
八
二 Hi
Gold label
(FUJITA)
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Pair of swans |
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HAND
PAINTED
八
光 KO
JAPAN
green stamp mark |
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ニ
Hi
MADE IN JAPAN
FUJITA & Co. 藤田商会 |
Found on seiza
cats |
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DAI NI-HON 大日本
八
さ SA
MADE IN JAPAN
Red stamp mark |
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Made
in Japan
八
シ Si or Shi
(Kana character)
incised mark |
Found on
Figural Pekingese Saki Decanter and Cup Set |
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Seyei Toki Co
Moriyama
Wreath
Hand Painted
Japan
八
シ Si or Shi
black stamp mark |
Found on sleeping cat
that has the same sleeping cat form marked Hotta Yu Shoten. It
is unknown how these two makers are related. The cat also had
the 1933 World's Fair Century of Progress label. |
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1933 World's Fair Century of Progress label with MM red stamp
mark
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Seyei Toki Co
Moriyama
Wreath
Hand Painted
Japan
八
シ Si or Shi
black stamp mark |
Note: It is
unknown how Seyei Toki Co Moriyama is related to Kutani kilns.
Another mystery... |
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Seyei Toki Co
Moriyama
MM
MADE IN JAPAN |
Note: It is
unknown how Seyei Toki Co Moriyama is related to Kutani kilns.
Another mystery... |
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Hand Painted
八
S 千 K
NIPPON |
千
Sen |
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Hand Painted
八
S 千 K
MADE IN NIPPON |
千
Sen |
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Hand Painted
八
S 千 K
MADE IN
NIPPON |
千
Sen |
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(Hand Painted
八
S & K
NIPPON
(tentative) |
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(continued Oriental Ceramic Art)
Kutani porcelain is illustrated in Plates CIII
and CIV, and the pictures give a good idea of the peculiarly
soft tone of the red ground in the old pieces, which forms such
an effective background for the decorative scrolls painted upon
it in gold and silver. This is the kinrande or "gold brocade"
decoration of ceramic writers, and it is evidently inspired by
the silk stuffs interwoven with designs in gold and silver
thread, which have been made on the looms of the far East from
time immemorial, and of which one of the favorite grounds is a
soft vermilion. The ceramic designs, too, are those of the old
silk brocades of China and Japan: dragons winding through
crested waves, phoenixes traversing scrolls of the tree-peony,
conventional bands of sacred lotus, and medallions of formal
flowers, with borders of fret pattern, encircling rings of
lotus-petals, chains of beads with tassels, and the like.
No large vases nor purely ornamental pieces seem to have been
made in the Kutani kilns in the early days, only incense-burners
and incense-boxes, sake-bottles and wine-cups, bowls and dishes,
and other articles of daily use. The small censer in Plate CIII
and the first rice bowl in Plate CIV are decorated in the
typical style, with gilded and silvered designs upon the red
ground; the rice-bowl in Plate CIII is decorated besides with
touches of enamel colors of subdued tone, including a pale
green. The three pieces are referred to the same period, about
the middle of the last century; they have a buff-colored or
grayish pate, and are enameled red underneath the feet as well,
one of the bowls being so completely coated that none of the
pate is visible. The third bowl (Plate CIV, Fig. 2) is somewhat
older, being attributed to the beginning of the century. It is
of thinner, more translucent material, and is molded in the
interior with intricate floral scrolls and fret borders, after
the technique of some of the ancient Chinese porcelains, while
the rim is mounted with a silver collar in the fashion of
ancient Chinese bowls of the Sung dynasty. The ground between
the red medallions with which it is decorated outside is filled
in with the so-called yorakude or " necklace" designs of the
Japanese painted in enamels. |
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References
http://www.minamikaga.com/kutani |
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