Hirado wares are considered to be among the finest porcelains ever made in Japan, and they are highly prized among today’s collectors. Hirado was produced at Mikawachi near Arita, and for much of its history was made under the patronage of the lords of Hirado. Aristocratic patronage ended in the 1830’s with the commercialization of the kilns; however, the quality of Hirado remained very high. Hirado ware consists of a very pure, fine-grained and high-quality white porcelain, usually decorated in underglaze cobalt blue. It is characterized by highly refined white clay that would be fired to high temperatures, and the glaze was lustrous and void of any kind of granulation.

The lotus (“hasu”) is a water flower that rises above large fan-shaped leaves, growing in still, shallow bodies of fresh water and mud. Buddhist traditions hold that the lotus is a sacred flower. In secular Chinese art, the lotus has many auspicious meanings, variously symbolizing harmony, love, sympathy and prosperity.

The term “kimekomi” means to “tuck in” in Japanese. Silk brocade or crepe fabric was glued and tucked into grooves of the doll body made of wood or pulverized paulownia (kiri wood) mixed with jute fiber and glue. This method was first used with the clothes of wooden Kamo dolls.

Gold and silver inlays are a feature found only on tetsubin of superior quality, and fine ornamental tetsubin of this type were preferred by the upper classes for the sencha style tea ceremony. The paulownia leaf and flower, which is one of the most popular of all Japanese family crests (mon), bears a heavy load of legendary and historic significance. As an explicitly imperial mon, the paulownia ranks only slightly behind the chrysanthemum, and both are usually taken as the dual emblems of the Japanese throne. The stylized depiction of the leaves and blossom of the paulownia that adorn this vessel closely resembles the manner in which this tree is portrayed as a design motif and family crest rather than a realistic portrayal of the leaves and flower.

Tetsubin can be classified according to their level of quality, separating those of higher technical quality and more decorative external features – the so-called “ornamental” and “standard” kettles – from those of lower technical quality and less decorated ones – the so-called “rural” and “kitchen” kettles. Ornamental tetsubin like this one are wonderful examples of Japanese ironwork which are very much sought after by collectors today. A similar tetsubin was featured in the “Elegance in Iron” exhibit at the Morikami Museum and is illustrated in Figure 12 of the accompanying catalog.

Japanese metalwork, technically and artistically, has been unrivaled by that of other cultures for many centuries. In Kyoto, the Komai family was recognized for its fine decorative metalwork during the Meiji period. Made by a very difficult process of metalwork, Komai wares typically had a base of iron or steel which was decorated with minute bits of gold and/or silver and copper in exquisite detail. Their most successful products were generally small items such as this table screen. Also called damascene, high quality Komai wares are highly collectible.

Oversized dishes (“ozara”) first became popular among the wealthy urban elite in the 16th century, and paintings since the Edo period often depicted ozara as an important part of the décor for formal gatherings. In the19th century, when ordinary townspeople had become affluent and restaurants multiplied, the popularity of large blue and white dishes became even more widespread. In response to this new affluence, large dishes were produced in some quantity and sold throughout Japan. With the penetration of urban culture to rural districts due to improved land and sea transportation, Arita porcelain became widely distributed, and many of these oversized dishes were used at large dinner parties held by leading families in rural districts.

Arita is a town on the island of Kyushu which has been a center of Japanese porcelain production since the seventeenth century. With Arita blue and whites, the blue is produced from a cobalt or indigo pigment and is painted straight onto the biscuit, after which the piece is glazed and fired. Ceramics for everyday use were made at the same kilns that were producing highly ornate, purely decorative wares primarily for export. Blue and white sometsuke porcelain ozara in this style were made for the domestic Japanese market, and they are prized by Japanese collectors today. Antique Arita chargers decorated with this particular molded rabbit motif are much sought after due to their rarity.

The reverse is simply decorated with underglaze blue kanji characters, and the base is marked with a blue mark character that says “deer” framed within a diamond. There is a hole at the base of the cask which once held a plug, and a metal carrying handle wrapped in bamboo has been fitted into the two porcelain loops on the top. Horizontal and vertical rope designs have been molded in high relief to simulate an actual straw-wrapped keg. A porcelain stopper molded in rope form has a cork lining to hold it securely in place. It is rare to find these casks with the original porcelain tops intact. See similar barrel form porcelain casks illustrated in Figure 123 of the article “Tokkuri and Friends” which appeared in ARTS OF ASIA magazine, January/February 1995.

This porcelain cask has been molded to resemble the straw-wrapped cypress kegs (“komokaburi”) used for transporting sake, with high relief molded “ropes” to hold the molded “straw wrapping” in place. During the Edo period, rural sake brewers needed a method of transporting their brew to the large cities. These large porcelain casks could be carried on pack horses or transported on special ships called “taru kaisen” or cask ships. Until the 1940’s, they continued to be used to dispense draft sake in shops. Customers would come into the shop with their own smaller ceramic bottles and have them refilled with their favorite brand. These large casks are handsome decorative items that make an appealing accent to any décor, either by themselves or recycled into lamps.

The engraved four character signature “Echigo No Kami Saku” (“Guardian of Echigo Made”) is not the name of the artist but instead represents his ranking. The title “Guardian of Echigo” is an example of the many old court ranks which were conferred on craftsmen during the Edo period. Casters who set themselves up in the provinces sought the protection and patronage of local daimyo (feudal lords) who needed bronze and iron wares as gifts and offerings. The signature does not necessarily imply a link with Echigo province in northwestern Japan.

This type of bulbous bronze flower vase was used by the Ikenobo school, which is the oldest school of Japanese flower arrangement (ikebana). Kyoto was the birthplace both of ikebana and of the bronze flower vessel, and scrolls dating from the second half of the 17th century show the first examples of this most characteristic of Japanese bronze forms, the so-called futabana (two-flower) vase. By 1698, the futabana seems to have become one of the most popular ikebana vase forms, with handles that predominantly included shishi, butterflies, dragons and hares. With the emergence of flower arrangement and the tea ceremony as distinctively Japanese cultural pursuits, bronze casters began to develop new and innovative forms of vessels loosely based on Chinese originals but with an unmistakable Japanese elegance. These culminated in large bronze vases cast in exaggerated form for the classic, formal rikka style of flower arrangement, prevalent in the 17th century and early 18th centuries. (A similar shishi-handled futabana flower bronze, housed in the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, is illustrated on Plate 46 in the sumptuous book entitled FLOWER BRONZES OF JAPAN by Joe Earle.) This is an important and impressive showpiece.

PROVENANCE: This vase came from the Museum of Missionary Sisters Immaculate Conception. The sisters of this order were missionaries in Japan and China since the late 19th century. They brought Asian items back for their museum in Montreal, Canada. This museum is now closed.

Tominaga Genroku (1859-1920) was one of the principal potters of Ureshino near Arita. He began the Genroku Studio during Meiji period with the goal of producing the highest quality porcelain in the traditional Imari manner of the 18th century. He did this by revitalizing the kilns of the Ureshino yaki potters who worked in the area in the late 16th/early 17th centuries. In the mid-18th century, the Ureshino potters operated under the patronage and protection of Lord Nabeshima, a name connected with the finest Japanese porcelains.

Genroku was a highly skilled Japanese-style painter and potter as well as a teacher at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He exhibited his work only at Japanese exhibitions, and later he became head of the Protection of Cultural Properties Commission. He won a “santo shohai” (third prize) at the Fifth National Industrial Exposition in 1903. Genroku’s works are highly regarded and are considered to be of the caliber of those by more widely known studio potters such as Makuzu Kozan. Examples of his porcelains are featured in the world famous Khalili Collection entitled “Treasures of Imperial Japan.”

The art nouveau era produced wonders in match safes as countries around the world strove to supply the smoker with every conceivable figural conception. Japan, always quick to follow the West in copying and improving on new ideas, produced match-safes in wonderful forms. Mostly made of brass, Japanese cases were made in Eastern designs with unlimited artistic themes, all done in miniature detail with the most pleasing renditions and the highest quality craftsmanship. Match safes were made to give the owner both visual and tactile pleasure as they fit comfortably into the hand. Cases were appealing to both men and women and were easily carried in the kimono sleeve. (See “The Oriental Match-Safe” by Earle J. Stone in ARTS OF ASIA September/October 1986.)

Kamakura-bori is a type of Japanese lacquer ware in which wood is carved in relief and then usually covered with many layers of black lacquer, followed by layers of red lacquer, which are then rubbed down, revealing the subtle color underneath. Kamakura-bori was invented to resemble the more difficult and time-consuming Chinese lacquer-carving technique known as cinnabar style or “tsuishu.” Chinese lacquer incense containers were popular in Japan since the 12th century. Skilled Japanese craftsmen were soon able to equal and surpass Chinese examples. The uncluttered beauty of this type of carved lacquer incense container was favored by the Japanese for use with the tea ceremony ritual. Because of the Japanese preference for “sabi” and “shibui,” the very simplicity and unaffectedness of kamakura-bori lacquer works make them special favorites among connoisseurs.

The chrysanthemum (“kiku”) is probably the most frequently represented flower in all of Japanese art, affording the artist an opportunity to display his skill through his portrayal of its graceful form. A symbol of superior character, the light of the sun, long life and virtue, the chrysanthemum has been respected since ancient times and long been revered for its beauty and elegance. The sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum forms the crest of Japan’s imperial household.