Incense (“ko”) played an important role in the tea ceremony, which provided a setting for the admiration of the utensils associated with it. Among the most charming of these were the kogo, small covered containers used to store aromatic wood chips which were burned at certain points during the formal tea ceremony. They were also sometimes set out as display objects within special waiting rooms where guests could relax before the ceremony began or during scheduled interludes. Exhibiting a great deal of imagination, careful observation of nature and a playful sense of humor, kogo naturally came to be enjoyed outside their role as objects to be used and admired in the tea ceremony. They were exchanged as gifts and treasured for their own sake, and their popularity gave rise to a seemingly endless variety of shapes and decorative styles.

The potters who made kogo took pride in creating highly original and often intricate forms. Many of the boxes have ornamental surface decorations, and others are treated as miniature sculptures. The production of kogo was at its peak during the first half of the 19th century. During this period, it was common practice for potters to sign or stamp their names on their work. The most extensive collection of antique Japanese ceramic kogo – more than three thousand -- can be found in The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (See “Japanese Incense Boxes Rediscovered: The Georges Clemenceau Kogo Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.”) This piece was part of a private antique ceramic kogo collection which we acquired.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, sometsuke has played an important role in Seto’s long ceramic history. In 1807 Kato Tamikichi, who had spent years studying the various kilns in Hizen Province, including the Arita kilns, came to Seto and started the production of porcelain. He successfully produced high fired, cobalt blue and white decorated porcelain wares, known as “Seto-Sometsuke.” By the middle of the 19th century, many other famous potters had settled at the various Seto kilns, and high grade porcelains decorated with underglaze blue designs continued to be made.

Traditional Japanese art treats water, even the blue water of seas and oceans, in a stylized, linear fashion rather than handling it as a colored mass, as is the case in Western art. Layered waves, composed either of chevrons or half-circles and looking as if combed, are known as “seigaiha, the blue wave pattern. More extensive and freely drawn representations of high waves, foam and spray are known as “araumi” (rough seas) motifs. Although dragons in Japanese art are often teamed with a variety of motifs, the most common design pairings are with stylized cloud or wave motifs, reflecting the animal’s association with both the sky and the oceans. (See SYMBOLS OF JAPAN: THEMATIC MTOIFS IN ART AND DESIGN by Merrily Baird.) In ancient Japanese religion, waves – both those crashing against the shore and those returning to the sea – were considered the work of the Dragon King, who resided in the depths of the ocean. Rough waves thus expressed the Dragon King’s anger, and a calm sea indicated that his ire had subsided.

This large impressive vase is truly a tour de force, reflecting the great skill required to create an incredibly complex design which expresses such dynamic motion. It is impossible to capture the size and scale in photographs. This item is as close to a masterpiece as any piece of sometsuke we have ever owned.

Nabeshima porcelain was made at Okawachi, north of Arita, and was named after the prince who founded the kilns at the end of the 17th century. The porcelain was of much higher quality than that made for export and was originally made as presentation ware for the local nobility. Production was limited, and less than perfect specimens were destroyed. From 1868 on, Nabeshima wares were produced for domestic use and Western export. The motifs found on Nabeshima wares were usually simple, naturalistic and structurally bold.

It is quite rare to find examples of Nabeshima porcelain in forms other than dishes, and this important bottle is well represented in major collections. Similar examples can be found in the Baur Collection (see Plate E-119 of the Baur Catalog); the Oriental Ceramics Society Exhibition Catalog “Japanese Porcelain”, London 1956; and page 186 in “Japanese Porcelain 1800-1950” by Nancy Schiffer.

Nishiura Enji’s porcelain is featured in the world famous Khalili Collection and illustrated on page 342 of “Splendors of Meiji: Treasures of Imperial Japan.” According to the catalogue of the Liege exhibition of 1905, Nishiura worked at Tajimicho, Gifu, and had won medals at St. Louis in 1904 and other exhibitions.

In the mid to late Edo period, horse-eye plates were one of the standard utilitarian products produced by the Seto kilns. Used for serving food, they appeared in restaurants and inns along the Tokaido Road from Kyoto to Edo, as well as in ordinary homes. Horse-eye plates are the quintessential example of Japanese mingei pottery, and no major Japanese folk art collection would be considered complete without one. They are bold, fresh, powerful and contemporary in feeling.