Yasokichi III is famed for his mastery of Kutani glazes, and the astonishing depth and color he has achieved with this vase are an excellent example of that skill. His works are mostly done in simple forms which do not compete with the spectacular colors and graduated glazes which so thoroughly dominate his ceramic art. Pieces made by this highly sought Japanese artist are consistently displayed at national and international exhibitions, and they are well represented in many museum and private collections as well.

Born Tokuda Masahiko in Komatsu, Japan, he started potting at the age of 18. He studied Kutani glazing with his grandfather, the first Yasokichi (1873-1957) and modern pottery with his father, Yasokichi II (1907-1997). Tokuda graduated from Kanazawa College of Art and won the NHK Chairman's Prize with his first entry in the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1971. He won the highest award at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition: the Japan Crafts Association's Chairman's Prize in 1977, the Hokkoku Shimbun Cultural Award in 1985, and the Japan Pottery Association Prize in 1986, when he was also designated an Intangible Cultural Asset of Ishikawa's kutani-yaki pottery. In 1988, he took the potter’s name Yasokichi. He won the Chichibunomiya Cup, the most prestigious prize at the Japan Pottery Exhibition in 1991. He was designated Important Intangible Cultural Asset (Living National Treasure) in 1997.

The woodblock prints of Sadanobu III (son of Sadanobu II) were primarily images of warriors, actors, and maiko. The overwhelming majority of his prints were published by the Uchida Print Co. of Kyoto, Japan, a print publisher catering to the tastes and demands of Western customers.

The word “Kakiemon” is sometimes used as a generic term describing wares made in the Arita factories using the characteristic Kakiemon enamels and decorative styles. Kakiemon decoration is of the highest quality, delicate and with asymmetric well-balanced designs. These were sparsely applied to emphasize the fine white porcelain background body known in Japan as “nigoshide” (milky white) which was used for the finest pieces.

The Japanese potter Kakiemon Sakaida (1596-1666) is popularly credited with being one of the first potters in Japan to discover the secret of enamel decoration on porcelain in the 17th century. He developed the distinctive palette of soft red, yellow, blue and turquoise green overglaze enamels on a fine milky white body. The family is now in its fourteenth generation. This plate is of the same superior quality as porcelains emanating from the Kakiemon workshop.

The Japanese potter Kakiemon Sakaida (1596-1666) is popularly credited with being one of the first potters in Japan to discover the secret of enamel decoration on porcelain in the 17th century. He developed the distinctive palette of soft red, yellow, blue and turquoise green overglaze enamels on a fine milky white body. The word “Kakiemon” is sometimes used as a generic term describing wares made in the Arita factories using the characteristic Kakiemon enamels and decorative styles. However, authentic Kakiemon porcelains have been produced only by direct descendants of the family, now in its fourteenth generation.

Kakiemon decoration is always of the highest quality, delicate and with asymmetric well-balanced designs. These were sparsely applied to emphasize the fine white porcelain background body known in Japan as “nigoshide” (milky white) which was used for the finest pieces. Because manufacture of nigoshide is difficult due to hard contraction of the porcelain body during firing, its production was discontinued from the 18th century until the mid-20th century, when Kakiemon XII and his son Kakiemon XIII joined forces and finally succeeded in recreating it in 1953. Kakiemon XII was designated an Intangible Cultural Asset at that time, and his works are widely sought by collectors.

The Nabeshima family kilns were founded in 1660. They produced wares to be used by the feudal lord Nabeshima as presentation pieces for the shogun or other feudal lords, and as a result, the wares were of extremely fine quality. Secrets of manufacture were closely guarded. During the Meiji period, Nabeshima wares were allowed to be sold outside the “family.” The Imaizumi family of decorators, who worked at the Nabeshima kilns from the beginning, has continued to carry on the Nabeshima tradition.

Imaizumi Imaemon gradated from Tokyo University of Art before becoming the thirteenth Imaemon in 1975, and he was designated a “Living National Treasure” in 1989. The iro Nabeshima (colored Nabeshima) style was registered as an important cultural property In 1971. Nabeshima wares produced to this day are of uniformly superior quality in materials, shape, painting and glazing. These wares are of the finest quality and are decorated in refined taste – technically, almost equal to the old specimens.

The koban was an oblong striated coin which often appeared stamped with Japanese characters and paulownia seals. The gold koban was the highest value coin in circulation in Japan, where it was minted and used throughout the Edo period (1603- 1868). The koban design motif is symbolic of good fortune and wealth.

Shoki was a famous Tang dynasty scholar who committed suicide after he failed to pass his civil service examination. Hearing of his noble death, the emperor honored him. In gratitude, Shoki’s spirit vowed to protect the emperor and his people and to expel all demons from the nation. Thus he became known as the “Demon Queller.” He is usually represented in art as a fierce looking bearded man, wearing a scholar’s hat and large boots. He is often shown catching or being bested by impish demons known as “oni.”

The gosho doll is one of noble descent, and the name means “palace doll,” a reference to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto during the Edo period. In most examples, the clothing is limited to a strict minimum, and it is either painted or pasted on. Gosho ningyo are a uniquely Japanese form, and by tradition, they represent chubby, almost naked little boys with large heads, round bodies and brilliant white skin. They generally show an originality and character which places them in a special category of Japanese dolls. The gosho was created as a presentation doll and was not meant to be a plaything. Although originally the privilege of the aristocracy, gosho dolls gradually became widely popular. In Japan these dolls are considered to be a classic art form and are appreciated as such.

To Japanese women, hair ornaments were much more than mere accessories to feminine hair-do and attire. The comb progressed from a utilitarian object to a highly decorative one on which craftsmen and artists lavished their imagination and skill. In keeping with their inclination to beautify even ordinary items of everyday use, the Japanese turned hair ornaments into extraordinary artistic objects that mirrored the cultural and social history of the period. They reflected the life and status of their wearers, who were geisha, courtesans, ladies in the court and women in their homes. In their own small way, combs and hairpins provide a miniature glimpse of the exceptional beauty of Japanese art. (See the wonderful article “Combs and Hairpins” by Sharon Ziesnitz and Takeguchi Momoko in DARUMA 35, Summer 2002.)