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.

CONDITION is excellent, with wonderful rich original patina that comes with age. DIMENSIONS: 12 ¾” (32.5 cm) high, 10” (25.4 cm) diameter at mouth. Weight: 13 pounds (5.9 kg).