Antique Japanese Studio Porcelain IMURA Yokohama & KATO Seto Lg. Lidded Jar Vase
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/2/7/132721643/published/pxl-20230529-203515186.jpg?1685394495)
For sale:
www.ebay.com/sch/xcoasterxtreme/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
See also:
Type: Lidded Jar / Vase
Material: Porcelain
Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Origin/Maker: A collaborative piece by two famous maker's Imura Hikojiro 井村彦次郎 (?-1897) of Yokohama, and Kato Shigeju of Seto. Imura's mark is in red, and he would have been responsible for the painted decorations, and Kato's mark is in underglaze blue (the right side of the mark is for Seto, the left side is Seto Kato Shigeju zo meaning Made by Kato Shigeju of Seto), and he would have supplied the celadon glazed porcelain blank pot from Seto.
Imura Hikojiro 井村彦次郎 (?-1897), Imura Toki Kaisha 井村陶器会社 (Business from 1876-1912), Yokohama, Japan.
Imura focused on the fact that the painting of ceramics for export that was being done in Tokyo at the start of the Meiji era was flourishing. He transported materials from the Nobi region to Yokohama, and around 1875 (year 8 of the Meiji era) he gathered talented artists and materials from each region, and established a factory in Yokohama that specialized in over-glazing. Initially, after establishing the first factory in Onoe Town, Yokohama, it grew steadily and developed into a large export company with a total of four factories such as in Aioi Town and Tokiwa Town. Together with two hundred craftsmen, including Makuzu Kozan, he was successful as a leading figure in the Yokohama overseas export ceramics industry.Born in Takaichi District in Yamato Province, he was originally an oil merchant. He also took the name of Matsuishiya.
(japanese-ceramics.com/imura-ceramics-corporation-imura-hikojiro-%E4%BA%95%E6%9D%91%E9%99%B6%E5%99%A8%E7%94%BB%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE-%E4%BA%95%E6%9D%91%E5%BD%A6%E6%AC%A1%E9%83%8E/)
KATO was a famous Japanese ceramist family in Seto. The first known of the line was Kato Shirozaemon / Kagemasa (Toshiro) who in 1228 went to China with the monk Dogen, learnt stoneware firing in the south of China and after returning to Seto, Owari (now Aichi prefecture) in 1230, built the first kiln there and basically established the Japanese ceramic industry. From this on Japanese porcelain is called Setomono after this location. His descendants carry on the tradition until today.
In 1807 Kato Tamikichi, who had spent years studying the various kilns in Hizen Province, including Arita, came to Seto and started the production of porcelain. He successfully produced high fired, underglaze 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 started to make this high grade underglaze blue and white porcelains.
In 1852 Kato Shubei I (1819-1900) opened a porcelain factory under the business name Hakuundo (While Claud Hall) along with his son. In 1877 the son adopted his father's name when he became head of the family porcelain workshop. He then continued the family business under the name of Kato Shubei II (1848-1903), producing porcelain items for export, especially to Britain and the U.S.A.
Their products were both blue and white (sometsuke) and celadon glazed (seiji) porcelain. The marks used was Hakuundo, Hakuundo Shubei, and Hakuundo Sei, where Sei was short for Kato Seishin, a relative, who decorated porcelain wares for Hakuundo.
Selected litterature: General View of Commerce & Industry in the Empire of Japan, 1893, Department of Agriculture and Commerce of Japan "The business name for Kato Shiubei (sic) is Hakuundo located in Seto-cho, Higashikasugaigori in Aichi-ken. They manufactured porcelain wares". Brinkley, "Japan - its history, arts and literature, 1901" marks #631 and #632.
(www.gotheborg.com/marks/seto.shtml)
Size: 13 1/4" tall ( cm)
Weight: 8 lbs 11 oz (3942 g)
Provenance:
Collected: Seattle WA antique store OCT 2022
Condition: Item is used in fair condition commensurate with age, see photos. Spiderwebbing hairline cracks on base with no loss of material. Two hairline cracks running vertically down from top of jar. Original to manufacture chip to underside of lid (glazed over). Spme wear to painted design.
Subject: Decorated with six painted panels with different designs, on a celadon base, with a lid topped with a sculpted buddha's hand citron finial handle. Panel 1 has two women and a man in Heian style clothing sitting at a opulent house (presumably in Kyoto). Panel 2 has several birds among pink flowers. Panel 3 has two ducks in a pond, near some pink peony (botan) or camellia (tsubaki) flowers. Panel 4 has two ducks or geese in flight above a river. Panel 5 has a farmer with an ox with a village in the background, possibly a reference to the stages of Zen. Panel 6 has a bird perched among flowers above a waterfall, holding a praying mantis in its beak (possibly an allegory warning against pride, that even though you might be the strongest in your field (a mantis being a formidable predatory insect), there is always someone that can best you (in this case, a small bird)).
Location:
Antique Japanese Studio Porcelain IMURA Yokohama & KATO Seto Lg. Lidded Jar Vase
www.ebay.com/sch/xcoasterxtreme/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
See also:
Type: Lidded Jar / Vase
Material: Porcelain
Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Origin/Maker: A collaborative piece by two famous maker's Imura Hikojiro 井村彦次郎 (?-1897) of Yokohama, and Kato Shigeju of Seto. Imura's mark is in red, and he would have been responsible for the painted decorations, and Kato's mark is in underglaze blue (the right side of the mark is for Seto, the left side is Seto Kato Shigeju zo meaning Made by Kato Shigeju of Seto), and he would have supplied the celadon glazed porcelain blank pot from Seto.
Imura Hikojiro 井村彦次郎 (?-1897), Imura Toki Kaisha 井村陶器会社 (Business from 1876-1912), Yokohama, Japan.
Imura focused on the fact that the painting of ceramics for export that was being done in Tokyo at the start of the Meiji era was flourishing. He transported materials from the Nobi region to Yokohama, and around 1875 (year 8 of the Meiji era) he gathered talented artists and materials from each region, and established a factory in Yokohama that specialized in over-glazing. Initially, after establishing the first factory in Onoe Town, Yokohama, it grew steadily and developed into a large export company with a total of four factories such as in Aioi Town and Tokiwa Town. Together with two hundred craftsmen, including Makuzu Kozan, he was successful as a leading figure in the Yokohama overseas export ceramics industry.Born in Takaichi District in Yamato Province, he was originally an oil merchant. He also took the name of Matsuishiya.
(japanese-ceramics.com/imura-ceramics-corporation-imura-hikojiro-%E4%BA%95%E6%9D%91%E9%99%B6%E5%99%A8%E7%94%BB%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE-%E4%BA%95%E6%9D%91%E5%BD%A6%E6%AC%A1%E9%83%8E/)
KATO was a famous Japanese ceramist family in Seto. The first known of the line was Kato Shirozaemon / Kagemasa (Toshiro) who in 1228 went to China with the monk Dogen, learnt stoneware firing in the south of China and after returning to Seto, Owari (now Aichi prefecture) in 1230, built the first kiln there and basically established the Japanese ceramic industry. From this on Japanese porcelain is called Setomono after this location. His descendants carry on the tradition until today.
In 1807 Kato Tamikichi, who had spent years studying the various kilns in Hizen Province, including Arita, came to Seto and started the production of porcelain. He successfully produced high fired, underglaze 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 started to make this high grade underglaze blue and white porcelains.
In 1852 Kato Shubei I (1819-1900) opened a porcelain factory under the business name Hakuundo (While Claud Hall) along with his son. In 1877 the son adopted his father's name when he became head of the family porcelain workshop. He then continued the family business under the name of Kato Shubei II (1848-1903), producing porcelain items for export, especially to Britain and the U.S.A.
Their products were both blue and white (sometsuke) and celadon glazed (seiji) porcelain. The marks used was Hakuundo, Hakuundo Shubei, and Hakuundo Sei, where Sei was short for Kato Seishin, a relative, who decorated porcelain wares for Hakuundo.
Selected litterature: General View of Commerce & Industry in the Empire of Japan, 1893, Department of Agriculture and Commerce of Japan "The business name for Kato Shiubei (sic) is Hakuundo located in Seto-cho, Higashikasugaigori in Aichi-ken. They manufactured porcelain wares". Brinkley, "Japan - its history, arts and literature, 1901" marks #631 and #632.
(www.gotheborg.com/marks/seto.shtml)
Size: 13 1/4" tall ( cm)
Weight: 8 lbs 11 oz (3942 g)
Provenance:
Collected: Seattle WA antique store OCT 2022
Condition: Item is used in fair condition commensurate with age, see photos. Spiderwebbing hairline cracks on base with no loss of material. Two hairline cracks running vertically down from top of jar. Original to manufacture chip to underside of lid (glazed over). Spme wear to painted design.
Subject: Decorated with six painted panels with different designs, on a celadon base, with a lid topped with a sculpted buddha's hand citron finial handle. Panel 1 has two women and a man in Heian style clothing sitting at a opulent house (presumably in Kyoto). Panel 2 has several birds among pink flowers. Panel 3 has two ducks in a pond, near some pink peony (botan) or camellia (tsubaki) flowers. Panel 4 has two ducks or geese in flight above a river. Panel 5 has a farmer with an ox with a village in the background, possibly a reference to the stages of Zen. Panel 6 has a bird perched among flowers above a waterfall, holding a praying mantis in its beak (possibly an allegory warning against pride, that even though you might be the strongest in your field (a mantis being a formidable predatory insect), there is always someone that can best you (in this case, a small bird)).
Location:
Antique Japanese Studio Porcelain IMURA Yokohama & KATO Seto Lg. Lidded Jar Vase