JAPANESE KUTANI PORCELAIN ART NOUVEAU VASE
Twin handled porcelain Japanese akae export Kutani vase decorated with two panels, one containing a Geisha and boy whilst the other side has a lakeside scene. It has been made in a European Art Nouveau shape in Japan during the Taishō (大正天皇) period, also known as the Taisho era, which is a Japanese era that extended from 30 July 1912 - 25 December 1926.
Emperor Taishō (大正天皇) was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926.
Circa 1912-1926, the vase is decorated with two panels of typical Japanese scenes.
Marked on the base in Japanese characters Kutani (Nine Valleys) in Gold on a Iron Red background panel.
Height: 24cm
Width: 17.5cm
Kutani - Generic two character mark.
The word Kutani means Nine Valleys and is the name of an area and a village. The two characters that make up the word Kutani consist of the character for "nine", ku and "valley". Since Kutani is a place, almost all pieces marked Kutani were decorated there even if by any of the many manufacturers or trading shops, rather than just a single factory. Porcelain decorators familiar with the Kutani style could also move around so as an example we can sometimes find pieces marked Yokohama & Kobe with decoration in typical Kutani style. Many Kutani made pieces might also have just the artist's as a mark, and no location at all, leading us to also needing to look at style as a clue to the origin of a piece.
The first time we hear of porcelain from the Kutani (nine valleys) Village, was in 1655, in the in the first year of the Myoreki epoch. Japanese ceramic history has it that stones suitable for porcelain making was found in the Kutani mine of the Daishoji Clan, whereupon Lord Maeda Toshiharu sent Goto Saijiro to the Arita Village in the Hizen province to learn how to make porcelain. Kutani Porcelains from this early period are specifically called Ko-Kutani and are extremely rare. The production of this ware continued for about 50-60 years.
Around 1800 the Kutani kilns was restored in Kasugayama, Kanazawa City to make utilarian porcelains. After just a few years this kiln was destroyed by fire. Around 1806-1820 Honda Sadakichi built new kilns in Wakasugi with the purpose of reviving the old style. In 1823-1831 Yoshidaya Kilns were built in Daishoji at the site of Ko-Kutani to concentrate on commercial porcelain with printed designs. The production continues until today. In the mid-1800s the Kutani name was again revived by a number of skilled craftsmen working in different styles of which Kutani Shoza (1816-1883), working with gaudy enamels and with gold brocade, might be the best known.
During and after the Meiji period (1868-1912) up until today almost all Kutani porcelain in Shoza style was exported. Most of the Kutani porcelain we see today is thus 'Shoza style', 'Yoshida Kiln' export wares, dating from early 19th century up until today.
Marks on Kutani porcelain:
First of all, ceramic artists like physicians, have incredibly poor penmanship, and a great number of markings remain illegible. There are seven styles of writing, and all seven can be written illegibly if one tries hard enough. They are: Sosho style, Giosho style, Kaisho style, Reisho style, Hiragana (phonetic), Katagana (phonetic for foreign words), and Romaji (Romanized alphabet, such as "Made in Japan"). Many of the characters used in Meiji and before are no longer in use. You can't even assume that the Japanese themselves can read the markings. Japanese writing can be left to right, right to left, horizontal, or vertical, but not diagonal.
Markings can be in almost any colour, with red dominating Kutani, but black on green, and gold on red are common also. The mark can be incised, impressed, underglaze, over glaze, or in magic marker. They can be centered, off center, in a circle, in a square, in a double square, in a rectangle, stand alone, and can appear on the reverse or the front of a piece, or in both places simultaneously. The mark might be a place, a name of a person, artist, potter, a shop, a kiln, some marks are pictures and not words, or none of the above.
JAPANESE KUTANI PORCELAIN ART NOUVEAU VASE
Twin handled porcelain Japanese akae export Kutani vase decorated with two panels, one containing a Geisha and boy whilst the other side has a lakeside scene. It has been made in a European Art Nouveau shape in Japan during the Taishō (大正天皇) period, also known as the Taisho era, which is a Japanese era that extended from 30 July 1912 - 25 December 1926.
Emperor Taishō (大正天皇) was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926.
Circa 1912-1926, the vase is decorated with two panels of typical Japanese scenes.
Marked on the base in Japanese characters Kutani (Nine Valleys) in Gold on a Iron Red background panel.
Height: 24cm
Width: 17.5cm
Kutani - Generic two character mark.
The word Kutani means Nine Valleys and is the name of an area and a village. The two characters that make up the word Kutani consist of the character for "nine", ku and "valley". Since Kutani is a place, almost all pieces marked Kutani were decorated there even if by any of the many manufacturers or trading shops, rather than just a single factory. Porcelain decorators familiar with the Kutani style could also move around so as an example we can sometimes find pieces marked Yokohama & Kobe with decoration in typical Kutani style. Many Kutani made pieces might also have just the artist's as a mark, and no location at all, leading us to also needing to look at style as a clue to the origin of a piece.
The first time we hear of porcelain from the Kutani (nine valleys) Village, was in 1655, in the in the first year of the Myoreki epoch. Japanese ceramic history has it that stones suitable for porcelain making was found in the Kutani mine of the Daishoji Clan, whereupon Lord Maeda Toshiharu sent Goto Saijiro to the Arita Village in the Hizen province to learn how to make porcelain. Kutani Porcelains from this early period are specifically called Ko-Kutani and are extremely rare. The production of this ware continued for about 50-60 years.
Around 1800 the Kutani kilns was restored in Kasugayama, Kanazawa City to make utilarian porcelains. After just a few years this kiln was destroyed by fire. Around 1806-1820 Honda Sadakichi built new kilns in Wakasugi with the purpose of reviving the old style. In 1823-1831 Yoshidaya Kilns were built in Daishoji at the site of Ko-Kutani to concentrate on commercial porcelain with printed designs. The production continues until today. In the mid-1800s the Kutani name was again revived by a number of skilled craftsmen working in different styles of which Kutani Shoza (1816-1883), working with gaudy enamels and with gold brocade, might be the best known.
During and after the Meiji period (1868-1912) up until today almost all Kutani porcelain in Shoza style was exported. Most of the Kutani porcelain we see today is thus 'Shoza style', 'Yoshida Kiln' export wares, dating from early 19th century up until today.
Marks on Kutani porcelain:
First of all, ceramic artists like physicians, have incredibly poor penmanship, and a great number of markings remain illegible. There are seven styles of writing, and all seven can be written illegibly if one tries hard enough. They are: Sosho style, Giosho style, Kaisho style, Reisho style, Hiragana (phonetic), Katagana (phonetic for foreign words), and Romaji (Romanized alphabet, such as "Made in Japan"). Many of the characters used in Meiji and before are no longer in use. You can't even assume that the Japanese themselves can read the markings. Japanese writing can be left to right, right to left, horizontal, or vertical, but not diagonal.
Markings can be in almost any colour, with red dominating Kutani, but black on green, and gold on red are common also. The mark can be incised, impressed, underglaze, over glaze, or in magic marker. They can be centered, off center, in a circle, in a square, in a double square, in a rectangle, stand alone, and can appear on the reverse or the front of a piece, or in both places simultaneously. The mark might be a place, a name of a person, artist, potter, a shop, a kiln, some marks are pictures and not words, or none of the above.