Satsuma Vase Yasuda Co Artist Ryozan 亮山 Japanese Meiji Period (1868-1912) Museum Quality

The vase has amazing and beautiful depictions of scenes in Japan. The detail is so fine and minute when one takes a finger across the surface one can feel the raised finish which adds to depth of the design.

Height: 11 7/8 inches, 30 cm.

Width: 6 inches, 15.24 cm.

Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz.

Age: Meiji Period (1868 - 1912).

Marks: Ryozan and Yasuda Company Trademark in gold. Circle with a cross mark is the Shiatzu mon or the family crest of the clan that ruled Satsuma Han.

Condition: Excellent, I inspected this vase very closely and only found one spot where the gold finish on the neck edge was a little thin.

Ryozan 亮山. Ryozan, who was born Nakamura Tatsunosuke, worked in Kyoto and studied under Nishimura Zengoro. He was the most famous artist to work for the Yasuda Company. Pieces from Yasuda Kyoto Tokiji Goshigaisha usually have the full name of the company plus the trademark.

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Shipped in a box within a box 17" x 13" X 13", weight 9 lbs to 10 lbs.

Satsuma pottery acquired its name from an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū.  From this province came one of the best-known names in the field of Japanese ceramics.  The Satsuma style of pottery dates back to the early 17th century and was inspired by in part by Korean and Chinese pottery.   The Korean exchange of ceramic technology came about due to a series of invasions launched by the Japanese to the Korean mainland.  Further stylistic influence can also be traced to Chinese products that were exported to Japan. From these influences and with the infusion of Japanese motif and sensibilities the Satsuma style of ceramics was created.

The wares were first made famous by the patronage and the promotion of the Shiatzu family who ruled over the province as the daimyo (feudal lord).  During the early 17th and 18th centuries, the production of the ceramics was limited and most were destined for the use of the Shiatzu family, therefore it was quite rare to find an authentic Satsuma ware during that time.  The scarcity of the early production of earthenware only increased their desirability to collectors and many forgeries and fakes found their way in to the open market. 

Production of Satsuma earthenware began to change due to their great success at the World Fair of 1867 held in Paris, and the opening of Japan to the outside world.  Earthenware specifically from Satsuma became fashionable and thus desirable in the Western world.  Many cities in Japan began to make “Satsuma style” earthenware to meet the demands of Western consumers.  The two most famous Satsuma ware companies outside of Satsuma were Kinkozan of Kyoto and Yabu Meizan of Osaka.   Even though Satsuma ware has been produced outside of the province and many are considered the finest examples of Satsuma style, according to many Japanese collectors and academics, genuine Satsuma ware has to be produced in Satsuma. 

The ware is defined by the opaque dense, cream colored earthenware with fine crackle glaze decorated with over glaze enamel colors.  The ceramics were highly decorative and their diverse motif ranged from elaborate depictions of flora and fauna (real and mythological) and idealized landscapes to romantic scenes of domestic life.  In the 19th century, as the popularity of the ware increase in the West, Japanese potters began to focus the production and design of the wares to a Western audience and sought to conform to what they though as Western taste.  At the beginning the vases, dishes, cups, bowls, incense burners and the myriad of other wares were typically over laden with gold embellishments and depictions of myths and idealized scenery that did not necessarily reflect Japanese sensibilities, but as the Satsuma ware business matured a more controlled and refined aesthetic developed in such companies as Yabu Meizan of Osaka.  In the esteemed history of Japanese global enterprises, Satsuma ware can be considered one of the first Japanese products that were driven by the Western market.