Ancient Civilizations

Antiques, Artifacts & Fine Collectibles

This antique, late Taisho Era (c.1920) Japanese teacup (Yunomi) has a stunning, hand-painted design by the famed artist Kutani of a Japanese scenic with a bridge and mountain in the background.  It was hand-made over 100 years ago and fired at high temperatures for lasting durability. The teacup is signed on the bottom with a red, rectangular seal by the artist Kutani (see picture).

Shimizu Bizan I

Shimizu Bizan I (1861-1931) is a famed Japanese artist was born Shimizu Takutaru in Kanazawa Prefecture of Japan.  He moved to Tokyo in 1880 to learn Satsuma pottery painting.  In 1892, Bizan opened his own shop during a time when Kutani was very popular.  He was particularly known for the delicate gold painting that is exhibited on this stunning porcelain basket.

Satsuma porcelains were mainly produced in and around the city of Kagoshima in Kyushu.

DETAILS

This teacup measures approximately 3" in diameter by 2" tall (7.5 x 5 cm). It remains in very fine condition.  Please view the enlarged pictures to enjoy the fine workmanship. 

The mark reads in stylized Kanji script 九谷 or "Kutani" or "Kutani Bizan" as he seems to be called in the West.  Bizan is the name of the ceramic artist and Kutani is both a location and a type of porcelain.

Kutani is named after a village that literally means "nine" (九 ku) "valleys" (谷 tani), where the original kiln was located, but by the turn of the 19th & beginning of the 20th  century it referred to a whole region of china making in the Hokuiku district of Honshu, the main island of Japan.

Bizan the First (1861 - 1931) is the artist whose studio did this decoration. He is one of the pre-eminent Japanese decorators of the late 1800s and early 1900s.  He was born Shimizu Takutaru in Kanazawa Prefecture of Japan.  He moved to Tokyo in 1880 to learn Satsuma pottery painting. 

In 1892, Bizan opened his own decorating studio just about the time when Kutani was becoming very popular in the West.  He was particularly known for his technique of delicate painting with gold accents that you can see in this small, exquisite teacup. 

Early in the 20th century, artists like Bizan began to incorporate western techniques and styles, including perspective and muted colors, as well as the use of liquid gold (水金 suikin), which was originally developed by Germany's Meissen. 

Most of these artists set up etsuke workshops around 1880, coinciding with the export slump. Although they did export, stylistically their pieces demonstrated a wish to return to tradition. Their works are recognized for a "restrained style" and "sparing distribution of motifs." Painted themes were often taken from literary classics, heroic legends, or represented nostalgic renderings of life in pre-Meiji Kyoto.  The small covered structure shown on the cup is that of an tea house in the mountains with a stream and bridge.  Tea houses like this one were popular retreats for the elite, aristocratic class of times past, where the wealthy could enjoy the simple pleasures of life without distractions.

The Taishō period (大正時代 Taishō jidai), or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912, to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Emperor Taishō.  The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen (or genrō) to the Imperial Diet of Japan and the democratic parties. Thus, the era is considered the time of the liberal movement known as the "Taishō Democracy" in Japan; it is usually distinguished from the preceding chaotic Meiji period and the following militaristic driven first part of the Shōwa period.