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Subject:Use and period of Seto ware...
Posted By: Cimage Thu, Jun 15, 2017 IP: 188.189.80.230

Greetings

Bought this piece of setoware, that I believe, before Meiji period. It's very massive porcelain, very heavy. 30 cm large, 6 in height. Concerning the mark all I can translate is "Nippon seto". If anyone knows the translation of the rest thanks in advance. Also I don't know what's the use of it. Maybe a vase holder...







Subject:Re: Use and period of Seto ware...
Posted By: Martin Michels Sun, Jun 18, 2017

The mark reads Kawamoto 河本 Hansuke 半助 Sei 製.
There are 2 ways to write Kawamoto: 川本 and 河本 (both KUN-reading).

This is of Kawamoto Hansuke 5th (1831-1907), also known as Kawamoto Masukichi 1st.

Because of the use of Nippon instead of Dai Nippon I guess this piece is from 1891-1907. I have no idea where this piece was used for, perhaps indeed a vase or pot holder.

With those names there is a lot to find on the internet.
Regards,
Martin

Subject:Re: Use and period of Seto ware...
Posted By: Cimage Mon, Jun 19, 2017

Much obliged Martin!

When I said I believed it before Meiji period, it was in reference to what gotheborg.com says, that being that Meiji era was characterised by nationalism, and therefore the use of "great Japan - dai Nippon". The piece lacking that expression I thought it would have been before Meiji period.
Now I don't know what happened in the period you mention (1891-1907), still being Meiji period, but just for the sake of curiosity I'd love to learn...

Thanks again.

Subject:Re: Use and period of Seto ware...
Posted By: Martin Michels Tue, Jun 20, 2017

Hi Cimage,

I wrote "I guess this piece is from 1891-1907".
Why 1907: Kawamoto Hansuke died in that year.
Why 1891 (and that is the guess): because that year the U.S. McKinley Tariff Act ordered ware to have the country of origin. A lot of Japanese ceramics were marked with "Nippon" in English, but maybe some also Nippon in Japanese?

But you may be right that this piece is late Edo. In the mean time I found on the internet that in 1862 Kawamoto Hansuke 5th established his own porcelain workshop and took the name Masukichi 1st. So signatures with Hansuke might be late Edo. However, I'm not a Japanese ceramics expert, I only collect and try to decipher Japanese ceramics signatures.

Regards,
Martin.

Subject:Re: Use and period of Seto ware...
Posted By: Cimage Wed, Jun 21, 2017

Hi Martin.

I don't know if you're an expert or not, you were pretty useful and helpful to me.

Thanks for taking the time to explicit the period you mentionned. I think also that the logics tend more to late Edo period, and your hint about the name changing kind of confirms it more.

Thanks.


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