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Hello everyone, is this bowl satsuma? If so, is it modern? Thanks!

Hi Mazzy,

I'd recommend a visit to the search feature near the top of this page, where you can bring up much relevant information by using Satsuma' as your keyword. During the last year or more, Emiko and others with deep expertise to offer have provided some very well honed definitions of what Satsuma is and isn't.

I can add very little to what has been repeated here time and again, except to say that while I can't read the mark on your dish here, it is not a Satsuma mark. And if it doesn't bear an identifying signature or symbol of Satsuma, it can't legitimately be called a piece of Satsuma without hyphenating the name with adjectives such as 'type' or 'style', etc.

The matter of style brings us to the point that Satsuma ware is always made of low-fired soft-paste crackle-glazed stoneware of a pale tan hue. Your dish appears to be glazed in white, with no apparent crackle at all and a thinness associated with high-fired, hard-paste translucent porcelain. Therefore, from the standpoint of the 'style' or 'type' of material of which your dish is made, there's no ready reason even to suspect a Satsuma connection.

This is not to say that Japanese crackle-glazed stoneware without the Satsuma signature mark does not include some worthy artistic creations. You also will learn much from related remarks of forum savants when you read the search results.

Here is a set of photos showing a few but by no means all variants extant of Satsuma marks. In all cases, including the detail of a painted figure on a fine plate bearing the mark at lower left, the crackle is quite conspicuous, as is the pale tan color of the undecorated portions of the fired surfaces. The minimum clue to Satsuma is the circle with cross, which is part of the mon or crest of the Shimazu family of hereditary rulers over the Satsuma fiefdom. The Name 'Satsuma' is shown in stand-alone form under the circled cross in the picture at lower left. At the top left is a mark that includes additional and highly variable information on the studio and artist responsible for the item.

Hopefully, this and a review of past discussions will clarify a few issues and boost your abilities and confidence in sorting out the Satsuma.

Good luck,

Bill H.

Bill, I want to sincerely thank you for all of your detailed and informative responses to all of my questions. Yes, as a novice collector its still a bit confusing and overwhelming at times trying to determine the origin of the pieces and their age. There is so much to learn. But as a passionate collector of asian antiques, I am determined to learn and with the help of all of you at this forum it makes it alot easier. Thanks again

Thank you to inform me about the period and the signature of the artist

The marking beneath the Satsuma crest is somewhat diffuse but I believe the three characters read down as 'Satsuma Yaki' (薩摩焼), meaning 'Satsuma ware'. The bowl likely dates to the Meiji Period (1868-1912).

Best regards,

Bill H.

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