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Hi Forum Members,

Does anyone think this dish could be shoki Imari? Arjan, what's your opinion? I enjoy your posts. I sure miss Emiko!

The plate is 8 inches in diameter. It is quite heavy and has a blueish cast. There are many impurities in the porcelain and grit on the foot. When looked at very closely, one can see that the glaze is full of thousands of tiny bubbles.

I purchased this from a lady who thought it was "Ming Dynasty porcelain" (probably because of the Great Ming characters) but it sure looks Japanese to me.

thanks,
Ann

My two cents worth as a non-expert: Like you, I think that your dish could very well be shoki imari and I found at least one comparable piece by google search although without the "great ming" mark. Shoki imari is relatively rare since porcelain making in Arita did not really take off as an industry until the Dutch porcelain trade period beginning in about the late 1650s. The other possibility is that your dish is late Ming Chinese ko sometsuke (old blue and white) made in China for the export Japanese market. Many such pieces were exported in the Tianqi reign (1621-1627) up to the early Qing dynasty. Still, the blue tone of the glaze, as well as glaze impurities and flaws make me think that your dish is, in fact, shoki imari (pre-1650).

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