Each piece in this collection has a delicate design of plum branches with a low-relief texture, accompanied by intersecting lines that mimic the cracked ice surface of frozen water. These items are signed in gold pigment at the base. Although Yohei II created many masterpieces in underglaze blue, similar to those produced by Kiyomizu Shichibei, he also produced works in different styles towards the end of his career. In 1873, he was appointed as a supplier to the Industrial Center of Kyoto Prefecture, which was part of Kyoto's efforts to reach an international market through the port of Kobe. From 1875 until his death, he was involved in national projects to showcase Japanese ceramics globally. It is believed that Yohei III was apprenticed to Yohei II during this period, and this set might be an early example of Yohei III's work, signed with his teacher's name. The collection features designs with flowers resembling Japanese textile patterns. These designs remind us of Yohei II's pair of vases with plum blossoms at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In this domestic setting, the formal tree designs created for public exhibitions have been transformed into the more approachable blossoms of a gentle home environment. Though the designs are consistent, each raised flower petal and pistil, as well as each incised ice line, were handcrafted individually. The bottoms of two bowls:
Each item in this set has a delicate low-relief design of flowering plum branches over scattered, intersecting lines meant to resemble the cracked-ice surface of a frozen body of water and is signed on the base in gold pigment. While Yohei II produced many fine works in underglaze blue, like those produced by Kiyomizu Shichibei, he also made works in quite different styles later in his career, from the early 1870 s. In 1873, he was appointed purveyor to the Industrial Center of Kyoto Prefecture, a designation associated with Kyoto’s efforts to reach an international market through the port of Kobe; and from 1875 until his death, he was involved in national-level projects to present Japanese ceramics across the world. It was during this period that Yohei III was apprenticed to Yohei II, and it has been suggested that this set may in fact be an early example of Yohei III’s work, which he signed with his teacher’s name. Decorated with flowers resembling Japanese textile motifs, the set calls to mind the design of Yohei II’s pair of vases with plum blossoms in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Here, the elaborate trees created for a formal public exhibition setting have been translated into the approachable blossoms of the genteel domestic environment. While the designs are consistent across the pieces, each raised flower petal and pistil and each incised line in the ice was done by hand, so the cups, bowls, and dishes are similar yet unique.
View the original at Cleveland Museum of Art →A craft cannot call itself traditional by taste or reputation. Article 2 sets five conditions, all of which must hold: it is used mainly in daily life, the main part of its making is by hand, it is made by traditional techniques, it is made chiefly from materials traditionally used, and a not-small number of people in a defined area still make it. The designation names the techniques, the materials and the region.
The cool part. Two conditions do quiet work. The first is daily use, so a technique kept alive only for display does not qualify. The fifth is the number of makers: the law will not protect a single surviving genius, because one person is a biography and not an industry. And because the region is written into the designation, the craft is legally attached to a place and cannot move.
Verify at e-Gov 法令検索 →Use it A motif small enough to blind-deboss, which is where restraint actually shows.
Description source: museum curator text, translated — not generated