Each piece in this collection has a delicate design of plum branches with a low-relief texture, alongside intersecting lines that mimic the cracked ice surface of frozen water. The designer, Yohei II, created many pieces with underglaze blue, similar to Kiyomizu Shichibei's works. However, he also made pieces in different styles later in his career, starting from around 1873. During this time, Yohei II was appointed as a purveyor 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 worldwide. It's possible that Yohei III, who was apprenticed to Yohei II during this period, made this set, and signed it with his teacher's name as an early work. The designs on the collection feature flowers similar to Japanese textile patterns. The set reminds one of Yohei II's pair of vases with plum blossoms in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In this collection, the formal tree designs created for public exhibitions have been transformed into the more accessible blossoms suitable for a domestic setting. Although the designs are consistent across the pieces, each raised flower petal and pistil, as well as each incised line in the ice, were handcrafted, making each cup, bowl, and dish unique. 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 →Article 1 sets a purpose larger than preservation: to preserve cultural properties AND to make use of them, contributing to the cultural advancement of the people and to the progress of world culture. Article 4 turns that outward. An owner must recognise the object as a precious national asset, preserve it for the public, and make it public as far as possible. Ownership here carries a duty to show.
The cool part. "Living National Treasure" appears nowhere in the statute. Article 71 requires that when an Important Intangible Cultural Property is designated, the minister must also certify its holder or holding group. Japan does not register the pot, it registers the potter. Article 96 is the one that reaches ordinary people: if you uncover a shell mound, a dwelling site or a tumulus, you must leave it exactly as it is and notify the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs without delay, and the Commissioner can freeze the ground for up to three months.
Verify at e-Gov 法令検索 →Use it Two-colour foil on uncoated stock gets you most of this at production cost.
Description source: museum curator text, translated — not generated