Tokyo National Museum

TK1; Large vase with Hydrangeas by Watano Kichiji, Meiji era, 1892. Porcelain with overglzae decoration. TKO2-TKO4: Large deep bowl with birds and flowers, Imari ware, Kakiemon-style, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel. Birds and auspicious flowers such as peonies and crysanthemums adorn this bowl, rendered in glossy enamel pigments over a clear glaze. The bowl was likely meant for export but never left Japan. Many similar items are now found in collections throughout Europe, where they were sold as luxury good.

TK05: Large dish with bird in an oak tree. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel. TK06-TK08: Bowl with the Daoist Immortal Qin Gao. Porcelain with underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold.

TK09: Octagonal dish with Chinese boys breaking a pot. Imari ware, Kakiemon style, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with overglaze enamel. TK10-TK12: Tree-legged dish with irises. Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue.

TK13-TK16: Large bowl with a landscape. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue.

TK17-TK20: Large dish with flowers. Edo period, 18th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel. From the late 1600s, Japanese artisans produced large quantities of luxury porcelain decorated with gold and multicolor enamels. Large dishes like this example, as well as ornamental lidded jars were intended for export to Europ by the Dutch East India company. There, they were highly sought after by kings and nobles as palace ornaments.

TK21-TK24: Large covered jar with lions and phoenixes. Imari ware, Edo period, 18th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue, overglaze enamel and gold. These ornamental jars were designed for the European market, where porcelain shipped from distant Asia was a valuable commodity. They are among the largest and most ornate examples of Japanese export porcelain. Ceated as a pair, they reflect the European preference for displaying symmetrical arrangements.

TK25: Dish with geese and reeds. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. TK26: Sake cup with poppies. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with blue glaze. TK27.TK28: Large flower-shaped dish with butterflies. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 19th century. Porcelain with overglaze blue.

K29-TK32: Gong-shaped bowl with a landscape and boating figure. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel, Early Japanese porcelain was strongly influenced by Chinese designs. The scene in the center of this dish is based on a farewell poem by renowned Chinese poet du Mu (803-852). Titled Sending off a Friend Traveling to Hunan, it includes a line that echoes the image on this dish: “/the autumn water of Dongting Lake stretch far into the sky.”

TK33, TK34: Dish with karahana flowers. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 17th-18th century. Porcelain with unerglaze blue with overglaze enamel. TK35, TK36: Dish with gourds. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and celadon glaze.

TK37, TK38: Bowls (Mukozuke)with flowers. Nabeshima ware, Edo period, 17th-18th century. Porcelain with overglaze enamel. TK39, TK40: Shallow bowl with a kingfisher. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel.

TK41: Sake bottle with a landscape. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. Glazed porcelain with gold and silver. TK42-TK44: Footed bowl with a phoenix. Imari ware, Edo period, 17th century. Porcelain with overglaze enamel. This bowl represents a style of Japanese porcelain called aode (“blue style”). developed in the mid-1600s, this style features multicolor enamels painted over the entire surface. Here, the painted decoration portrays a Chinese phoenix, a popular symbol of good fortune and virtuous leadership.

TK45: Eight-sided tray with a flying phenix, by Okuda Eisen, Edo period, 18-19th century. Porcelain with overglaze enamel. Born to a merchant family in Kyoto, Okuda Eisen (1753-1811) became a celebrated potter after learning his craft as a hobby. Here he recreated the form of a wooden dining tray in the medium of porcelain. the painted decoration is inspired by Chinese ceramics, with a mythical Chinese phoenix taking flight in the center. TK46-TK48: Set of dishes (mukozuke) with figures, by Eiraku Zengoro, Edo period-Meiji era, 19th century. Stoneware with overglaze enamel and gold. These food dishes are painted with images of immortal beings riding on clouds, a design symbolizing long life and good fortune. The dishes were likely created by Eiraku Hozen (1795-1854) or Eiraku Wazen (1823-1896), both of whom belonged to a prominent line of ceramic artists dating back to the 1500s.

TK49: Incense container with rough waves by Eiraku Ryozen, Edo period, 19th century. Stoneware with three-color glaze. TK50: Bowl with a peony. Kairakuen ware, Edo period, 19th century. Glazed stoneware. TK51: Dish with a peony. Kairakuen ware, Edo period, 19th century. Glazed stoneware. TK52: Sta. Kainding screen with a figure riding a donkey, Kairakuen ware, Edo period, 19th century. Glazed stoneware.

TK49, TK50: Stemmed dish with pines and lingzhi mushrooms, by Ninnami Dohachi (1783-1855) and Noro Kaiseki (1747-1828). Kairakuen ware, Edo period, 1827. Porcelain with underglaze blue. TK55, TK56: Bowl with flying horses by Eiraku Hozen, Edo period, 19th century. Stoneware with three-color glaze.