Page 65 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

cat. 50
Eiraku Hozen,
Water jar with carp and waves
design (two views),
early eighteenth century,
stoneware with colored glaze,
lacquer, and gold foil,
15.7 (6 Vs) high,
Agency for Cultural Affairs,
Tokyo

6 4

mouth of the jar. In sum, the form, function, and medium of this piece all combine with the style of cat. 18
Dish lüith radish and waves design,
ornament to create a strong example of Edo design. In addition, the realistic depiction of the two fish c. 1680-16905,
reflects new developments in Edo aesthetics at the time. Nabeshima ware porcelain,
20.4 (8Ys) in diameter,
Edo style is fully developed by the Genroku era (1688 -1704), and ceramic wares like Utsutsu- Imaemon Museum of Ceramic
gawa exhibit the hallmark integration of shape and pattern. One Utsutsugawa dish (cat. 34) has the Antiques, Saga
shape and color of a melon, with a smaller melon and a melon vine depicted on the inside surface.
cat. 19
The shape of the dish is somewhat abstract, whereas the painted decoration is more naturalistic. It is Dish with /ailing snoiu/lakes design,
in the tension between these two renderings, one contained within the other, one sculptural and the c. 16905, Nabeshima ware
porcelain, 20.2 (8) in diameter,
other pictorial, that the piece becomes a successful expression of mature Edo kazari. Imaemon Museum of
Arguably the most refined manifestation of Edo ornament is seen in Nabeshima porcelain, Ceramic Antiques, Saga
produced after the 16705 at the official Ókawachi kiln. This porcelain was the exclusive purvey of the
cat. 20
Nabeshima daimyo, their friends, and retainers, although it was also produced for presentation gifts to Dish with tassel design,
the Tokugawa. It was not sold on the open market in the Edo period but was made in limited number, c. i68os,
Nabeshima ware porcelain,
with specific patterns, and in standardized shapes. 20.2 (8) in diameter,
Six patterns are represented in this book, all demonstrating classical Nabeshima taste. Two Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo
general tendencies can be discerned. One is to take naturalistic motifs and flatten them into two-
cat. 22
dimensional patterns that often belie the inherent qualities of the original subject. The other is to Footed boiul with pine tree design,
animate everyday objects with a life force of their own. Both approaches make use of culturally loaded c. 1690-17205,
Nabeshima ware porcelain,
symbolism and play with ground and motif patterning. 29.6 (nVs) in diameter,
In one dish with a pine tree design and in five dishes with a cherry tree design (cats. 22, 23) Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo
the natural motifs have been transformed. Both subjects have potent symbolic meaning. The pine
represented the samurai, the old Confucian scholar, winter, and strength. The cherry blossom was a
symbol of spring, renewal, and death, as well as a perennial symbol of Japan itself. But with these two
examples, both the pine and the cherry have forfeited their treelike qualities of strength and verticality.