A Cochin plate imported to Japan during the 18th to 19th centuries enclosed in a custom made lacquered wooden box with a circular insert to center and protect the edges of the raised rim. Beneath the foot ring is raw clay, with copper green glaze leading up to the fluted rim. Inside the copper green spills over the edge of the rim on the brick-red glaze which circles the pale agg-shell center. Floral motifs and flower vessels have been scored into the clay. It is 21 cm (8-1/4 inches) diameter, 4 cm (1-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Cochin ware is the pottery upon which the Japanese based their Kochi-yaki upon. The Ronin (Masterless Samurai) Hiraga Gennai endeavored to re-create it on Japanese soil in the mid 18th century during the Horeki era (1751 – 1764) in Shido, Sanuki Province (mod. Kagawa prefecture). This ware came to be called Gennai Yaki, known for its bright coloring, typically decorated with bold designs with green and yellow glazes. The style was developed by Gennai, and the wares were produced mostly by his apprentice Wakita Gengo, who used the name of “Shunmin,” (resulting in another name for the pottery style, Shunmin-yaki). Yashima ware from the same area is a type of earthenware descending from Gennai ware.
