An incredibly rare (the only one I have ever seen) Tenmokudai style sake cup stand (Haidai) by the first-generation Seifu Yohei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seika Sake 0 Dai. The outside is pure white porcelain, the interior, which would only be revealed when lifting the bowl is covered with cobalt images of exotic birds in a forest of pine and bamboo. It is 16.9 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Much has been written in recent years on the third generation of the Seifu family. However perhaps less is known of the other generations of this illustrious line. Seifu Yohei I (1803-1861) founded the Seifu dynasty in Kyoto. He was born in powerful Kaga-kuni, modern day Kanazawa. After apprenticing with the second generation Ninnami Dohachi in Kyoto, he established his own kiln in the Gojo-zaka pottery district of Kyoto. His repertoire included Ninsei ware, Aka-e and Kinsai, as well as Sometsuke among other styles. For more on this illustrious lineage see the book Seifu Yohei by Seki Kazuo (2012).
