A splendid example of the Continental influence prevalent in Kyoto in the 19th century by Eiraku Hozen enclosed in a period wood box titled Ao-Kochi Kabin annotated by his son Eiraku XII Wazen. An inscription alongside the signature of Wazen states it was made by my Father Hozen who has now passed. It is 21.5 cm (8-1/2 inches) diameter, 33.5 cm (13 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Eiraku Zengoro XI (Nishimura Hozen, 1795–1854) was adopted into the Nishimura family, who specialized in making braziers for the tea ceremony. He took the name Eiraku Hozen after Lord Tokugawa Naritsune had awarded him the Eiraku seal (Eiraku, eternal joy) in 1827. Hozen was familiar with all porcelain and stoneware techniques. For the most part, he produced tea ceramics: blue-and white porcelain in the style of the Shonzui ware from the Chinese Jingdezhen kilns in the Ming dynasty; blue-and white ware with overglaze decoration (gosu aka-e); celadons; stoneware with gohon-de glaze; and Kochiware. According to the Met: ‘He was one of the most influential ceramists in Kyoto in the nineteenth century’. Held in the British Museum, the Rijks Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York among many others.
