A very unusual modern Minpei vase in blue and white, the blue etchedinto the surface in a very unusual technique. In fact it was created by carving the imagery into the vessel, glazing in white then blue, then wiping away the bulk of the blue glaze, leaving only that which was in the deep recesses. Thus you are left with a “negative” version of the design in blue. It is 22 cm (9 inches) diameter, 25.5 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition, dating circa 1925. It comes in the original wooden box signed Minpei-kama Zo.
Mimpei-yaki, is a type of pottery established in the late Edo era (circa 1830) by Mimpei Kasyu, the village headman of Igano mura, a small town in the southernmost part of Awaji island west of Osaka. The son of a powerful Soy trader his talent led Mimpei to leave the family business to become a potter at the age of 33.
After inviting Ogata Shuhei to his kiln to introduce the techniques of Kyoyaki (Kyoto ware), he soon developed his own style which was influenced by contemporary potters of the day such as Eiraku Hozen and Shuhei’s older brother, Ninnami Dohachi. Also inspired by classic Chinese pottery, he created delicate porcelain ware decorated in exquisite and intricate three-dimensional designs that included animals, human forms, floral and geometric motifs. These were overglazed with polychrome enamels in classic Chinese colors (blue, celadon, bright green, yellow and gold) so that the design was highlighted and enhanced, pooling randomly in varying levels of intensity. Mimpei was quite successful and his pottery was popular and widely traded in its time. Dishes have been excavated in large cities like Tokyo (then Edo), Kyoto and Osaka, and as far away as Aomori (in northern Japan) and Okinawa (the southernmost island).
