Nabeshima Ware Dish: Birds in an Oak Tree, Edo Period
Nabeshima ware was made under strict control. The Saga domain ran its own kiln, and the porcelain it produced had refined designs and included presentation gifts for the shogun's family. Yet one early Nabeshima ware dish at Tokyo National Museum does not follow the usual pattern. The museum describes it as unusual, "resembling a painting rather than a piece of porcelain."
This post looks at that dish, at what set Nabeshima ware apart, and at why this early piece is an exception.
Nabeshima Ware Dish with Birds in an Oak Tree
The dish is Nabeshima ware, made in the 17th century during the Edo period. It is porcelain decorated with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel.
In the photograph, two yellow birds sit among the branches of an oak tree, with leaves in green and blue. A patterned red rim frames the scene.
The dish measures 30.0 cm across and 6.4 cm high, with a foot 14.0 cm in diameter. It was donated to the museum by Hirota Matsushige.
What Made Nabeshima Ware: The Saga Domain Kiln
In the mid-17th century, the Nabeshima family of the Saga domain set up a domain kiln. Under strict domain control, it made Nabeshima ware of refined design, including pieces presented as gifts to the shogun's family.
According to Imari City, Nabeshima pieces were first presented to the shogunate from Iwayagawachi in Arita in the 1650s. From around the 1660s they came from the Nippōsha-shita kiln at Ōkawachiyama, and the domain-kiln system was established at Ōkawachiyama around the Enpō era (1673 to 1680).
Nabeshima ware decorated with overglaze enamels is known as 色鍋島 (Iro-Nabeshima).
Why This Dish Stands Out
The museum calls this dish a valuable early example from the Nabeshima domain kiln. The record does not name a kiln site.
Two features make it unusual for Nabeshima. The first is its form: the dish has a flat rim. The second is its decoration: thick, painterly overglaze enamels that make the birds and oak leaves read like a painted picture.
That is the point of the museum's English note. The dish resembles a painting more than it resembles a typical piece of porcelain.
An Early Exception in a Strict Tradition
Nabeshima ware is known for refined pieces made under domain control, some of them gifts for the shogun's family. This dish comes from the early years of that kiln, and it takes a different path, with a flat rim and enamels laid on like paint. For readers who know Nabeshima mainly for its refinement, the birds in the oak tree show another side of the kiln's early work.
Our own pieces take the opposite path from this dish: no bright enamels, just quiet glazes and irregular forms for everyday use. If that calmer side of Japanese ceramics appeals to you, have a look at what we have in our Etsy shop.
Comments