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Source Description

Many of the vases created by Yohei III and IV were made with reference to and in emulation of Chinese ceramics in both form and glazing. The vessel type called <em>tongping</em>, pronounced <em>tōbin </em>in Japanese, is tall and cylindrical, like the thick length of bamboo referenced in the shape of the ideograph <em>tong </em>筒. Unlike the ancient <em>gu</em>, <em>hu</em>, and <em>guan</em>, this form did not emerge in China until the Ming dynasty, and many such vases date to the early Qing dynasty.<br><br>Two green-glazed vases, <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.225"><u>CMA 2022.225</u></a> by Yohei III and this one by Yohei IV, are interpretations of this form. Yohei III’s version has slightly hunched shoulders and is somewhat wider at the top below the small neck and lip. Yohei IV’s vase is more angular. The wide rack of molded cloud encircling the Yohei III vase rises subtly from very low relief banding above and below it, accentuating the vessel’s rounded edges and complementing the form. In contrast, the allover flower vine pattern on the body and “seven treasures” pattern at the collar of the vase by Yohei IV evokes a garment’s cuffed sleeve, like the common English appellation for this type of vessel—“sleeve vase.”

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
299446
label
Tong-Shaped Vase with Flowers and Grasses
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
299446
contentType
object
title
Tong-Shaped Vase with Flowers and Grasses
description
Many of the vases created by Yohei III and IV were made with reference to and in emulation of Chinese ceramics in both form and glazing. The vessel type called <em>tongping</em>, pronounced <em>tōbin </em>in Japanese, is tall and cylindrical, like the thick length of bamboo referenced in the shape of the ideograph <em>tong </em>筒. Unlike the ancient <em>gu</em>, <em>hu</em>, and <em>guan</em>, this form did not emerge in China until the Ming dynasty, and many such vases date to the early Qing dynasty.<br><br>Two green-glazed vases, <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.225"><u>CMA 2022.225</u></a> by Yohei III and this one by Yohei IV, are interpretations of this form. Yohei III’s version has slightly hunched shoulders and is somewhat wider at the top below the small neck and lip. Yohei IV’s vase is more angular. The wide rack of molded cloud encircling the Yohei III vase rises subtly from very low relief banding above and below it, accentuating the vessel’s rounded edges and complementing the form. In contrast, the allover flower vine pattern on the body and “seven treasures” pattern at the collar of the vase by Yohei IV evokes a garment’s cuffed sleeve, like the common English appellation for this type of vessel—“sleeve vase.”
date
1914–46
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117793524
creators
299426
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height: 31.5 cm (12 3/8 in.); Diameter: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.)
cul
Japan, Taishō period (1912–26) or Shōwa period (1926–89)
accession
2022.228
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with molded and carved design and green glaze
tombstone
Tong-Shaped Vase with Flowers and Grasses, 1914–46. Seifū Yohei IV (Japanese, 1872–1951). Porcelain with molded and carved design and green glaze; height: 31.5 cm (12 3/8 in.); diameter: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.228
collection
Japanese Art
inscriptions
inscription
清風
inscription_translation
“Seifū” incised on the base
sortorder
1
inscription
彫画 / 青磁花瓶 / 清風造
inscription_translation
Inscription on the lid of the exterior storage box.
sortorder
2
inscription
青磁花瓶 / 彫画 【印】清風
inscription_translation
Inscription on the top of the lid of the interior storage box with seal reading "Seifū."
sortorder
3
inscription
清風造 【印】成山
inscription_translation
Inscription on the inside of the lid of the interior storage box "Made by Seifū“ with seal reading “Seizan"
sortorder
4
didYouKnow
Seifū Yohei IV continued to create works in the studio’s signature colors but also produced pieces with strong color and flare that were his interpretations of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) glazes.
citations
citation
Maezaki, Shinya and Sinéad Vilbar. <em>Colors of Kyoto: The Seifū Yohei Ceramic Studio</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 86, pp. 172–175
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:53:54.244000
sourceId
299446
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Porcelain with molded and carved design and green glaze
creatorTags
male
Asian (from 1900 to present)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ece96cdf3d6a63c6