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Source Description
Seifū Yohei III was the most prominent head of a ceramics studio in Kyoto that specialized in Chinese-style porcelains and especially items for use in <em>sencha</em> (煎茶), or the drinking of steeped-leaf tea with companions. Sencha was popular among the <em>bunjin</em> of Kyoto and Osaka, who often enjoyed it as part of their emulation of Chinese culture. While sencha was by design less formal than the Japanese tea ceremony, it still featured the display of treasured objects. Prized Chinese antiquities were generally unobtainable, so substitutes such as the <em>Gu-Shaped Flower Vase</em> were much in demand.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
520329
label
Gu-Shaped Flower Vase
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
520329
contentType
object
title
Gu-Shaped Flower Vase
description
Seifū Yohei III was the most prominent head of a ceramics studio in Kyoto that specialized in Chinese-style porcelains and especially items for use in <em>sencha</em> (煎茶), or the drinking of steeped-leaf tea with companions. Sencha was popular among the <em>bunjin</em> of Kyoto and Osaka, who often enjoyed it as part of their emulation of Chinese culture. While sencha was by design less formal than the Japanese tea ceremony, it still featured the display of treasured objects. Prized Chinese antiquities were generally unobtainable, so substitutes such as the <em>Gu-Shaped Flower Vase</em> were much in demand.
date
1893–97
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117793878
creators
299428
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height: 31.1 cm (12 1/4 in.); Diameter of mouth: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.); Diameter of foot: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.)
cul
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
accession
2022.224
Source extras
tec
Glazed porcelain with molded and carved designs
tombstone
Gu-Shaped Flower Vase (櫻華釉花缾), 1893–97. Seifū Yohei III (Japanese, 1851–1914). Glazed porcelain with molded and carved designs; height: 31.1 cm (12 1/4 in.); diameter of mouth: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.); diameter of foot: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of James and Christine Heusinger, 2022.224
titleInOriginalLanguage
櫻華釉花缾
collection
Japanese Art
inscriptions
inscription
大日本清風造
inscription_translation
Inscription incised on the base: "Made by Seifu of Great Japan"
sortorder
1
inscription
This gu-shaped vase has “cherry blossom glaze” (ōkayū), according to the inscription on its box.
sortorder
2
inscription
A label affixed to the side of the box gives a sense of how previous owners conceived of the piece. Although the label is partially abraded, one can make out the character nezu 鼠, used in the names of numerous light pinks, from Naniwa pink (Osaka pink) to Miyako pink (Kyoto, or capital, pink). Also legible is the phrase hakugōrai, a broad term that can describe a shade of white associated with ceramics discovered in Korean tombs, but often applied to other ceramics of similar coloration, many from Chinese kilns, including Ding (J. Tei) ware of the Northern Song dynasty.
sortorder
3
inscription
清風
inscription_translation
Seal on the top of the box lid: “Seifū”
inscription_remark
The storage box is also inscribed with a description of the contents of the box.
sortorder
4
inscription
帝室技芸員
inscription_translation
Inscription on the inside of the box lid: Imperial Household Artist “Teishitsu gigei’in”
sortorder
5
inscription
清風與平
inscription_translation
Seal on the inside of the box lid: “Seifū Yohei.”
sortorder
6
didYouKnow
This <em>gu</em>-shaped vase has “cherry blossom glaze” (<em>ōkayū</em>), which Yohei III invented in 1890.
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. 82, pp. 170–171
creditline
Gift of James and Christine Heusinger
updatedAt
2026-06-17 12:47:18.321000
sourceId
520329
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
Glazed porcelain with molded and carved designs
creatorTags
Asian (from 1900 to present)
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
33f1185645e30d91