Category: satsuma

Japanese Immortals On Satsuma Pottery

Post author By Tao
Post date May 11, 2009
1 Comment on Japanese Immortals On Satsuma Pottery

Among the many images and designs that are found on Satsuma pottery, vases, plates and figures are those of ancient wise men, versed in the arts of knowledge, magic and power.

These people are referred to as the Japanese Immortals, men who were of such greatness that they were unable to die, forced to live a life of study, worship and poverty. The Japanese symbol for Immortal is made up from 2 other elements meaning "mountain person". Often, the immortal would be a person who had lived in the mountains which were revered by the Japanese as places of magic and awe.

The Japanese immortals are depicted frequently on prints and in paintings from early Japan, right up to this day. The 3 gods, Daikoku, Fukurokuju and Ebisu are pictured frequently playing a game of Go. Also deities such as the Seven Gods of Good Fortune or luck were depicted, their promise to the people of the world was of endless riches, wealth and good health.

As with other Satsuma pottery, the images of these immortals features on a number of different items. Satsuma Vases are lavished with the images of the immortals either together in a group or often on their own. Although smaller items such as the satsuma buttons were usually decorated with flowers or plants, the faces of the gods were also hand painted on to them with enamel paint.

As with most religious or mythical imagery, the satsuma immortals are shown as images that convey good luck, fortune, peace of happiness. They are shown as figures of peace who are fun loving, meditative or at comfort with each other and the rest of the world. Possibly images that were supposed to reflect upon the owners of the satsumaware items.

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Satsuma Ebisu God Of Fishermen Vintage Japanese Figurine with Carp
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Vintage Japan Porcelain Satsuma Immortals Dragons Sugar Bowl with Lid
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Tags 7 gods of luck, ancient wise men, japanese immortals, mountain person, satsuma immortals, satsuma pottery, satsumaware

satsuma

Satsuma Pottery

Post author By Tao
Post date May 3, 2009
3 Comments on Satsuma Pottery

Satsuma pottery was made in or around Kagoshima in Kyushu, Japan in the later part of the 19th century through to the early 1920's in Satsuma in southern Japan.

It is also known that in the same location, there were kilns making pottery going as far back as the 16th century - so the location on the southern island of Japan was already steeped in pottery making history.

Why is it called "Satsuma"?

The term Satsuma, derived from the location where they were made then became the way that the pottery was described. A typical piece if Satsuma pottery will be of a yellowy complexion and usually decorated with intricate and minute Japanese figures, landscapes and even dragons.

The designs also feature a form of decoration called moriage which is a term used to describe the use of raised enamel of Japanse pottery.

How was Satsuma Pottery made?

The clay used to make the Satsuma Pottery also differs depending on the location the item was made. For example, the clay used from the Kyushu area gives a darker tone to the pottery where as clay used from Kyoto gives a lighter appearance. The darker clay from Kyushu also allows the crackled glaze to have a darker, more pronounced appearance.

The Satsuma pottery business was also in full effect to mass produce many pieces of earthenware for export to Europe and America and there more perhaps more than 20 factories producing the pottery. Therefore the majority of the pottery items from this location may be low quality and common but there were also makers of amazing fine pottery at the same time too.

The process for making Satsuma Pottery in Japan typically involves several steps:

Preparing the Clay: A mixture of Kaolin, Feldspar, and Bone Ash is used to create the unique, light-colored clay used in Satsuma Pottery. The clay is then molded by hand into the desired shape.

Biscuit firing: The piece is then fired at a low temperature to harden the clay and to remove any excess moisture.

Glazing: A clear glaze is applied to the surface of the fired piece to give it a smooth and glossy finish.

Hand Painting: The piece is then decorated by hand with intricate designs and motifs using enamel paints.

Final Firing: The painted Satsuma Pottery is then fired again at a higher temperature to help fuse the glaze and paint to the surface.

Finishing: Finally, after the last firing, the pottery may be further polished or given a gold or silver trim to complete the decorative process.

This manual process is hard to replicate by using machines, stamped or printed designs. You will only get a true antique masterpiece when it is created, painted and finished by hand.

Why is Satsuma Pottery popular?

There are several things that Satsuma Pottery is famous for and can be identified using these things. The pottery nearly always has a cracked glaze and it also does not ring when tapped like some other china pottery does.

The craqueleuer of the glaze was done on purpose by the maker and is not a sign of the age of the piece as many people think. The early pieces of pottery made in the Satsuma region were covered in a thick heavy glaze and the pieces are very rare and are seldom found at auction.

These earlier pieces do not feature many surface designs. The highly collectible decorated pieces were made in the 19th and 20th century.

Another hallmark of the Satsuma vase, bowl or piece of pottery is the design that adorns the piece. Lavished with scenes of Japan, the images are tiny and intricate and are possibly the most fascinating thing about the vases you can buy.

Images of people, immortals, dragons, flowers, landscapes, birds and events are all hand painted onto the pottery surface and then a light glaze is put over the surface which then cracks slightly. These items are very beautiful pieces and are very collectible.

The factories and makers of Satsuma also produced smaller pieces such as bowls and geisha buttons which are also hand painted with the most amazing intricate images. The small sets of satsuma pottery buttons are highly collectible too and are a perfect addition to any satsuma collection.

Some quick buying tips for the Satsuma collector

When buying a Satsuma bowl, vase or piece if satsuma pottery, the marking on the piece will usually denote the name of the factory or company who has produced the item.

Due to the fact that there were so many makers of this fine china and export pottery, the markings will vary from piece to piece. If the item has the words "ROYAL SATSUMA" or the word Satsuma written in English, then it will be a fake, made for the mass market and possibly made in China.

hand painted made in japan satsuma marking — Not a good sign if you are looking for an authentic antique Satsuma Piece.

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Tags cracked glaze, hand painted, highly collectible, japanese figures, kyoto, kyushu, moriage, raised enamel, satsuma, satsuma style, satsuma vase

satsuma

Satsuma Bowl

Post author By Tao
Post date May 3, 2009
3 Comments on Satsuma Bowl

If you are looking to buy a Satsuma bowl, then you are in for a real treat. These small pieces of Japanese pottery originally made in the 19th century on the southern island of Japan are highly collectible and beautiful items.

The bowls come in various different shapes and sizes and feature the classic and well known style of decoration that has made the satsuma name, method and items like the bowls such as the satsuma buttons popular. In fact, the bowls and smaller items may be less valuable due to their size, but the designs and decoration is often more intricate and beautiful than the larger pieces of satsuma pottery.

The Satsuma style of pottery has been made in Japan for hundreds of years and can be best described as a thin, transparent, cracked glaze over a finely decorated piece of creamy or beige pottery. This style of bowl was also mass produced in the Japanese region and was exported all over the globe.

One of the things that has made Japanese Satsuma pottery so popular is the designs that adorn the surface of the items. It is common for the pieces from the 19th and 20th century to be heavily illustrated and decorated with scenes from Japan featuring people or animals or Japanese landscapes. You might think that a small bowl was not able to be decorated in the way, but the amazing artwork on the Satsuma bowls is amazing. Using gold, raised enamel and minute images, these bowls are amazing collectors items and look beautiful as part of any display.

Some of the Satsuma bowls have handles which might indicate that they were actually used to serve food or store items for carrying. There are also bowls that are larger in design and feature a lid and handles, making them look more like a jar than a bowl.

Due to the number of makers of this style of Japanese pottery, there are many identifying marks on the pieces you will find at auction. Also, as the items were mass produced and also copied by other countries such as China, a good rule of thumb is that if the item says SATSUMA on the bottom - then it is not originally from Japan. Many makers and copiers of the Satuma style thought that putting the word SATSUMA on the base of any fine pottery item that looked as if it was made in the same way or from the same location as all of the other, more expensive bowls, vases and plates that people would think it was authentic.

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Tags antique japanese pottery, cracked glaze, identifying marks, japanese earthenware, japanese pottery, raised enamel, satsuma bowl, satsuma pottery

satsuma

Satsuma Vase

Post author By Tao
Post date May 3, 2009
9 Comments on Satsuma Vase

One of the most collectible pieces of Satsuma Pottery is the Japanese Satsuma Vase. These pieces of earthenware pottery, decorated with amazing images or scenes from Japanese culture or society are highly collectible and sought after items.

Due to the fact that there was a period of mass production of this type of pottery and that it was copied heavily by other pottery makers during that time, there are many styles of Satsuma pottery on the market that may bear the images and hallmarks of the Satsuma style, buy may be from other locations and time periods.

Read how to check if your vase is a genuine Satsuma piece.

A Satsuma vase can be the term used to describe an oriental style piece of pottery that has the following characteristics. The images that are on the surface of the pottery are very small and intricate and will usually feature either people, places, animals, Japanese Immortals or scenes from Japan.

After the image was hand painted, the vase was then covered in a thin protective glaze which cracked slightly giving another of the satsuma pottery hallmarks to look out for. Some of the vases also heavily use gold coloring in their design which makes the vase look extra special.

Another of the valuable and more sought after vases are the ones decorated with the images of many people, also known as the 1000 faces design.

Often sold as a pair, some of the Satsuma Vases measure up to nearly a meter tall, but the more common style vase you will find will be around 9 to 10 inches tall. The vases were often used for Ikebana, the art of formal Japanese flower arranging.

The majority of Satsuma vases will have a lid too which is unusual for an item which we may think would be designed to hold flowers or other plants, but these vases were for purely decorative means. Some of the other pottery from the same region such as a Satsuma Bowl also featured a lid which some may think is unusual.

The designs on the surface of the vases were mainly created so that the pieces could be used to decorate Japanese residences rather than be practical items.

If you are looking to purchase an antique satsuma vase then ensure that the item is in good condition and has no cracks or chips - or has a little damage as possible.

Due to the age of some of these pieces, it is not always possible to buy items that have no damage at all. Finding a vase that is very old and also in very good condition is not an easy task.

Also, ensure that the item has no markings or identifying words written in English such as ROYAL SATSUMA, as this will denote that the vase is not a genuine antique.

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Tags antique satsuma, antique vase, hallmarks, japanese culture, japanese residences, satsuma pottery

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Satsuma Buttons

Post author By Tao
Post date May 3, 2009
6 Comments on Satsuma Buttons

One of the more intricate and beautiful types of Japanese Pottery you will find are the sets of Satsuma Buttons. These porcelain or earthenware pottery buttons are amazingly tiny sewing buttons adorned with beautiful images in the style that the Satsuma region on the southern island of Japan is famous for.

Measuring roughly only 1 inch in diameter, the satsuma button is designed to be sewn on to clothing and features an intricate image or design on the surface. The design of the buttons often features images of plants or flowers that are native to Japan. Some buttons also feature images of faces or landscapes and buildings. The buttons have a hole post on the rear that allows them to be attached to clothing.

The button are all decorated and painted by hand by the skilled craftsmen that made the other Japanese Satsuma pottery such as vases and bowls and the same skill and care went into theses items as went into the larger pieces. Using an array of colors and the heavy use of gold enamel, these tiny buttons really spring to life. The artists also employed the use of raised enamel too which makes the buttons ever more pretty and detailed.

The buttons follow the usual method of manufacture that has made the Satsuma pottery very collectible all over the world. The pottery is of an off white or creamy color and is heavily decorated and covered with a thin translucent glaze which is then deliberately cracked through over heating to give the hall mark look and design to the pottery. The cracks are known as Kannyu. These hallmarks are the same on a Satsuma Vase.

Often available in sets of 6, these antique kimono buttons may have been made for the Japanese Geisha girls or ladies of higher standing. Sold as a complete set, it would be possible that the buttons were designed to fit a standard piece of clothing such as a Kimono or coat. The sets of buttons were also sold attached to a piece of card with thread - so finding an antique set of these with the original card still attached would be highly sought after.

As some of these antique satsuma buttons are quite rare, it is important that you check they are from the region of Satsuma or Osumi. It is common for buttons to be made by copiers of the style and design as they were so popular when they were made hundreds of years ago. The original satsuma mark is often a circle with a cross inside followed by the name of the maker underneath, although not always. Satsuma is the name given to Japanese pottery that was created in that area of Japan, so there may be items that are not what they seem.

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Tags antique buttons, gold enamel, japanese geisha, kimono, raised enamel, satsuma button, satsuma buttons, satsuma pottery, satsuma region, surface design

satsuma

Satsuma Figure

Post author By Tao
Post date May 3, 2009
No Comments on Satsuma Figure

Apart from the array of pottery that the Satsuma region on the southern island of Japan is famous for such as vases, bowls, buttons and plates - there were also other types of pottery made using the same style and practice used by the same makers. One of these types of pottery is the figure or figurine.

Some may dispute that there are no Satsuma figures made as they seem to fairly seldom found or collected but there are some that can be traced back to the same makers of satsuma bowls and vases.

The satsuma figure will always be of a person or Satsuma Immortal from Japan, often holding an item such as flowers or a fan and posing rather than performing a task such as working. The characters and figures also feature heavy decoration to their clothing and any part of the landscape that may feature in the design. The artwork on the piece follows the usual Satsuma style with heavy use of gold, intricate, detailed images and patterns covered with a cracked glaze. The pottery is also of a creamy or light brown or beige appearance. A Satsuma figure was never made from porcelain which was used in Japan to make the also well known white and blue items that you can find at auction, but the Satsuma pieces were all made from earthenware pottery.

It often seems that many of the figures that were made in the satsuma style are slight caricatures of the people they are imitating. Possibly not the kind of caricature that we many know from modern cartooning, but certainly designs that distort the size and forms.

The figurines are certainly collectible items and are often found at auction houses all over the world. As per other Satsuma pieces, ensure that the item is not one of the mass produced types that also came from the Satsuma region around the time that many of the other finer pieces were being made. The Satsuma style and name was also copied all over the world and many imitations made that claimed to be from the Japanese area made famous by these beautiful pieces.

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