antique japanese pottery | Satsuma Pottery

Although Satsuma style pottery can be very old, there are still a number of Tea Sets that were made during this time period.

The Satsuma Tea Sets usually come as a set, often in a wooden presentation case inlaid with a soft material such as velvet or silk. However, it is also possible that the set may be more modern, which is also something you would need to look out for when buying.

This kind of pottery tea set also features the intricate designs, patterns and images that make the Satsuma style so popular and collectable all over the world.

You may find a set with images of Geisha girls on or minute pictures of plants and flowers. The images are so tiny and intricate that it is hard to believe that they have been created by hand, hundreds of years ago. It is also common to find imagery of the Japanese Immortal gods on these pieces - especially the saucers and bowls.

However, these gods of wealth, wisdom and luck are featured heavily on many of the potteries from the Satsuma region and time period.

Many pieces also seem to feature dragons as the motif, with the teapot especially, using the dragon's head and neck as the pouring spout. It is also common for these pieces to be painted in quite dark colours, using Gosu blue and also lots of gold.

Even though they were designed for everyday use in Japan, it is likely that some sets were merely decorative, or were designed to be presented as gifts, rather than used to drink green tea on a regular basis.

When buying a Satsuma tea set, make sure that you ensure that it is all in place. The set often comprises of a small tea-pot and some small bowls or cups (later on).

Also, make sure that the markings on the bottom of the set are not written in English as this is a good indication that it is not an original piece and could be a copy or a more modern reproduction.

Vintage Satsuma Pottery Tea Set Collection Japanese PotteryPrint Stamped
$0.99

Satsuma Ware Japanese Pottery Tea Set 5pc Ceramics Tea Set Japanese Tea Ceremony
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1920s Satsuma tea set items 10 Japanese Porcelain hand painted
$15.00

Antique Meiji Japanese Satsuma Tea Set Dia Nippon Handpainted w Moriage Marked
$149.99

Satsuma Vintage Thousand Flowers Tea Set 14 Pieces
$155.50

Japanese Satsuma Moriage Blue Dragon Tea Set
$24.00

Vintage Japanese Satsuma Moriage Gold Dragon Ware 15Piece Ceramic Tea Set
$300.00

Japanese Meiji Satsuma Porcelain Tea Set Wisteria antique
$450.00

Vintage Japanese Satsuma Tea Set Moriage 6 Lithophane Cups Dragonware Immortals
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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.

Signed Antique Japanese Satsuma Pottery Bowl 4 1 4 across
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A Large Satsuma Earthenware Bowl Meiji Period
$1,500.00

Satsuma Bowl 1000 Flowers Japan 5 Signed Koshida Provenance Since 1937
$149.00

Vintage Japanese Satsuma Peacock Lotus Bowl Gold Accents Hand Painted
$35.70

Shuzan Satsuma Hand Painted 1000 Mille fleur Chrysanthemum Cup Taisho Period
$16.99

Antique Large Japanese Satsuma Bowl Signed Genzan Meiji Period
£748.95

FINE QUALITY ANTIQUE JAPANESE MEIJI 1868 1912 SATSUMA ARHATS BOWL MARKED
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FR88 Vintage Japanese Tea Bowl Satsuma Ware by Famous potter Tessho Nagata
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Japanese KANZAN Meiji Satsuma Cobalt Blue Gold Thousand Butterflies Bowl Vase
$545.00