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Shonzui Blue-and-White Lobed Dish with Floral Motif (Ming-Qing Dynasty)
650,000Yen(Tax Included)
This flat dish is densely adorned across its surface, showcasing the crisp brilliance unique to Shonzui. At its center blooms a peony—revered as the “King of a Hundred Flowers”—radiating refined dignity. Surrounding it, auspicious motifs of pine, bamboo, and plum, alongside a fisherman and subtle ground patterns, harmonize in quiet resonance. In ko-sometsuke, insufficient clay refinement often allowed air to enter the rim during firing, resulting in small pitted flaws known as mushikui. Shonzui works, however, are said to employ a distinctive technique: after glazing, the rim glaze is carefully removed and replaced with iron glaze, preventing air intrusion during firing. The dish’s thick, finely wrought asymmetrical form embodies a distinctly Japanese aesthetic sensibility. Within the footring, the hallmark inscription—“Made in the Great Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Era. Fuku.”—speaks to the enduring pride of its artisans.
- Period
- Ming Dynasty
Early 17th Century
- Weight
- 532g
- Mouth Diameter
- 19.9cm
- Height
- 3.4cm
- Base Diameter
- 14.5cm
- Fittings
- Paulownia Box
- Condition
- Intact
There is a kiln flaw on the base
It possesses a beautiful surface, ideal cobalt-blue decoration, and an outstanding firing—fulfilling all the conditions of a superior work.
Shonzui
Shonzui refers to the top-quality porcelain that was fired at the Jingdezhen kilns in China, during the late Ming dynasty’s Chongzhen era (1628-44). The name comes from the fact that there is a blue-and-white (sometsuke) inscription on part of the vessel that reads “Gorodayu Goshonzui-Made” which is interpreted as meaning “Made by the eldest son of the fifth son of the Go family”. There is a theory that Kobori Enshu was involved, and the buyers included tea masters, samurai, Zen temples, and wealthy merchants. It is made from high-quality white porcelain and is thick and heavy when you hold it. It is characterized by deep crystal-clear glaze, and the focus is on filling every corner of the surface of the vessel with auspicious and geometric designs. Some of the vessel shapes are modeled on Momoyama tea pottery, and known works include tea utensils such as water container, tea bowl, chaire, incense container, tea towel container, and shaking container (furidashi), as well as luxury tableware such as sake bottle, bowl, mukozuke, dish, and sake cup. Adding Shonzui to a formal tea gathering arrangement creates a sense of cleanliness and harmonizes with the unglazed pottery and colored ware.