** SOLD ** An exquisite collection of twelve decorative Satsuma plates signed Kinkozan ** SOLD **

Hawk

The hawk is traditionally a symbol of nobility and wealth, due to the expense of training and caring for the birds.

Peacock

In Japan the peacock is the emblem of love, it symbolizes good will, nurturing and kindness, and is associated with Kannon (Guan-Yin)

Dove

In Japan the dove is the familiar of Hachiman, the deity of archery and war he is present in Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. The dove represented that after war peace would come.

Sparrows

Sparrows are a popular motif in Japanese art, birds in general represent longevity, but the popularity of the sparrow is probably due to the traditional fable of the tongue cut sparrow.

It tells the story of a kind woodcutter that finds an injured sparrow, so he takes it home and cares for it, the farmer goes out one day and asks his greedy and jealous wife to feed the bird while he is away. She does not, and while she is out the sparrow eats the store of rice, she is so angry on her return she cuts out the bird’s tongue and sends it flying back to the mountains where it came from.
The woodcutter returns and is very upset and goes looking for his friend, the other sparrows lead him to the Sparrow’s Inn where he finds the little, they sing and dance for him and offer him a choice of two baskets as a reward for his kindness, he is a humble man and chooses the smaller, and when he returns home he opens it to find it is full of treasure.
Once his greedy wife learns of the existence of the larger basket she returns to claim it, and opens it before she returns home, to her surprise it is full of dangerous snakes, it scared her so much she fell all the way down the mountain to her death.

Duck

The duck is symbolic of happiness and marital fidelity.

Geese

The geese depicted here are likely to be white fronted geese, a species which due to conservation efforts in the 80’s is now once again common in Japan. Goose meat has long been regarded as a luxury for the imperial classes and aristocracy, the white fronted goose is a popular motif on family crests and paintings and frequently appears in Japanese folklore and poems.

Satsuma

Satsuma ware is a type of earthenware pottery originating from the Satsuma province in Southern Kyūshū, Japan’s third largest island. The first kilns were established here is the 16^th century by Korean potters kidnapped by the Japanese for their extraordinary skills, prior to this there was no ceramic industry in Satsuma.

The first presentation of Japanese arts to the West was in 1867, Satsuma was one of the star attractions, it was this that established the satsuma aesthetic we are most familiar with today. This export style reflects the foreign tastes of the time, popular designs featured millefleur (million flower), and complex filled in patterns. Many pieces featured panels depicting typical Japanese scenes to appeal to the west such as pagodas, cherry blossom, birds and flowers and beautiful ladies and noble men in traditional dress. The height of popularity for Satsuma was the Meiji Period and many of the most beautiful and artistically accomplished works were made during this time.

Kinkozan

The Kinkozan dynasty were by far the biggest producers of export satsuma ware, they were active from 1645-1927 and exported heavily to America. Their factories produced a wide range of products and worked extensively with some of the best artists of the day.