Uncovering a romantic poem on a Koransha dish

When we acquired this stunning large dish recently, we were intrigued to know what was written in the text on the front.

So, with that in mind, we set about translating the words and we were delighted to find a short poem composed by Kaido Chinjin. He wrote the text on a Summers day in 1878 and we think there is great wisdom in the words.

It reads…

Life is a journey,

Flowing like a torrential river

Towards the future,

Under the blue sky

and in green mountains,

Not alone

but with old familiar friends.

The plate itself is from the celebrated artist Koransha of Fukugawa and his name is found on the back of the plate surrounded by auspicious motifs including bats and plum blossom trees.

On the front of the plate is an idyllic Mountain scene with a leisurely gathering of gentlemen enjoying their surroundings.

We enjoyed the poem so much it inspired us to make a short video using some of the wonderful pieces from our collection of Japanese, late 19^th Century fine art and antiques. We hope you like it.