Height 2.8 cm, mouth diameter 16.3 cm, base diameter 6.7 cm
Umezawa Memorial Museum
This dish is inscribed “Genroku 8 Otsugai Kaki” (Genroku 8 Otsugai Persimmon) in underglaze blue and was once called Shibuemonte. The Genroku inscriptions of this type are often oddly shaped dishes, but this one has a circular shape that is raised to a round shape, then the rim is again drooped, and the four sides of the rim are picked off to form a kind of ring flower shape. The molding is extremely skillful, and is of a quality that is no less than that of Nabeshima. The three sides are decorated with a red-ground circle surrounded by lotus petals in underglaze blue, and within the circle are arabesque patterns in underglaze blue and gold, connected by arabesque patterns in the arabesque style. The three sides of the circle are decorated with underglaze blue, red, and gold, but the superb line drawing and shading of the underglaze blue, as well as the glossy coloring of the red overglaze pigment within the circle, are all of a light color scheme that is rather sublime and shows the precision of the underglaze blue technique. The design is unlike anything seen in the conventional Kakiemon style, and clearly shows the uniqueness of Genroku-engi wares.
It is assumed that these Genroku-inscribed pieces were probably made by the Kakiemon kiln, but it is difficult to be certain.
