Height 2.9cm, Diameter 22.2cm
Tokyo National Museum
Among the most important pieces of Korin’s Kensan ware are those produced by a collaboration of the two brothers, with Korin’s brother’s brush staining. Recent research has revealed that many of these works were produced between 1709 and 1711-16, and this dish is one of the representative works of the collaboration between Korin and Kenzan.
This square flat dish is molded and painted with iron pigments on a white base, but the color is rather pale and almost brown. The painting, in which Dopo is thinly and obliquely painted, shows two ogaku (sword fowls) swimming in the upper left and a high priest looking at them in the right, is said to be an ogaku painting from the Huangshan Valley in the Song Dynasty. The signature of Korin written on the lower left is “Jakumei Korin-ga. The vertically rising rim has a window in the center, with flowers inside in an arabesque style and cloud arabesques around the center.
The high value of this plate is due not only to the excellence of Korin’s painting, but also to the magnificent inscription by Kenzan on the reverse side.
The inscription reads, “Dainichihonkoku Potter Yongzhou Qianshan Pottery Hermitage in Yongzhou,” reflecting Qianshan’s philosophy of preferring a life of seclusion from his youth, and “Dainichihonkoku Potter” expresses his pride in his work.
