There is a type of Karatsu ware known as “snake-scorpion-glazed” karatsu.
This type of Karatsu ware is almost contemporaneous with the older painted Karatsu ware, and the snake-scorpion glaze on this piece is very outrageous. There is another type of karatsu called “snake-scorpion karatsu” that is thought to date from the Kan’ei period (1624-44), a little later than this. It seems to have been made according to the instructions of Kobori Enshu in his later years, and is suitable for tea masters. It seems to have been made in imitation of the snake-scorpion glaze of Satsuma ware, and the colors are very similar. There are very few examples of snake-scorpion karatsu surviving today, especially tea caddies, and only a few tea bowls. It is made by applying a black candy glaze over a white glaze, and the firing process gives it the appearance of the skin of a snake scorpion. Mainly fired in the Shokoya kiln, it is often mistaken for Satsuma ware.
