Japanese Toyo Handpainted Decorative Plate Mid 20th Century With Irises and Kingfisher

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The object is a beautiful and eye catching painted ceramic charger from the Toyo Company of Japan. This company was … Read more The object is a beautiful and eye catching painted ceramic charger from the Toyo Company of Japan. This company was active in the Mid Century period, from the 1950's to 1970's. The design are Irises and Kingfisher on a post. These are very traditional Japanese art motifs - irses (kakitsubata or shobu) and Kingfisher bird (kawasemi) Irises are associated with early summer, elegance and water gardens. The kinggisher is a classic Japanese symbol of peace and good fortune. The painting style and quality suggest better than average export ware. It is artist signed with a red seal. The artist cannot be identified. He or she was a competent artisan working for the Toyo Company. The technique is bold, illustrating yellow, white and lavender flowers among light and dark green foliage. Each object on the design is outlined boldy in black ink, applied without hesitation, showing the artist's expertise and experience on painting on a ceramic surface. There is no room for hesitation or error. It is an exceedingly fine painting.

I selected this charger of Irises because it reminds me of the pair of Irises Screens painted by Ogata Korin (CE 1658 - 1716) of the Rimpa School. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to view in person the pair of screens on exhibition at the Nezu Museum in Minato, a suburb of Tokyo in March, 2025. The quality of design and technique must have been inspiring Japanese artists to emulate Korin's irises in their works of art. See less