1920s Vintage Sumida Gawa Teapot With Figures

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In the early decades of the 20th century, the ceramic wares from the kilns on the Sumida River, founded by … Read more In the early decades of the 20th century, the ceramic wares from the kilns on the Sumida River, founded by Inoue Ryosai in the mid Meiji Period (1868 - 1912) and continued throughout the Taisho Period (1912 - 1926) and into the Showa Period (1926 - 1989) by two more generation of potters using the same name until the 1930's. By that time, the Sumida pottery grew into a workshop many skillful potters working with Inoue Ryosai III. The pottery was near the Sumida River, hence the Western Name Sumida Gawa. Though they took on Western forms and Chinese glazes, these wares are uniquely Japanese.the Sumida Gawa.

One of the most striking feature of Sumida wares is the humor and whimsy expressed in their creations that is absent in other Asian ceramics, an easy explanation is that Japanese ceramics are often made in a studio by an individual artist whereas Chinese porcelains, as beautiful as they may be, but they are made by a production line. My other theory is that Japanese society is structured and rather formal and an individual finds an outlet of self expression in artistic creations. That said, the potters at the Sumida kilns had this in spades.

In this particular teapot, there are two bare footed males, dressed in haori - short robe, are climbing over cragging rocks. What are they doing? A game of chase perhaps, or both of them are together on a pursuit of an unknown? Or are they simply climbing rocks to a destination? The face of the bald men with the open mouth showing a set of teeth is priceless!I

The teapot is thrown on the potter's wheel and before it was completely dry, the body was pushed in two places leaving the rounded side for the application of the two figures. The base shows the traditional red glaze and the black and brown mottled glaze poured over the teapot creating lovely accidental effects of running streaks of pale blue Two lugs are attached on the top for the handle which appears to be the original. Wares such as this were sold in Tokyo department stores in the 1920's. See less