Teapot with Cherry at Night in Gion

1893–1914

Seifū Yohei III 三代清風与平

(Japanese, 1851–1914)

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Porcelain with underglaze blue and iron oxide

Diameter: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.); width with handle: 11 cm (4 5/16 in.)

Gift of James and Christine Heusinger 2022.165.a

Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

This teapot features the Japanese theme of a blossoming cherry tree in the Gion area of Kyoto in underglaze blue and brown.

Description

This side-handled sencha teapot with the cherry tree has a nearly spherical shape, and its recessed lid has an ovoid knob. It has both blue and a purplish brown under the glaze for the blossoms and embers on one side, and the vertical calligraphy identifies the tree as a cherry tree at night in the Gion area of Kyoto. To the right of the tree, smoke billows from a small lantern fire in a basket suspended on a post.

In terms of collecting history, a paper inserted into the box of Teapot with Cherry at Night in Gion is of interest. It is a flyer for Yamamoto Shōseidō, a shop (no longer extant) that sold fine Kyoto ceramics in Osaka.