Cleveland Museum of Art

Sake Pourer with Bamboo

Seifū Yohei I

Date

c. 1844–57

Medium

one of a pair of sake flasks; stoneware with white slip, underglaze blue and gold repair (kintsugi) (Kyoto ware)

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This pair of sake pourers adorned with with bamboo and bellflowers is attributed to the founder of the Seifū Studio, Seifū Yohei I (1801–1861). Yohei I, the lineage founder, was born to the Yasuda family in the city of Kanazawa, which faces the Sea of Japan. His home province of Kaga (in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture) produced its own ceramics, known as Kutani ware, but for his training as a potter, Yohei I chose Kyoto, which produced the more technically advanced porcelainware. He moved to Kyoto around the 1820s and became apprenticed to Nin’ami Dohachi, a leading potter in the city. He later struck out on his own, and it is likely that his teacher gave him the name Seifu Yohei. His works include many exquisitely painted copies of Chinese porcelain, and he also produced stoneware with overglaze color enamels that emulated works in the style of Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743) at which his teacher excelled. Sake may be served heated or chilled, and, as with wine, the recommended serving temperature of sake varies greatly by type.

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