The Hirado dragon we are presenting here is larger and more detailed than the one in the Cardeiro book. It is clear that it was produced by the same artist in the Hirado pottery. This dragon has the pure soft white Hirado glaze rather than light celadon - there is an extension to the tail that is not in the other example - the claw holding the blue brocade blue is much better defined with all claws showing – and the detailing of the scales and head is much finer.

Our dragon’s base has some of the characteristic light brown patches caused by iron oxidation that occurs in the firing process that is found in the finer Hirado pieces. The piece measures 9 ¾” long by 4” wide by 4 ¾” high. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or restorations. We date it to the same period – late Edo to early Meiji, circa 1850-1880s. Clearly this rare Hirado dragon is of museum quality and would be a superb addition to any serious collection of Japanese Hirado porcelain figures.