Since the beginning of the 19th century, sometsuke has played an important role in Seto’s long ceramic history. In 1807 Kato Tamikichi, who had spent years studying the various kilns in Hizen Province, including the Arita kilns, came to Seto and started the production of porcelain. He successfully produced high fired, cobalt blue and white decorated porcelain wares, known as “Seto-Sometsuke.” By the middle of the 19th century, many other famous potters had settled at the various Seto kilns, and high grade porcelains decorated with underglaze blue designs continued to be made.

Traditional Japanese art treats water, even the blue water of seas and oceans, in a stylized, linear fashion rather than handling it as a colored mass, as is the case in Western art. Layered waves, composed either of chevrons or half-circles and looking as if combed, are known as “seigaiha, the blue wave pattern. More extensive and freely drawn representations of high waves, foam and spray are known as “araumi” (rough seas) motifs. Although dragons in Japanese art are often teamed with a variety of motifs, the most common design pairings are with stylized cloud or wave motifs, reflecting the animal’s association with both the sky and the oceans. (See SYMBOLS OF JAPAN: THEMATIC MTOIFS IN ART AND DESIGN by Merrily Baird.) In ancient Japanese religion, waves – both those crashing against the shore and those returning to the sea – were considered the work of the Dragon King, who resided in the depths of the ocean. Rough waves thus expressed the Dragon King’s anger, and a calm sea indicated that his ire had subsided.

This large impressive vase is truly a tour de force, reflecting the great skill required to create an incredibly complex design which expresses such dynamic motion. It is impossible to capture the size and scale in photographs. This item is as close to a masterpiece as any piece of sometsuke we have ever owned.