Japanese Commemorative Ware

Studio vase with printed pictures and inscription under the glaze. Looks like Japanese. Unfortunately I have idea who or what the subject is about. I have tried emperors, admirals samurai without success. There is a makers seal near the base. Just interested and comments and suggestions.

Height: 10.5cm Diameter: 8.5cm

Well at that size its not a vase it's a tea cup or to give its correct title a Yunomi I believe.

The process is a transfer print of a Japanese gentleman in traditional dress with another image of a tall ship. If this is not a later reproduction then the process of printing on to a ceramic, the style of dress plus the type of ship puts this in a very narrow window of between 1880-1900. Any later and the ship and the mans dress would be very different. You do have some writing on it and if I had to guess I would think that relates to the ships name and the captain who I think is the man. If you can get that translated it will open up this item for you. Even in Bolton I think you could find someone who could do that for you. There is also the possibility that this is a little earlier and relate to some of the colourful characters who I read tried to blend a traditional samurai life style with a European shipping industry by buying European ships to trade with in the 1870's.

I am a bit jealous to be honest, I would love to own it. I think it is a great item and highly collectable. Good luck with your hunt.

A little roundabout little googling and I worked that this is  Sakamoto Ryoma, who was among other things a founding father of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and that the ship is presumably the IJN's first steamship, the Dutch-built Kankō Maru. There's a replica of the ship, built in 1987, and my guess is this was a souvenir produced in asssociation with it.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sakamoto_Ryoma_Photo2.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_barque_Kank%C5%8D_Maru

(Just read Moordeep's post; I should perhaps add that I know nothing about Japanese pottery, and have no idea about the date of this)

Image showing this photo of Sakamoto Ryoma being used to promote the ship:
https://spikejapan.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/ryoma-cut-out-and-the-kanko-maru1.jpg

It's odd as the ship must still be under construction in the photo. There is no paddle wheel or smoke stack.

Lovely thing BTW! Beats most of the normal transfer printed stuff.

hercules brabazon wrote:A little roundabout little googling and I worked that this is  Sakamoto Ryoma, who was among other things a founding father of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and that the ship is presumably the IJN's first steamship, the Dutch-built Kankō Maru. There's a replica of the ship, built in 1987, and my guess is this was a souvenir produced in asssociation with it.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sakamoto_Ryoma_Photo2.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_barque_Kank%C5%8D_Maru

(Just read Moordeep's post; I should perhaps add that I know nothing about Japanese pottery, and have no idea about the date of this)

I think you nailed it Hercules

God I love things like this. Japanese items from this period as they moved from a closed traditional society to a modern western pointed one are so interesting. It's how you can get a style of dress that is hundreds of years old with a ship so tied to the late 19th century.

hercules brabazon wrote:There's a replica of the ship, built in 1987, and my guess is this was a souvenir produced in asssociation with it.

The pot is not very old (in my opinion), so I would assume this is very likely.

22 Crawford St. wrote:It's odd as the ship must still be under construction in the photo. There is no paddle wheel or smoke stack.

Lovely thing BTW! Beats most of the normal transfer printed stuff.

Well, the funnel is there, but you're right about the paddle wheel; perhaps its the Kanrin Maru, Japan's first screw-driven warship. There's a replica of this too, which also spent time at the Huis ten Bosch theme park (though good photos are curiously hard to find).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_warship_Kanrin_Maru

Thank you every one particularly Hercules, you really nailed it.  

So the pictures are of Sakamoto Ryōma and the ship Kankō Maru together with a dedication in Japanese calligraphy.

Circa 1987

Just the maker to identify!!!

If you find out more please come back and post